Latest news with #KubotaSpears
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Shaun Stevenson to leave Chiefs for Japanese club Kubota Spears
Chiefs player Shaun Stevenson has confirmed his move to Japanese club Kubota Spears at the end of this year's Super Rugby Pacific season. Kubota announced they had reached a contract agreement with him until June 2027. In a release, the Chiefs said Stevenson had made an 'outstanding contribution' to
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Malcolm Marx extends Japanese stay
Malcolm Marx has reportedly penned a new deal with the Kubota Spears, which will see the two-time Springbok world champion continue to power the Japanese club until June 2027. The 30-year-old, who missed out on winning a second title in Japan following Sunday's League One final defeat by Toshiba Brave Lupus, has made more than 30 appearances for the Spears since 2021. #BREAKING Malcolm Marx has extended his contract with Kubota Spears until June 2027#rugbyjp — (@rugbyjpcom) June 2, 2025 He linked up with the Frans Ludeke-coached outfit in 2020 from fellow Japanese outfit NTT Shining Arcs, who the hulking front-ranker joined after five years with the Lions in South Africa. SAFFAS ABROAD: Pollard powers Tigers to playoffs One of the original members of the Bomb Squad that helped South Africa win the 2019 world cup, Marx wrestled the Bok No 2 jumper away from Bongi Mbonambi in 2023 before a serious knee injury in a pool clash against Scotland ruled him out for the rest of the tournament. Marx is widely considered the best hooker on the planet, and is as good as any specialist fetcher over the ball as well as a threat on attack – the Germiston-born rake is the top try-scorer among forwards in Bok history (21 tries in 76 Tests). The post Marx extends Japanese stay appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
France 24
3 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Mo'unga shrugs off broken hand to win Japanese title
The fly-half has finished every season in top-level domestic rugby since 2017 with a winner's medal and he picked up another as Toshiba beat Kubota Spears 18-13 in the Japan Rugby League One final. He had to do it the hard way after breaking his right hand in the closing stages of last week's semi-final win, with coach Todd Blackadder expecting his star man was "70-30" to miss the final. Mo'unga said he spent three days in an oxygen chamber in the build-up to the game and "knew all along that I was going to play". "I knew it wasn't impossible to play this weekend, and obviously a final, it's a no-brainer really," said the 31-year-old. "You want to give yourself the best chance to be part of something special." Mo'unga joined Toshiba on a three-year deal after helping New Zealand reach the 2023 World Cup final, where they lost to South Africa. He gave another playmaking masterclass in front of more than 50,000 fans at Tokyo's National Stadium. Mo'unga scored his team's first try with less than 10 minutes on the clock and set up their second with a crafty dummy early in the second half. He also scored eight points with his boot. Mo'unga won seven Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders in New Zealand and said he was "so grateful to be part of winning teams". "I try to tell some of the boys in our team not to take this moment for granted because a lot of people don't win, and a lot of people don't win back to back," he said. 'Ultimate team man' Mo'unga jinked through the opposition defence to open the scoring in the eighth minute. He also started the second half strongly, taking out a defender with a dummy before slipping the ball to Yuto Mori for Toshiba's second try. Mo'unga said the pain in his hand made "things just a little bit harder" but did not affect his game. "Once you get out there, you just play rugby and try not to think about it too much," he said. Toshiba's victory denied Kubota's Australian fly-half Bernard Foley and South African hooker Malcolm Marx a second title in Japan. Marx said he was not aware that Mo'unga was carrying an injury. "He's a great player, he showed that how he performed today even with a broken hand," said Marx. "It shows his resilience." Toshiba finished the regular season in first place, which earned them a bye into the play-off semi-finals. Third-placed Kubota had to come through a quarter-final and were looking to regain the title that they won in 2023. Toshiba coach Blackadder hailed Mo'unga's influence on his side, calling him the "ultimate team man". "At the start of the week, we weren't sure," he said of Mo'unga's injury. "It was 70-30 that he wouldn't be available and he just found a way." © 2025 AFP
The Mainichi
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Rugby: Brave Lupus aim to retain League One title in trademark style
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo are unlikely to part from their tried-and-tested game plan when they battle the Kubota Spears in the Japan Rugby League One final, lock Warner Dearns indicated Friday. Speaking ahead of Sunday's championship decider at Tokyo's National Stadium, Japan international Dearns said they would continue emphasizing the expansive, attacking rugby that yielded a league-best 741 points on their way to first place in the regular season. "We're a team that moves the ball," Dearns said. "If we can attack with the style that we have honed, we can win." The Todd Blackadder-coached team will also be confident of their defensive resilience after stopping the Kobe Steelers from scoring a try in a 31-3 semifinal rout last weekend. Their attacking movement has been underpinned by the playmaking of former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo'unga, the reigning League One MVP, who heads into the final on the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Kobe. Captain and No. 8 Michael Leitch and fullback Takuro Matsunaga are among the other linchpins in a Brave Lupus starting XV who will enter as favorites after winning as underdogs last year against the Saitama Wild Knights in front of some 56,000 at the Tokyo Olympic venue. "The cheering was so loud, it felt like the ground was shaking," Matsunaga said. "It won't come as a surprise this time around, so I will be able to enjoy it." After finishing the season third, the Frans Ludeke-coached Spears have had to contend with an extra round of playoff rugby, followed by a grueling semifinal win against Saitama. The 2022-2023 champions will aim to continue their strong defensive play, exemplified by hard-tackling South African hooker Malcolm Marx, who was at the forefront of both playoff wins. Scrumhalf Shinobu Fujiwara will also look for another big performance after scoring a brace of tries last weekend against a Saitama side that was expected to advance to their fourth straight League One final. "I want to read the situation quickly and perform at my best without rushing things," Fujiwara said.
