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HSBC SVNS 2 2026
Montevideo
Thursday
13:00
Thursday
22:55
WOMENS
Thursday
23:05
Bunnings NPCBay of PlentyChiefs

Chiefs playmaker Kaleb Trask heading to Japan

Kaleb Trask. (Photo by Jeremy Ward/Photosport)

Chiefs playmaker Kaleb Trask will head to Japan following the NPC to link up with Mie Heat for the 2022-23 Rugby League One season.

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23-year-old Trask made his first appearance for the Chiefs during the 2020 Super Rugby season, earning 13 caps throughout his debut campaign, including seven in the No 10 jersey.

Injuries have not been kind to the young playmaker over the past two seasons, however Trask has still managed to clock up 14 more appearances in Chiefs colours, both at first five-eighth and fullback.

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Despite his regular opportunities for minutes, Trask has found himself competing for minutes with the likes of Aaron Cruden, Bryn Gatland, Damian McKenzie and, in 2022, Josh Ioane.

With McKenzie returning to the Chiefs for their upcoming campaign and Gatland, Ioane and 22-year-old Rivez Reihana all on the books, Trask has evidently decided that starting opportunities will again be hard to come by and understandably made the call to head to Japan.

“I’m very excited to join Mie Honda Heat for the 2022-23 season,” said Trask of the move. “I am really looking forward to a new experience with new teammates and hoping to continue to grow as a player.

“I am hoping to meet all the rugby fans in Japan so I hope to see you all soon.”

The Heat finished second in last season’s second division of the new Japan Rugby League One competition. While they were able to grab one win in their promotion/relegation play-off with the Green Rockets, they lost the overall series and remain in the second tier for the coming campaign.

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Trask won’t be the only new blood on the books for the Heat with Argentina’s Pablo Matera and Australia’s Tom Banks both joining the side for 2022-23.

Trask is currently in the midst of an NPC season with Bay of Plenty, with the Steamers eyeing up a first top-flight title since they won the inaugural competition way back in 1976.

Trask has notched up over 30 appearances for Bay of Plenty and also previously represented the New Zealand Under 20s and Maori All Blacks.

The upcoming JRLO season is set to kick off in mid-December.

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Comments on RugbyPass

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Bazzallina 30 minutes ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Sometimes it should be Ardie on bench sometimes it should be Wallace sometimes it should be Cody sometimes it should be Samisoni sometimes it should be Tupou V sometimes Scootet and so on and so on …funny tho JK suggested Ardie on bench couple years back on breakdown got laughed off set

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unknown 2 hours ago
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Where is Alana Bremner

1 Go to comments
F
Fart-Fart 2 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Tamaiti got folded last season he's not strong enough for his size and Aumua is better than Taukeiaho, he was massive vs poms in 2024 and throwing was on too.

7 Go to comments
R
RC 3 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

The All Blacks pioneered and perfected the final 20 onslaught from 2012-2017…

The boks boring “bomb squad” doesn't compare 🤣



...

7 Go to comments
J
Jordan 01 3 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

Well If fakatava didn’t kick the ball back to the opposition everytime he gets the ball they might make some progress 😒

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PB 3 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Been saying all along, trying to fit pieces around Ardie in the loose trio is costing the AB’s

Ardie is an impact player! He doesn’t want to play the Sam Cane type role that Sam Cane and Mc Caw played, and is essentially to small to play 6 or 8



...

7 Go to comments
L
Ludovici 3 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Love it, everyone following the Springboks recipe.

7 Go to comments
H
Hammer Head 3 hours ago
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Nah. Just straight up the middle, garden variety, kants.

11 Go to comments
I
Icefarrow 5 hours ago
Wallabies appoint former All Blacks defence coach as assistant

Wallabies going all out on ex-NZ coaches. Must be desperate to end their losing streak against us. Kidding, good appointment though.

1 Go to comments
I
Icefarrow 5 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

We don’t need a 6-2 split. Almost every team we’ve beaten in the past two years went with one, and lost. It doesn’t add the impact many think it does. And why would you want a playmaker like Christie to come on and slow down the game? You need pace in the last twenty, in which case Hotham is your man.

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BH 5 hours ago
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Great read. Dixon was a champ of a player.

All a try needs is to touch a single blade of grass. It did. So the try was awarded and history was made.



...

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c
cnw 5 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

I like the thought process. Thats a powerful bench. Would like to see the starting bench to see how the spread of mass works. Curious too about how he would use this bench. I dont know that it is the last 20 thats key. If the Bok game in Wellington, the Autumn series and the 6N is anything to go by - the key period for momentum is between minute 30 and minute 65. It seems teams are playing a super high intensity first 25-30 minutes and the team that can keep accelerator down from minute 30 through to 65 will take control of the game. While orthodoxy suggests a 50 / 30 split - reversing that and going 30 / 50 so the ABs get say Sititi or Lakai going mad for the first 30 and Ardie comes on minute 30 could do exactly that while having him on the field in the finish too.

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J
Jono 7 hours ago
Petaia et Perpignan : pourquoi ça ne prend pas

Une analyse sévère qui passe complètement à côté de l'essentiel. Petaia a débarqué dans un club en plein chaos et a été tranquillement l'un des joueurs les plus fiables de l'effectif dans les domaines qui comptent vraiment — son travail défensif a été le meilleur de l'équipe, son jeu au pied levé est de classe mondiale, et juger un arrière uniquement sur le nombre d'essais dans une équipe qui peine à produire du jeu vers l'avant est une analyse paresseuse.

Zéro essai ne veut pas dire zéro contribution. Regardez ce qu'il fait dans les phases de construction, les passes décisives, le travail qui met ses coéquipiers à l'essai. Rien de tout cela n'apparaît dans les statistiques.



...

1 Go to comments
J
JW 8 hours ago
The five performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific round six

I think you need to give Brumbies their due, they’ll push the top four this year and continue to be a threat at home.

7 Go to comments
J
JW 8 hours ago
The five performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific round six

He’s a lot smaller than Parker, two different styled 6/8’s, so depends what you’re after.

7 Go to comments
S
Spew_81 8 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

I thought that Kidwell would prepare a better defense.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 8 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

Thats the Canes third 50 the thing to stand out of this game was their defense, or at least the lack of points conceded.

That scoreline partly to blame with what Joseph about not staying calm when getting behind. I think they did make it worse for themselves and this is represented in what you highlighted with the amount of errors/handling. If they hold onto the ball and score then you are also not seeing one or two, maybe even three, of those Canes tries, so upto four try swing in that one area alone.



...

11 Go to comments
J
JW 8 hours ago
Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures

Thats what he’s describing happens now.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 8 hours ago
Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures



How about if you don’t think they will fit back in then don’t pick them.

But now you’re having to pick someone who wasn’t as good as DMac when he needed to play in SR.



...

11 Go to comments
E
Ed the Duck 9 hours ago
'There's always a lot of chat with them. They're quite mouthy'

“There’s always a lot of chat with them. They’re quite mouthy.”

Arrogant team. Arrogant players. Arrogant fans.



...

4 Go to comments
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