{"id":490613,"date":"2026-06-09T12:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/490613\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T12:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:45:13","slug":"james-lowes-new-club-revealed-as-winger-announces-ireland-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/490613\/","title":{"rendered":"James Lowe’s new club revealed as winger announces Ireland exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reports have emerged that James Lowe\u2019s new club won\u2019t be based in Europe as many expected.<\/p>\n

The Leinster and Ireland winger is set to leave the province<\/a> this summer at the end of his contract, having not agreed a supposed \u2018reduced terms\u2019 deal with Leinster and the IRFU.<\/p>\n

The winger has now released a statement announcing his retirement from the Ireland National Team. \u2018Man, where do I begin?\u2019 his statement began on Instagram. \u2018Nine years. Nine unforgettable seasons. I find it difficult to put into words what Ireland means to me. It\u2019s become so much more than a place of work. It\u2019s become our home. <\/p>\n

\"\"James Lowe. Pic: Seb Daly\/Sportsfile<\/p>\n

\u2018This country has not only shaped me, it has shaped my career, our family, and given us friendships that we will have for the rest of our lives. When I first arrived in Ireland, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was extremely naive and full of excitement, not knowing where this journey would take me.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just had a point to prove. You welcomed me, you accepted me, and this journey has been nothing short of amazing.<\/p>\n

He continued: \u2018Ireland you\u2019ve given us so much more than just rugby. You have given us lifelong friendships, a place where our family grew, where our children were raised and where we have always felt supported and loved. Ireland, thank you.<\/p>\n

\"JamesJames Lowe. Pic: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile<\/p>\n

He finished the statement saying: \u2018Unfortunately, not everyone gets their fairytale ending. This decision comes with a heavy heart. I love Ireland. I call it home.<\/p>\n

\u2018But sometimes rugby takes you on journeys you don\u2019t expect. A new chapter awaits us, and that doesn\u2019t make saying goodbye any easier. Ireland, you\u2019ve given us more than we could ever repay.<\/p>\n

\u2018Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the friendships. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for making our family feel at home.<\/p>\n

\"jamesJames Lowe. Pic: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll see you again. With love, James Lowe.\u2019<\/p>\n

When news first broke of Lowe\u2019s impending departure from Ireland, rumours were rife that the winger would stay in Europe, with teams in France reportedly considering tabling bids, as well as Northampton Saints sending an offer.<\/p>\n

The Saints are looking to strengthen their back 3 after losing George Furbank, who has agreed to move on to Harlequins this summer. However, it looks like James Lowe is set to leave Europe altogether.<\/p>\n

\"\"James Lowe. Pic: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile<\/p>\n

Murray Kinsella of The42<\/a> has reported that James Lowe is set to join the Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath in Japan Rugby League One. <\/p>\n

The Land of the Rising Sun has offered big money deals to International stars down the years, with Lowe\u2019s arrival likely being a replacement for Springbok star Cheslin Kolbe, who is returning to South Africa to the Stormers for next season. The Sungoliath are also captained by ex-All Blacks skipper Sam Cane.<\/p>\n

The Japan Rugby League One concluded last weekend, with the Kobe Steelers, who are coached by now All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie, winning the final over the Kubota Spears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reports have emerged that James Lowe\u2019s new club won\u2019t be based in Europe as many expected. The Leinster…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490614,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-490613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/490614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}