It's now four consecutive losses for the defending champions, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, as the Japan Rugby League One Round 10 results saw Kubota Spears maintain their lead in Division 1, which enters a two-week break before Round 11.
It's now four consecutive losses for the defending champions, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, as the Japan Rugby League One Round 10 results saw Kubota Spears maintain their lead in Division 1, which enters a two-week break before Round 11.
The Saitama Wild Knights bounced back from defeat with a big win to maintain their own title ambitions. There are eight rounds to go in the top-flight, and only the top two teams will earn a bye in the first week of the six-team playoffs.
There were three Division 2 matches, all on Saturday, while the Skyactivs Hiroshima still have a perfect record in Division 3.
Division 1
Saturday February 28
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 14-33 BlackRams Tokyo
As we said in the introduction, Todd Blackadder's side has now suffered four consecutive losses as Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo were beaten at home by the BlackRams Tokyo.
Has the talisman All Black Richie Mo’anga mentally checked out of Japan in his last season, with his sights set on returning to New Zealand after the season? It's not fair to place the losses on one player, as the whole side has struggled and they find themselves tumbling down the Division.
The visitors led 16-7 at the break, with the Brave Lupus down to 14 men with a yellow card issued to Michael Stolberg. Despite a Daigo Hashimoto brace of tries, either side of the break, the BlackRams maintained their lead, and a second yellow card for the hosts ended their fightback, with TJ Perenara among the scorers in the second period.
BlackRams Tokyo’s Ichigo Nakakusu now tops the Division points charts (121), overtaking Bernard Foley at Kubota Spears.
Urayasu D-Rocks 19-78 Kobelco Kobe Steelers
We said before the round that the D-Rocks would find it tough to prevent it from being 6 straight losses, but the manner and size of the defeat is not something many saw coming, as Dave Rennie’s side put up a devastating 60-point win on the hosts.
Brodie Retallick scored his 10th and 11th tries of the season in the win, as he extended his lead in the try scoring charts, and the game was over at the break with the Steelers 38-5 up, and ended up scoring six tries in each half. There were also three tries each for Inoke Burua and Tiennan Costley (Australian-born but now a Brave Blossom), who was Player of the Match.
Israel Folau was among the try scorers for the defeated hosts, now with 6 tries in the past three games, but Graham Rowntree’s men continue to look for a first win since early January, and they are heading rapidly down the table.
Saitama Wild Knights 66-19 Mie Honda Heat
Atsushi Kanazawa met his challenge of getting his side to bounce back from a first defeat under his tenure, and they did it with some style by putting 66 points on a Mie Honda Heat team, who potentially were going to be tricky opposition.
It was a welcome return of the centre partnership for the Wild Knights, which saw Dylan Riley and Damien de Allende in the midfield for the first time this season, and they had wrapped up the game in the first half, running away to a 35-7 lead.
We had said in our preview that the Heat had conceded around 54 points per match in the past three games to the Saitama Wild Knights, and they conceded even more in this loss.
Dylan Riley was among the scorers on his return, while Lachlan Boshier and Ben Gunter each scored twice, with Brave Blossom Gunter the POTM. Koki Takeyama scored his 8th try to overtake teammate and captain Atsushi Sakate, and now has the third most in the Division.
Former Argentina captain Pablo Matera was among the try scorers for the Mie Honda Heat in the heavy defeat.
Sunday March 1
Yokohama Canon Eagles 10-28 Kubota Spears
The Division leaders, Kubota Spears, were comfortably in control of the game 21-0 at the break (tries from Rikuto Fukuda, Halatoa Vailea x2), and the bottom-ranked Eagles were always going to struggle to come back into the game, but they did.
They did make a fight of it and won the second half scoreline with both Jesse Kriel and Yusuke Niwai crossing to score. The 9th defeat of the season means they remain in last place, while the 9th win of the season for Kubota sees them maintain a slight advantage over both Kobe and the Wild Knights, although they missed out on a bonus point this weekend.
In Round 11, Kubota will square off against the Saitama Wild Knights on 14th March.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 29-31 Toyota Verblitz
We said it would be one of the toughest games to call this weekend, but the Toyota Verblitz have made it two wins on the bounce, with a 78th-minute try from
Siosaia Fifita tied up the scores, and the successful conversion in the final minute from Shinya Komura sealed the victory.
The match also saw two All Black scrumhalves reunite their rivalry, as Aaron Smith with the Toyota Verblitz came out on top over Brad Weber.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars Matt Vaega’s two tries saw him go into second on the Division scoring ladder, but it was not enough prevent the loss as Taichi Takahashi scored a hat-trick for Toyota Verblitz and Dynaboars flyhalf Shun Miyaki, missing four of his five shots at goal.
It is the second successive time the result between these two has been less than four points.
Shizuoka BlueRevs 24-57 Tokyo Sungoliath
Tokyo Sungoliath are in red-hot form and scoring plenty of points, with another bonus point win this season, as they put Shizuoka BlueRevs to the sword on Sunday.
The win means they extend their undefeated run over the side captained by Springbok Kwagga Smith in the JRLO. The halftime score of 38-5 saw the game effectively over after the first forty minutes, with both Seiya Ozaki and Isaiah Punivai each scoring twice for Tokyo Sungoliath. Seiya Ozaki made sure of his hat-trick in the second half.
Daniel Maiava also scored a brace for the defeated Shizuoka BlueRevs as they go into the break in 7th place.
When the Division returns from the break, Sungoliath will be the favourites to extend the pain on Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in the next round for the Fuchu derby on 15th March at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground (Tokyo).
Saturday February 28
Hino Red Dolphins 21-24 Red Hurricanes Osaka
The hosts are at the bottom of the table in the Division, but came close to claiming their first win this season against Red Hurricanes Osaka.
The match saw three yellow cards, two for the victors, and they scored the winning try (Jack OSullivan POTM) and conversion to snatch the win with the converted kick from Taiki Yamaguchi in the final minute of play.
Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi 68-28 Kyushudenryoku Kyuden Voltex
Kyushudenryoku Kyuden Voltex stayed second bottom in Division 1, as Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles Aichi exceeded their average of 40 points per match coming into the round, and scored 10 tries and racked up 68 points in the bonus point win.
They converted the 42-7 halftime lead into the 40-point victory, and Wallaby fly-half Noah Lolesio converted 9 of the tries. Thomas Umaga Jensen and Akito Fujinami each crossed twice in the first period, and the captain, Umaga Jensen, claimed his hat-trick in the second half as well as the Player of the Match award.
Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks 22-14 Green Rockets Tokatsu
Third trumped fourth in another close game in the Division this weekend, but Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks outscored the visitors three tries to two at home. It means that the hosts also ended a run of two defeats and stay ahead of Green Rockets Tokatsu on the table.
Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks, Billy Burns, scored 9 points from the boot.
Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves vs Hanazono Kintetsu Liners
We had mistakenly said that Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves vs Hanazono Kintetsu Liners is this weekend, but they play on 7th March 2026.
Division Three
Saturday February 28
Yakult Levins Toda 7-50 Sayama SECOM Rugguts
The magnitude of the defeat for Yakult Levins Toda was surprising, but Sayama SECOM Rugguts continue their push for the top spot in Division 3 and have just a single loss this season. Shota Kutsuna collected a haul of 22 points, which included two tries, and was adjudged POTM.
Yakult Levins Toda dropped a place, and the sides above and below them have a game in hand.
Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions 10-48 Skyactivs Hiroshima
Skyactivs Hiroshima continued their undefeated run in the Division and picked up another 5-point haul in defeating Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions.
The win was less than the 61-27 result the first time they played this season, but the match was not in doubt. Tye Nash scored the opening two tries as his side went on to score seven tries in total.
Sunday March 1
Kurita Water Gush Akishima 55-31 LeRIRO Fukuoka
A big win at home for the team that was lower on the log coming into this round, but Kurita Water Gush Akishima outscored LeRIRO Fukuoka, and it means Water Gush Akishima go into third. Papaseea Matelau scored twice in the second half in the win.
The game yielded twice as many points as the 20-18 result the first time they played.