Round 3 of the Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 season was a try fest with some massive scores and some surprising results, most notably the demolition job Kubota Spears put on Tokyo Sungoliath, which sees them and Saitama Wild Knights as the only undefeated sides in Division 1.
Round 3 of the Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 season was a try fest with some massive scores and some surprising results, most notably the demolition job Kubota Spears put on Tokyo Sungoliath, which sees them and Saitama Wild Knights as the only undefeated sides in Division 1.
Elsewhere, Kwagga Smith’s Shizuoka BlueRevs suffered the weekend’s biggest upset as they were beaten at home 34-21 by Urayasu D-Rocks. More than 264,000 fans attended games in the JRLO this past weekend.
The JRLO takes a break until 10th January 2026, which is when Round Four kicks off.
Saturday December 27
BlackRams Tokyo 32-28 Mie Honda Heat
BlackRams secured their first win, and the loss condemns Mie Honda Heat to second bottom of the table, which is where they spent most of last season. It was a close game in which the lead changed hands four times.
It was an eventful opening ten minutes as PJ Latu received a yellow card for the hosts before Kazuma Nishi gave them the lead, but they trailed at the break.
Both Springbok second-rower Franco Mostert and Fijian test hooker Tevita Ikanivere were try-scorers for Honda, but it was not enough to prevent their 12th regular season game loss in a row. Yuki Ikeda, Shin Ouchi, and Taira Main all scored in the second half to get the win for BlackRams.
Kubota Spears 79-20 Tokyo Sungoliath
It was anticipated to be a close game as both came into the weekend yet to suffer a loss and the visitors top of the log, but former Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley scored 29 points, and his side ran in 11 tries to see the Frans Ludeke-coached outfit humble Tokyo Sungoliath 79-20. Foley’s points came via try and 11 goals from 14 attempts - a personal best in Japan for him.
Foley now comfortably leads the points scorer leaderboard for Division 1 with 57, more than 20 ahead of second-placed Rikiya Matsuda (Toyota Verblitz)
His only real blemish was a yellow card in the final minute of the game.
Sungoliath in their ranks included Springbok Cheslin Kolbe (who scored 8 from the boot), former All Black skipper Sam Cane, Wallaby veteran Sean McMahon, and nine past or present Japanese representatives, and after the first quarter, the hosts were only leading 8-6.
In the second quarter, Kubota ran in four tries, with All Black Shaun Stevenson completing a double on his way to a POTM performance, and the Spears led 39-6 at the break. They scored six more tries in the second period. Kubota has now lost just one of the last nine times against Sungoliath.
Kobelco Kobe Steelers 49-29 Toyota Verblitz
Kobelco Kobe Steelers finally secured back-to-back wins and are now third in the Division rankings. It was Kobe coach Dave Rennie’s third against the Steve Hansen-coached Verblitz, and he did so with the All Black trio of backrower Ardie Savea, centre Anton Lienert-Brown and second rower Brodie Retallick.
Savea scored his first tries of the season with a double, and both Lienert-Brown and Retallick also crossed the whitewash. The victor Hiroshi Yamashita played his 100th game for the club in the win.
The only blot for the home side on an otherwise almost perfect day was the concession of two tries in the game’s final moments, which, while not threatening their try-scoring bonus point, did leave a slightly misleading scoreline. It was not the 63-21 blowout from last season
But the defeat sees Verblitz lie in 9th going into the New Year break.
Sunday December 28
Shizuoka BlueRevs 34-21 Urayasu D-Rocks
The Shizuoka BlueRevs loss at home 34-21 by Urayasu, means Graham Rowntree has won twice in three matches this campaign in his first season after they won just three games in the whole of the last regular season.
Former Wallaby Israel Folau found himself in the sin bin in the first half, but a Shane Gates (POTM) double helped the side to a lead after the break. Ren Iinuma scored a brace too to help secure the win.
It also makes it two losses in a row for Shizuoka BlueRevs, and both sides are positioned mid-table. Although BlueRevs were on the wrong end of the result, one of the stars for the side is Wallaby Samu Kerevi, who is third on the carry stats this season so far and leads the meters gained (285), and second in defenders beaten (23).
Yokohama Canon Eagles 19-41 Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo
Yokohama Canon Eagles are still winless after losing to the defending champions 41-19. It means new Head Coach Leon MacDonald has to lift his side from the bottom of the table when the season resumes in 2026, as they are on a combined 7-game losing streak.
The Brave Lupus scored four tries and had a yellow card in the opening period, compared to the two tries from the home side. A Billy Harmon converted try in the second half narrowed the lead to 17-24, but Kohei Takahashi scored a brace, and Tjay Clarke scored another before he was sent off with a red in the final five minutes.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 3-33 Saitama Wild Knights
Saitama Wild Knights made it three from three following a 33-3 win over Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars. It was the Wild Knights' eighth consecutive win over the Dynaboars, although they scored less than their average of 57 points per game against these opponents.
The Wild Knights, under new boss Atsushi Kanazawa, have been victorious over Sagamihara the last seven times they have played and averaged 57 points per game.
It didn't start well for the victors with Ben Gunter sin-binned in the opening minute (on review he is lucky it was not a straight red).
Hooker Atsushi Sakate (who shares the same name as this season’s undefeated coach) scored twice in the first half to add to his hat-trick from last week (he also picked up a yellow), and Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete scored his second in as many weeks. Gunter also had some redemption with a try. Sakate leads the try scoring charts in the Division with 6.
James Grayson scored the only points for the Dynabaors as they also succumbed to discipline issues with two players yellow-carded. It was not the result 100-cap Masataka Tsuruya would have wanted.
Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars find themselves eighth on the log and should have All Black scrumhalf Brad Weber available in the new year.
Saturday December 27
Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves 17-22 Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex
Nippon Steel Kamaishi Seawaves, Toutai Kefu’s side, were leading 17-3 at halftime but lost 22-17 to Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex.
The hosts had three tries thanks to Hayato Nishibayashi, Kazushi Ochi, and Mitch Hunt and the two yellow cards to the visitors gave them the edge. But in the second half, the hosts were scoreless, and Kyuden Voltex ran in three tries of their own, with the winner scored by Yusaku Kanda with seven minutes left.