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Kyodo News
3 days ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Rugby: Brave Lupus aim to retain League One title in trademark style
KYODO NEWS - 9 hours ago - 20:51 | Sports, Rugby, All 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. Related coverage: Rugby: Spears hold off Sungoliath to reach League One semis Japan Rugby League One to give domestic players more time on pitch Rugby: Sam Cane leads playoff-chasing Sungoliath to vital win over Toyota
Kyodo News
3 days ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Rugby: Brave Lupus aim to retain League One title in trademark style
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 20:51 | Sports, Rugby, All 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. Related coverage: Rugby: Spears hold off Sungoliath to reach League One semis Japan Rugby League One to give domestic players more time on pitch Rugby: Sam Cane leads playoff-chasing Sungoliath to vital win over Toyota
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Club World Cup set for 2028 start
Rugby's inaugural Club World Cup is expected to take place at the end of the 2027-28 season. This follows discussions in Cardiff on Friday ahead of the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals. According to the Telegraph, arrangements are all but finalised, with just final contracts to be determined. The 16 teams will comprise the eight Champions Cup quarter-finalists, the top seven sides on the Super Rugby Pacific log and one Japanese Rugby League One team. There will be four pools of four teams followed by semi-finals and a final. RECAP: Spencer leads Van Graan's Bath to Challenge Cup glory The Telegraph claims the Club World Cup will replace the Champions Cup playoffs every four years while the Top 14, English Premiership, Vodacom URC and Super Rugby Pacific will need to adjust their schedules in those seasons. FULL STORY The post Club World Cup set for 2028 start appeared first on SA Rugby Magazine.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Rugby's first Club World Cup to take place in 2028
The inaugural edition of a 16-team Club World Cup is expected to take place at the end of the 2027-28 season after discussions in Cardiff on Friday. Telegraph Sport understands that arrangements are all but finalised, with just final contracts to be determined following a meeting of the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) board ahead of this weekend's Challenge Cup and Investec Champions Cup finals. The 16 contestants will comprise the eight Champions Cup quarter-finalists, the top seven finishers of Super Rugby Pacific and one team invited from the top tier of Japanese Rugby League One. It has been proposed that there will be four pools of four teams leading to a semi-final and a final. Club World Cups will replace the knockout stages of the Champions Cup every four years and will require major leagues involved – the Top 14, the Premiership, the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Super Rugby Pacific – to alter their schedules in those seasons. For the Top 14, the Premiership and the URC, this will mean shifting their own play-offs forward to create space. The Club World Cup will then foreshadow Test matches in the biennial Nations Cup that is due to begin in 2026. The first two editions of the Club World Cup, in 2028 and 2032, have been slated for Europe with the aim of a 'destination venue' such as Barcelona under consideration as host. As an example, were a Club World Cup to be held this season, the Champions Cup qualifiers would be Bordeaux-Bègles, Northampton Saints, Toulouse, Leinster, Munster, Toulon, Castres and Glasgow Warriors. Crusaders, Brumbies, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Reds, Moana Pasifika and Blues make up the top seven of Super Rugby Pacific. Japan's top competition, meanwhile, has reached the semi-final stage. Brave Lupus Tokyo are hosting Kobe Steelers with Saitama Wild Knights taking on Spears Tokyo Bay. The introduction of a Club World Cup has been a long time coming. Back in 2022, Bill Sweeney, the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union who sits on the EPCR board, suggested that it could be a Ryder Cup-style catalyst for excitement around the sport. 'It just will heighten excitement and awareness around the game,' Sweeney said. 'Fans are looking for new formats, new things to talk about. This summer there was a lot of talk around the north-south rivalry, there was almost a Ryder Cup situation towards the end there, in terms of was it going to be 6-6 or would the north win all of those final matches on the final weekend. 'There seems to be more conversation around that and [the Club World Cup] just adds to that in terms of who has the best clubs in the world, the best club set-up, is it the north or the south. Seeing some of those club powerhouses compete against each other, the clubs look forward to that.'
Scotsman
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
45-cap Scotland hooker returns to UK rugby to link up with old coach
Front-row forward quits Japan for move to Gallagher Premiership Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... George Turner is returning to British rugby to join Harlequins which looks set to reignite the Scotland hooker's international career. George Turner has been capped 45 times by Scotland. | Getty Images Turner, 32, left Glasgow Warriors at the end of last season to move to Japan, signing for Kobe Steelers where he linked up with former Glasgow coach Dave Rennie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The transfer meant he was unavailable for Scotland duties due to the Japan Rugby League One schedule clashing with the Six Nations. He has now agreed a deal to join Harlequins for next season where he will work under another of his former Glasgow coaches, Danny Wilson. George Turner has been capped 45 times by Scotland. | Getty Images 'We're delighted to welcome George to Harlequins ahead of next season,' said Wilson. 'He's a proven international talent with 45 Scotland caps and a century of appearances at Glasgow Warriors. 'George is a physical, uncompromising hooker who thrives in the collision, bringing intensity and aggression on both sides of the ball. His experience and dynamism will be a huge asset to our forward pack.' A boost for Scotland's hooker options Turner could also be an asset to Scotland, boosting their options at hooker. Dave Cherry wore the No 2 jersey in the Six Nations, with back-up from Ewan Ashman and Paddy Harrison. Cherry is also on the move this summer, leaving Edinburgh to join Vannes who are currently bottom of the French Top 14. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Prior to his move to Japan, the abrasive Wilson was one of Scotland's most effective players, representing his country in both the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups. A formidable tackler, he left Glasgow on a high at the end of the 2024-25 season, helping them beat the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final in Pretoria. He said it was the 'perfect time' to return to UK rugby. George Turner helped Glasgow Warriors win the United Rugby Championship. | SNS Group 'I'm really looking forward to this next step in my career. After some fantastic years in Scotland and a new experience in Japan, the opportunity to join this club came at the perfect time,' said Turner. 'Ambition is clear' 'It's an exciting challenge and one I'm ready for. I'm eager to get stuck into pre-season, meet the squad, and contribute to what this team is building. The ambition here is clear, and I'm proud to be joining Harlequins.'
