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Japan Rugby League One Round 6 sprung a few surprises. The rematch of last year's final between champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and Kubota Spears saw the champions inflict a first loss on Kubota, leaving the Wild Knights as the only team with an unblemished record, while Honda Mie Heat won their first match of the season.
Japan Rugby League One Round 6 sprung a few surprises. The rematch of last year's final between champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and Kubota Spears saw the champions inflict a first loss on Kubota, leaving the Wild Knights as the only team with an unblemished record, while Honda Mie Heat won their first match of the season.
JRLO Division 1 takes a week break and returns for the weekend of 7-8 February in Round 7.
Saturday January 24
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 24-20 Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay
It was a late (80th minute) converted try by Richie Muonga that sealed the win for Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo as they inflicted a first loss this season on Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay.
The All Black had also put in a man-of-the-match performance in the 18-13 final victory, and the men in orange will have nightmares of the fly-half as the win was their 5th in a row over Frans Ludeke's side in the JRLO.
Tries from Michael Stolberg and Kohei Takahashi put the hosts ahead at the break 12-3, with the yellow card for Ruan Botha not helping Kubota’s cause.
Shaun Stevenson scored after the break and was influential all game in setting up two more tries. Yamada Hibiki’s try put them ahead for the first time, but Wild Knights’ Toshiki Kuwayama made it 17-17 with less than 7 minutes remaining. Bernard Foley’s penalty might have sealed the win in the 77th minute, but Mo’unga crashed the party to score all 7 points and take the win as Kubuto suffered their first regular-season loss since March 2025 - a streak of 13 games.
Mie Honda Heat 32-23 Urayasu D-Rocks
Mie Honda Heat caused another surprise by winning their first game this season, defeating Urayasu D-Rocks at home and back-to-back losses for Graham Rowntree
Springbok Franco Mostert scored a try in the win and put in a captain’s performance as his side had a narrow 15-13 lead at the break thanks to Mostert’s score and a double from Azuma Doei. Discipline this season in the JRLO has seen a bucket load of cards issued, and the visitors had Manaaki Selby-Rickit sent off in the opening period.
D-Rocks had a yellow card in the second half to Ryuji Fujimura to effectively end their challenge, but they pushed hard and lost for the first time to Mie Honda Heat since 2012 and also ended club’s run of 14 regular season games without a win.
The match was played at their new stadium, Honda Heat Green Stadium, which looks fantastic and has a capacity of 18,000. The side faces Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in the next round.
Saitama Wild Knights 31-30 Tokyo Sungoliath
Saitama Wild Knights now lead the Division and sit alone on top of the championship table, after beating Tokyo Sungoliath at home - just. The Wild Knights have won all 7 games between the two sides in the JRLO but had to stay in this for the full 80 as Sungolitah nearly pulled off a comeback win
It was a tight game with the hosts holding the advantage 14-11 at halftime. Springbok Cheslin Kolbe, who was also yellow-carded the last time they played, was again carded in the first half and scored 15 points, which included one try in the loss.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara DynaBoars 24-33 Black Rams Tokyo
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara DynaBoars had led at halftime 19-13 and looked good to pick up just a second victory this season, helped by Black Rams Daigo Sasagawa's yellow card at the end of the period.
That was before the hosts had two players sin-binned within 5 minutes of each other in the second half- Epineri Uluiviti and Charlie Titcombe and the visitors pulled ahead 30-19.
Lukhanyo Am was among the scorers as Dynaboars tried to salvage the game, but it was not to be as Black Rams Tokyo made it consecutive wins over the Dynaboars, as they had beaten them 22-7 last season.
Yokohama Canon Eagles 32-38 Kobelco Kobe Steelers
We said in our preview that it was unlikely that Yokohama Canon Eagles would end their quest for a first win this season, and indeed, Kobelco Kobe Steelers ran away with the result in the second half before the Eagles' flight back.
It had been a close opening period, with Kobe only ahead 10-8 after 40 minutes despite one of their star players, Ardie Savea, being carded.
Brodie Retallick was again amongst the scorers for Kobe and now has 8 this season to lead the Division stats. His side’s other scorers were Tali Ioasa, Inoke Burua (x2), Kazuma Ueda (x2)
Yokohama Canon Eagles were 15-38 down with 8 minutes left before Captain Jesse Kriel scored a brace and Yuragi Muto added 9 points (a try and 2 conversions) in the final few minutes but it was too little too late.
Liam Coltman also scored his first try in his first start for the Eagles, but former Blues coach Leon MacDonald has now seen his side lose 6/6 in his first season in Japan, and some reflection will be needed over the coming break as it’s ten losses in a row overall.
Sunday January 25
Shizuoka Blue Revs 43-19 Toyota Verblitz
A double whammy of bad news for Toyota Verblitz, first with the news of Pieter Steph Du Toit’s injury and him being de-registered and then another loss for this season.
Verblitz 5th loss saw them concede just above their average points of 40 across the defeats, and the win for Shizuoka Blue Revs saw them climb one place on the log to 6th.
Valynce Te Whare again was on the scoresheet (4 this season) as the home side ran in 4 tries in the first half and led 24-7 at halftime. They never looked in danger of losing and Springbok Kwagga Smith capped off the win with the final try of the game.
Saturday January 24
Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex 19-21 Green Rockets Tokatsu
Green Rockets Tokatsu converted a 12-7 halftime lead into a 21-19 win away from home and leapfrogged them on the table.
Kosuke Oike dotted down for the hosts' first, but two tries from Ren Osawa and Keagen Faria for the Green Rockets saw them into the lead. At the start of the second half, Kenji Hayata put Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex back in front with their second try.
Three Orbyn Leger penalties were enough for the visitors to claim the win with the final points coming in the 81st minute, even with Timote Tavalea in the bin.
Sunday January 25
Yakult Levins Toda 24-66 SkyActivs Hiroshima
SkyActivs Hiroshima had a big win in the Division’s only fixture and it took them to the top of the log, easily beatingYakult Levins Toda and they ran in 10 tries in the victory. Jackson Pugh scored two tries while Clynton Knox and Kohei Kamei each scored to lead the club try scoring stats with 4 each so far this season.