Robbie Deans On the Japan Rugby League One – “Part of My Motivation Is Developing Local Talent”

Robbie Deans is a high-calibre rugby coach who hardly needs an introduction. Five titles in Super Rugby with the Crusaders, 5 national titles in Japan, including the maiden JRLO, and a former Wallaby and ongoing Barbarians coach on the international stage.

His team in Japan, Saitama Wild Knights, has one of the highest winning percentages in the game and head into this weekend in the semi-finals, having qualified for every final since the Japan Rugby League One took over from the Top League as the top flight of rugby in Japan in 2022.

Coaching in JRLO –  Robbie Deans

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo are the current defending champions after shocking the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in the final last season, and became the third champions of the first three seasons of League One. The previous year, Deans saw his side lose the final unexpectedly to the Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay, but it’s all part of the growth, development and quality of the league in Japan. 

Saitama Wild Knights play Kubota Spears this weekend in the semifinal, and Deans will once again square off against a former Super Rugby coach champion with the Bulls, South African Frans Ludeke. 

Deans told Rugby Asia 247, “There are more international coaches in this country than we have in any league in the world, and with international test match experience. Post-Rugby World Cup 2019, the secret got out that Japan is such a great destination. We didn’t intend to be at the outset, I think we had a real duration in mind, and it’s been enjoyable for me.”

Photo Credit – Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights

His coaching staff at the Saitama Wild Knights has a mix of international and Japanese talent. The JRLO is seeing more Japanese head coaches lead some of these top teams as well, which is probably important for the development of the game in Japan, although heading into the final four this weekend in the JRLO Division 1 semifinals, all four coaches are from overseas.

The combined silverware for coaches in the JRLO accounts for 4 Rugby World Cup wins (three men’s, one women’s), 2 Six Nations titles, 12 Super Rugby titles and 1 Pro 12 title (forerunner to United Rugby Championship).

“A lot of my staff are former players, and we’ve consciously tried to bring them through the systems at Saitama. My assistant was a player in the university system and came through to play. It is part of my motivation for being here – developing local talent, and in particular, local teams,” explained Robbie Deans.

One of the complexities of Japan is the diverse and dynamic makeup of the teams competing in the JRLO, with playing and coaching talent from around the globe.

Robbie Deans said of coaching in Japan and the JRLO, “That’s what makes it unique, and it’s the element that I’ve really enjoyed about being here is that it is so multicultural. I’ve been fortunate enough to coach the Barbarians on a lot of occasions, and this is the closest thing that you’ll get, because there are so many different nationalities and cultures.

You come together in what is a great place, and you need to enjoy and celebrate your differences, and you enjoy the things that you have in common. I think it is one of the great elements of rugby that it is an international game, and you see it here more so than anywhere.”

The highly-respected coach will once again be in charge of the Baabaas later this year when they play a historic match against the defending world champions, South Africa, for the first time in South Africa.

Photo Credit – Barbarians – The side vs Springboks will be coached by Saitama Wild Knights Head Coach Robbie Deans.

JRLO Teams Are Supportive of the Brave Blossoms

As the JRLO season concludes over the coming weeks, there will be a lot of focus on the Brave Blossoms as they head into the international season. Already, the Japan U20s and JAPAN XV have been playing fixtures, the latter includes several players from Japan Rugby League One sides that are no longer in contention for silverware this season.

There is pressure too on Eddie Jones at the national team. We asked if there was a collaborative process between the JLRO coaches and teams with the Brave Blossoms and the national 7s programmes.

Robbie Deans explained that there is consultation from the league perspective.

“I think that’s improving. The companies that own the teams have historically been very invested in the national program. There are variations to what extent that’s part of the selection process, but the companies have supported the Brave Blossoms, and they do care about the nation, but it is evolving as the game is becoming professionalised. They’re now trying to create more of a regional model, and there are some growing pains around that.”

Photo Credit – Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights

How Worried Are They About New Eligibility Rules in JRLO?

The adaptation in the regulations is part of the growing pains, and the JRLO leadership announced new eligibility recently that will come into effect for the 2026-2027 season.

Deans said from his point of view, “Essentially, Japanese rugby is going through what France has been through. France was probably the most popular destination for a long time for various reasons, and Japan has become that now. France got to a point where it became a problem for them in terms of the emergence of local talent and just the game itself. So they reached a tipping point and brought in some changes too.”

In Japan, the new player regulations that have been announced have been implemented, and there have been consistent changes implemented, which are necessary. I understand their motivation, and there’s really not too much point in sweating it from our perspective; the key is just to understand it and maximise what we bring within that.”

This is true and part of the growing pains for a professional league, which needs to maintain local interest, develop local talent, attract international talent and has ambitions to grow in the future.

Photo Credit – Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights Damian De Allende

We asked if he felt the changes on the categorisation of players in the JRLO for the 2026-227 season would have much of an impact in terms of attracting international talent? 

Robbie Deans said, “We don’t really know or if that’ll evolve. I think you will still have the international element. But what they want is the vibrancy within that. In France, their issue was that their competitions were clustered with foreign talent, and it was inhibiting the access of the local talent. And that’s in a nutshell what they’re trying to address here.

Whether it will have an impact on players, their decisions, and their willingness to contemplate playing in Japan, we will have to see.  We still want to maximise their involvement, and their return, but also their enjoyment.”

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