(Written by Azul: May 25, 2025)

The Japan Rugby League One standings are as follows after 18 matches of the regular season.
2024-25 | League One Order(Division 1) 5/11 | |||||
ranking | team | Win | Lose | Even | WP | SD |
1 | TOSHIBA Brave Lupas TOKYO | 15 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 261 |
2 | Saitama Panasonic Wildnights | 14 | 2 | 2 | 71 | 290 |
3 | Kubota Spears | 14 | 2 | 2 | 69 | 245 |
4 | Shizuoka Blue Revs | 14 | 4 | 0 | 63 | 112 |
5 | KOBELCO Kobe Steelers | 10 | 8 | 0 | 51 | 133 |
6 | Tokyo SUNTORY Sungoliath | 8 | 8 | 2 | 40 | -26 |
7 | Black Rams Tokyo | 6 | 12 | 0 | 33 | -17 |
8 | Yokohama CANON Eagles | 6 | 12 | 0 | 30 | -48 |
9 | Sagamihara Dynaboars | 6 | 12 | 0 | 26 | -217 |
10 | Toyota Verblitz | 4 | 13 | 1 | 24 | -172 |
11 | Mie Honda Heat | 4 | 14 | 0 | 18 | -294 |
12 | Urayasu D-Rocks | 3 | 15 | 0 | 14 | -267 |
WP=Winning Point | ||||||
SD=Score Difference |
The top 3 teams were pretty much as predicted before the season started, with the 3 teams that have won the championship in the last 3 seasons of the Japan Rugby League One having won it all.
The 4th-place team, Blue Revs, is a team that has won the championship in the Top League, so it is a revival of an old favorite.

However, since they are the only team with a win over the top 2 teams, they are likely to be the center of a storm in the playoffs and win the championship.
Steelers (5th) and Sungoliath (6th) seem to have a big gap between themselves and the top teams as far as the league is concerned. However, in a tournament where a loss is the end of the road, anything can happen. That is what the fans are expecting.

The playoff pairings for this season are as follows
1) Quarterfinal A: 4th vs. 5th
2) Quarterfinal B: 3rd vs. 6th
3) Semifinal A: Winner of 1) vs. 1st place
4) Semifinal B: winner of 2) vs. 2nd place
5) 3rd place match: Loser of 3) vs Loser of 4)
6) Winner of 3) vs. winner of 4)
This time, I went to watch the game:
1) Quarterfinal A: 4th place (SHIZUOKA Blue Revs) vs. 5th place (KOBELCO Kobe Steelers) The venue was Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka City.

The temperature was 23.6 degrees Celsius. The weather was cloudy and sometimes rainy. Perhaps due to the bad weather, the number of spectators on the day was 7,006, a small number for the playoffs.

First, let me introduce the 2 teams that will play in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
First, let me introduce the 4th-place team, SHIZUOKA Blue Revs.

The Blue Revs have earned the right to participate in the playoffs by leaping up from 8th place last season to 4th place this season. The Blue Revs are the only team to have won from the top 2 teams this season. The Blue Revs are a team that has excellent players in each position, with excellent running ability and breakthrough ability, making them a very rewarding team for supporters to cheer for. Although they are ranked 4th in the standings, they are a dark horse in the playoffs this season, with a chance of winning the championship.
This day’s starting lineup was as follows.
Shizuoka Blue Revs | |||||
No. | Name | height | weight | age | |
1 | Kazuhiro KAWATA | 172cm | 103kg | 28 | |
2 | Takeshi HINO | 172cm | 100kg | 35 | Japan 5caps |
3 | Sean VETE | 190cm | 146kg | 24 | |
4 | Murray DOUGLAS | 198cm | 113kg | 35 | |
5 | Justin SANGUSTER | 198cm | 115kg | 28 | |
6 | Vueti TUPOU | 190cm | 121kg | 25 | |
7 | Yuya Odo | 187cm | 100kg | 35 | Japan 5caps |
8 | Malgene ILAUA | 187cm | 108kg | 31 | Japan 7cap |
9 | Shuntaro KITAMURA | 168cm | 77kg | 22 | |
10 | Sam GREENE | 178cm | 85kg | 30 | |
11 | Malo TUITAMA | 182cm | 91kg | 27 | |
12 | Viliami TAHITUA | 183cm | 111kg | 33 | Tonga 9caps |
13 | Charles PIUTAU | 186cm | 95kg | 32 | NZ17caps, Tonga 9caps |
14 | Valynce TEWHARE | 182cm | 112kg | 24 | |
15 | Fuuto YAMAGUCHI | 167cm | 74kg | 26 |
** Player to watch **

Valynce TEWHARE. 182 cm, 112 kg, 24 years old. Position = WTB. from NZ. He joined the Blue Revs this season from the Australian 13-man rugby team Dolphins. He scored a try in his debut match in Japan. In another match this season, he scored a try when the ball was kicked back deep into enemy territory and he ran back to retrieve it. He ran more than 200 meters, a feat that stunned Japanese rugby officials and fans alike. He is a formidable opponent, as he is impossible to stop on a one-on-one basis, and the opposing team would need 4 or 5 players to attack him all at once. Despite his ability, he was unable to make a living on his salary as a player alone when he was in Australia, so he had to work as a part-time groundskeeper. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this 24-year old who has unlimited potential, using his hunger as a springboard.
And now, let us introduce our opponent for the day, the KOBELCO Steelers, who finished 5th this season.

The Steelers, who boast of having won a championship in the Top League, made it to the playoffs for the first time since becoming a League One team. Despite their depth of players, they managed to make it to the playoffs, although their game play was erratic, with one week after a dominant win, they suffered a disastrous loss. The team has always had high potential, so if they work together as a team, they can be expected to have a good match against a top-ranked team. Hanazono, the venue for the match, is a quasi-home ground for the Kansai-based Steelers, so their supporters will be looking forward to an exciting match.
The starting lineup for the day’s match was as follows
KOBE Steelers | |||||
No. | Name | height | weight | age | |
1 | Shigure TAKAO | 178cm | 110kg | 28 | |
2 | Takuya KITADE | 180cm | 100kg | 32 | |
3 | Hiroshi YAMASHITA | 183cm | 120kg | 39 | Japan 51caps |
4 | Gerard COWLEI-TUIOTI | 197cm | 115kg | 32 | |
5 | Brodie RETALLICK | 204cm | 120kg | 33 | New Zealand 109caps |
6 | Waisake RARATUBUA | 193cm | 118kg | 27 | |
7 | Willie POTGIETTER | 190cm | 105kg | 23 | |
8 | Amanaki SAUMAKI | 189m | 110kg | 28 | Japan 5caps |
9 | Atsushi HIWASA | 166cm | 70kg | 37 | Japan 51caps |
10 | Bryn GATLAND | 180cm | 88kg | 29 | |
11 | Kanta MATSUNAGA | 167cm | 79kg | 25 | |
12 | Lafaere TIMOSY | 186cm | 98kg | 33 | |
13 | Michael LITTLE | 180cm | 98kg | 32 | |
14 | Ataata MOEAKIOLA | 185cm | 107kg | 29 | Japan 4caps |
15 | Seunsin LEE | 176cm | 85kg | 24 | Japan 18caps |
** Player to watch **

Atsushi HIWASA. 166 cm, 70 kg, 37 years old. He played in the RWC 2011 and 2015, and in 2011, he was selected as one of the 15 best overseas players by a local newspaper in NZ. When it comes to continuous attacks, he shows his true potential as a quick ball-starter. At the age of 37, he still shows no signs of slowing down in terms of his athleticism during the game, and we look forward to seeing him play a key role in the Steelers’ offense and defense in the playoffs.
Let’s get the first half underway.
The Steelers kicked off the game.

5 minutes into the 1st half:
The Steelers took the advantage with the first scrum right after the start of the game, pushing the Blue Revs’ ironclad scrum and getting the Steelers going first.
The Steelers advanced deep into enemy territory and launched a series of attacks, where the Blue Revs were fouled. The penalty kick was almost in front of the goal post, about 20 meters away, so the Steelers opted to go for the PG, which SO GATLAND of the Steelers converted to give the Steelers the lead. The score was 0-3.


9 minutes into the first half:
From the restart kickoff, the Blue Revs entered the enemy territory and made an aggressive tackle to turn over. The Blue Revs then had a scrum on their own ball near the enemy 22m line.

However, the Blue Revs again lost the scrum.
However, in the lineout that followed, the Steelers committed an infringement, resulting in the 3rd scrum of the day near the halfway line. Again, the Steelers were the better team, but the Blue Revs managed to get the ball rolling and WTB TUITAMA broke the line, which was followed up by WTB TEWHARE who scored a try right under the opponents’ goal posts.

The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 7-3.

18 minutes into the first half:
Another scrum near the halfway mark on the left side of the field, this time with the Blue Revs in possession, was again won by Steelers prop YAMASHITA, and the Blue Revs were fouled. Up to this point, the Blue Revs, who are absolutely confident in their set plays, especially in the scrums, had not been able to gain the upper hand.

From this point, the Steelers took a penalty kick to close in on the enemy try line, and from there they secured the ball in their own lineout and launched a series of attacks.

Steelers WTB MATSUNAGA was pushed out by Blue Revs WTB TEWHARE just before the try on the left side. However, TEWHARE’s tackle was ruled as an infringement and the Steelers were awarded a try.
The score was 7-10.

Blue Revs WTB TEWHARE was temporarily sent off for 10 minutes for this foul tackle.
27 minutes into the first half:
Midway through the game, the rain began to fall harder, and both sides began to make handling errors. The Steelers switched to forward contact and pushed deep into enemy territory, where they mauled their way over 10 meters for a near try.
The Blue Revs were able to hold off the Steelers with a strong defensive effort, but soon after, the Steelers broke the line through a series of attacks by WTB UEDA and went close to the try line, where FL RARATUBUA finally scored a try in the left corner at the enemy goal post.


The Steelers also scored a conversion goal after the try to make the score 7-17.
38 minutes into the first half:
The Blue Revs pushed deep into enemy territory towards the end of the first half and went for a try with a maul and sign play, but they just couldn’t break through the Steelers’ defensive net.


The Blue Revs then chose to go for a PG in front of the goal post after a foul by their opponents with time remaining, and SO GREENE scored it.

The score was 10-17. The first half ended here.

The Blue Revs were unable to gain an advantage in the set plays they relied on, and it will be interesting to see what measures they will take in the second half.
Now, let’s start the second half.
The second half started with a kickoff by Blue Revs.

5 minutes into the second half:
Both teams are competitive in contact play, but the Blue Revs’ set pieces were unsteady in this match. The Steelers, on the other hand, had the advantage in the set piece and gradually advanced deeper into the enemy territory.
The ball rolled to the left side near the try line, and WTB MATSUNAGA of the Steelers appeared to hold it up, but the try was canceled after a VTR decision.

5 minutes into the second half:
After the game resumed, the Steelers broke out of their own half and FL RARATUBUA broke the line and went close to the enemy try line. And finally FB Lee scored a try at the right side of the goal post.



The conversion goal after the try was also successful, making the score 10-24.

11 minutes into the second half:
So far in this match, the Steelers had been steadily winning the battle for the ball, both in set pieces and in dense battles.

However, the Blue Revs were determined to break through on the run. The Blue Revs connected the ball from WTB TUITAMA to CTB PIUTAU with an offload pass, and finally to SH KITAMURA who followed up and scored a try just below the goal post in enemy territory.

Blue Revs supporters in a frenzy.
The conversion goal after the try was also successful, and the score was 17-24.

17 minutes into the second half:
This was when the Blue Revs began to regain momentum, replacing the first row of FW players and scrumming to win by force.

With a series of attacks, the Blue Revs showed the strength of their individual contact and gradually advanced deeper and deeper into the enemy territory.

About 30 meters from the goalposts, the Steelers committed an infringement. The Blue Revs elected to go for the PG, which SO GREENE converted to make the score 20-24.

From this point on, both teams were on a roll, and the match entered a stalemate, with the Blue Revs even in the scrums, where they had been held back in the first half.

They also formed an ironclad defense that did not allow any forward movement in contact play after deployment. However, the Steelers were just as hard on defense and did not allow any points to be scored even with their backs to the goal line.
The atmosphere was such that the next team to score a try would take control of the match.

33 minutes into the second half:
The game was finally broken as the Steelers brought the ball deep into enemy territory and came close to the try line several times, only to have their attempts rebound off the Blue Revs’ iron-clad in-goal defense.

Just after the Steelers had made 5 or 6 flank attacks on the right side of the field just before the try line, Steelers SO GATTLAND turned around and kicked a pass to the opposite corner. Steelers’ substitute WTB BURUA caught the kick, dodged a tackle, and scored a valuable try in the left corner of the enemy’s in-goal.

The conversion goal after the try failed, but the score was 20-29.
36 minutes into the second half:
With time running out, the Steelers kicked the ball from their own territory, and Blue Revs WTB TEWHARE ran hard to pick up the ball and counter-attack from there. but were caught by the opposing defense. The Blue Revs were then pushed back and were penalized for collapsing the ball. The Blue Revs were suffering from the mental damage of being pushed down in the scrum at the end of the match. Since the position of the foul was close and in front of the goalposts, the Steelers opted for a PG, which SO GATTLAND converted. The score was 20-32. Considering the time remaining, the score was a no-brainer.


39 minutes into the second half:
After the restart of the PG, the Blue Revs kicked off deep into enemy territory, but the Steelers got the ball back and kicked the ball deep into enemy territory. Blue Revs WTB TEWHARE ran back, picked up the ball, and tried to counterattack from that position. However, as before, he was caught by the Steelers defense and was penalized for Not Release the Ball. The Steelers’ SO GATTLAND scored on this PG to make the score 20-35.

The game then ended with this score.
KOBELCO Steelers, ranked 5th in Division 1, beat Blue Revs, ranked 4th in Division 1, and will play last season’s champion Brave Lupas in the semifinals of the playoffs.

And with the loss, the Blue Revs were now finished for the season.


This match was a playoff match, where a loss would end the season, so the persistence of the Professional teams in betting on a win was evident in this match.

The semi-finals and finals will follow, but which team will come out on top in this season’s League One?
The fun for rugby fans continues.
**********************

Stop the war.
Peace to Ukraine
*************************