TOKYO – With star flyhalf Richie Mo’unga back for his last campaign, Brave Lupus Tokyo will kick off their bid for a championship “three-peat” when the Japan Rugby League One season opens this weekend.
The Kobe Steelers host 2024-25 runners-up Spears Tokyo Bay in one of four matches on Saturday, while the Todd Blackadder-coached Brave Lupus start their season the following day at Ajinomoto Stadium against perennial contenders the Saitama Wild Knights.
The 31-year-old Mo’unga has announced he will return to the New Zealand Rugby fold after this season, his third in Japan, having spearheaded Brave Lupus to back-to-back titles while also winning the League One MVP award two years in a row.
He will once again lead Brave Lupus alongside veteran back-row talisman Michael Leitch, but the club no longer has the services of Japan national team lock Warner Dearns, who has joined Wellington, New Zealand-based Super Rugby side the Hurricanes.
The Frans Ludeke-coached Spears will aim for their first championship since 2022-23 with Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx once again leading their powerful forward pack, after being named 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year.
Saitama finished fourth last season, having featured in every previous League One final, and will look for a fresh start under Atsushi Kanazawa, with longtime head coach Robbie Deans moving into an executive role at the club.
The Wild Knights continue to boast one of the most talented lineups in the league, including Japan center Dylan Riley, and will look to show their championship credentials with a victory against Brave Lupus.
The Steelers, featuring Japan No. 10 Lee Seung Sin, aim to continue their momentum after finishing third last season, while Shizuoka BlueRevs will try to build on their best-ever result of fifth.
Following a disappointing 10th-place finish, star-studded Toyota Verblitz seek to live up to their billing, with Japan No. 8 Kazuki Himeno and playmaker Rikiya Matsuda back at full health after injury-interrupted seasons.
The Central Japan club has also been buoyed by the return of star South Africa back-rower and former World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, who was sidelined all last season by a shoulder injury.