The 2025–26 Japan Rugby League One – Division 1 (), known as the NTT 2025–26 Japan Rugby League One for sponsorship reasons, was the fifth season of the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) and the 22nd season in top-flight Japanese rugby. The season began in December 2025 and concluded in June 2026 with teams placed in the Play-offs and Relegation play-offs rounding out the season. The teams remained unchanged from the previous season (2024–25) as both teams in the relegation zone (Mie Honda Heat, Urayasu D-Rocks) defeated the top two Division 2 teams over two-legs. Toshiba Brave Lupus were the defending champions, having won their seventh title last season 18–13 against the Kubota Spears.

In May 2026, the two teams sitting in the relegation zone (Urayasu D-Rocks, Sagamihara DynaBoars) defeated their Division 2 opponents decisively to stay in the first division for 2026–27.

On 7 June 2026, the Kobe Steelers defeated the Kubota Spears in the final 22–13 at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo in front of a crowd of more than 50,000. It was the Steelers' third title in top-flight Japanese rugby, and their first since the inception of the JRLO in 2022.

Format The format will consist of a round-robin fixture, before entering into a knockout style play-off for the final four teams. It featured two conferences (A, B). Teams in each conference played the teams in their respective conference twice (one at home, one away), and six matches against all the teams in the other conference, three being at home and three away. Each team played a total of sixteen seasonal fixtures, plus additional play-off matches, including relegation play-offs.

Teams, venues and personnel Venues and stadia The competition fixture list and venues for the season were announced on 31 July 2025. Despite no 2025–26 Division 1 team being located on the island and prefecture of Hokkaido, the Toshiba Brave Lupus hosted the Urayasu D-Rocks in Round 14 of the season at the Sapporo Dome in Hokkaido. Similarly, no 2025–26 Division 1 team is located on the Southern Island of Kyushu, however Tokyo Sungoliath, the Sagamihara DynaBoars, Toyota Verblitz, and the Yokohama Canon Eagles all host one or two fixtures at various venues on the island throughout the season.

Black Rams Tokyo Kobe Steelers Kubota Spears Mie Honda Heat Sagamihara DynaBoars Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium Noevir Stadium Kobe Edogawa Stadium Fukuda Denshi Arena Mie Suzuka Sports Garden Tochigi Green Stadium Sagamihara Gion Stadium Takebishi Stadium Kyoto Nagasaki City Kakidomari Stadium Capacity: 20,010 Capacity: 45,000 Capacity: 30,132 Capacity: 6,950 Capacity: 19,781 Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 18,025 Capacity: 15,300 Capacity: 20,588 Capacity: 16,000 Saitama Wild Knights Shizuoka Blue Revs Kumagaya Rugby Ground Yamaha Stadium Capacity: 24,000 Capacity: 15,165 Urayasu D-Rocks Toshiba Brave Lupus ZA Oripri Stadium Todoroki Athletics Stadium Capacity: 14,051 Capacity: 26,232 Tokyo Sungoliath Toyota Verblitz Yokohama Canon Eagles Toshiba Brave Lupus Toshiba Brave Lupus, Tokyo Sungoliath, Saitama Wild Knights JIT Recycle Ink Stadium Egao Kenko Stadium Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium Toyota Stadium Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium Crasus Dome Oita Sapporo Dome Ajinomoto Stadium Capacity: 15,853 Capacity: 32,000 Capacity: 11,900 Capacity: 45,000 Capacity: 15,300 Capacity: 15,454 Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 42,065 Capacity: 49,970

Personnel Team Coach Captain Kit manufacturer OwnerBlack Rams Tokyo Tabai Matson TJ PerenaraAdidasRicohKobe Steelers Dave RennieAdidasKobelcoKubota Spears Frans Ludeke Faulua MakisiBLKKubotaMie Honda Heat Kieran Crowley Pablo MateraBLKHondaSagamihara DynaBoars Glenn Delaney Kyo YoshidaCanterburyMitsubishiSaitama Wild Knights Atsushi Kanazawa Atsushi SakateUnder ArmourPanasonicShizuoka Blue Revs Kwagga SmithBLKYamaha Motor CompanyTokyo Sungoliath Kosei Ono Sam CaneAdidasSuntoryToshiba Brave Lupus Todd Blackadder Michael LeitchCanterburyToshibaToyota Verblitz Steve Hansen Ian Foster Kazuki HimenoCanterburyToyotaUrayasu D-Rocks Graham Rowntree Under ArmourNTTYokohama Canon Eagles Leon MacDonald Jesse KrielCanterburyCanon Inc.

International players The Japan Rugby League One divides players into three category's based on their international eligibility to the Japan national team (Category A, Category B, Category C). Under "Category A", at least 17 members of a matchday squad must be Japan-qualified which includes foreign-born players who qualify based on residency grounds. "Category B" is marked to internationally uncapped players who could potentially qualify for Japan in the future. And "Category C" allows three internationally test-capped players to be in the matchday squad. Overall, a combined total of six "Category B" and "Category C" players can be named in a matchday squad.

The Japan Rugby League One's "Category C" player quota for 2025–26: ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Black Rams Tokyo Paddy Ryan Liam Gill TJ PerenaraKobe Steelers Brodie Retallick Ardie Savea Anton Lienert-BrownKubota Spears Malcolm Marx Bernard Foley Shaun StevensonMie Honda Heat Tevita Ikanivere Franco Mostert Pablo MateraSagamihara DynaBoars Jackson Hemopo Lukhanyo AmSaitama Wild Knights Lood de Jager Damian de Allende Marika KoroibeteShizuoka Blue Revs Kwagga Smith Semi Radradra Charles PiutauTokyo Sungoliath Sean McMahon Sam Cane Cheslin KolbeToshiba Brave Lupus Shannon Frizell Richie Mo'unga Seta TamanivaluToyota Verblitz Pieter-Steph du Toit Aaron Smith Mark Tele'aUrayasu D-Rocks Jasper Wiese Samu Kerevi Israel FolauYokohama Canon Eagles Dino Lamb Faf de Klerk Jesse Kriel

Ladder

Fixtures The season fixtures were released on 31 July 2025.

Promotion/Relegation play-offs The relegation play-offs were scheduled for May 2026.

Overview

Matches DynaBoars v Shuttles Aichi

Sagamihara DynaBoars won 88–42 on aggregate.

D-Rocks v Blue Sharks

Urayasu D-Rocks won 94–34 on aggregate.

Play-offs The season play-offs were scheduled for May and June 2026.

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Third place match

Final

FB 15 Shunsuke UenoboRW 14 Kazuma UedaOC 13 Anton Lienert-BrownIC 12 Tali Ioasa LW 11 Inoke BuruaFH 10 Lee Seung-sinSH 9 Itsuki KamimuraN8 8 Waisake Raratubua OF 7 Ardie SaveaBF 6 Tiennan CostleyRL 5 Gerard Cowley-TuiotiLL 4 Brodie Retallick (c)TP 3 Hiroshi Yamashita HK 2 Ash Dixon LP 1 Shigure Takao Substitutes:HK 16 Kenta Matsuoka PR 17 Sho Maeda PR 18 Koo Ji-won LK 19 Naohiro KotakiLF 20 Solomone Funaki SH 21 Daiki NakajimaFH 22 Bryn Gatland CE 23 Michael Little Coach:Dave Rennie FB 15 Shaun StevensonRW 14 Koga NezukaOC 13 Rikus PretoriusIC 12 Yūya Hirose LW 11 Haruto KidaFH 10 Bernard Foley SH 9 Ippei Okada N8 8 Faulua Makisi (c)OF 7 Takeo SuenagaBF 6 Akira Ieremia RL 5 David BulbringLL 4 Merwe Olivier TP 3 Keijiro Tamefusa HK 2 Hayate Era LP 1 Yota Kamimori Substitutes:HK 16 Rikuto Fukuda PR 17 Kazuki Kato PR 18 Opeti Helu LK 19 David Van Zeeland LF 20 Lappies Labuschagné SH 21 Bryn Hall FH 22 Atsushi Oshikawa FB 23 Halatoa Vailea Coach:Frans Ludeke Man of the Match: Brodie Retallick (Kobe Steelers) Assistant referees: Takehito Namekawa Koki Yamauchi Television match official: Tasuku Kawahara

Statistics

+ Top try scorers Player Position Team Tries 1 Brodie Retallick Lock Kobe Steelers 17 2 Matt Vaega Wing Urayasu D-Rocks 15 Inoke Burua Wing Kobe Steelers 4 Halatoa Vailea Wing / Centre Kubota Spears 13 Haruto Kida Wing Kubota Spears Faulua Makisi Flanker Kubota Spears 7 Koki Takeyama Wing Saitama Wild Knights 12 Viliame Takayawa Wing Yokohama Canon Eagles 9 Shunsuke Uenobo Fullback Kobe Steelers 11 Malo Tuitama Wing Shizuoka Blue Revs Taiga Ozaki Wing / Centre Tokyo Sungoliath

+ Top point scorers Player Team Tries Points 1 Cheslin Kolbe Tokyo Sungoliath 10 45 26 0 218 2 Ichigo Nakakusu Black Rams Tokyo 5 44 27 0 194 3 Bernard Foley Kubota Spears 3 63 16 0 189 4 Takuya Yamasawa Saitama Wild Knights 3 53 16 0 169 5 Lee Seung-sin Kobe Steelers 4 45 11 0 143 6 Rikiya Matsuda Toyota Verblitz 3 46 11 0 140 7 Richie Mo'unga Toshiba Brave Lupus 4 50 1 0 123 8 Kakeru Okumura Shizuoka Blue Revs 5 36 5 0 112 9 Matt Vaega Urayasu D-Rocks 15 11 3 0 106 Bryn Gatland Kobe Steelers 2 45 2 0

Notes

References

External links Japan Rugby League One site