Springbok Kurt-Lee Arendse to leave South Africa once again

Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse is set to return to Japan next season for a second spell with Mitsubishi DynaBoars, where he created a massive impression during a year-long sabbatical from the Bulls.

Arendse, 29, scored seven tries in 12 appearances for the Japan Rugby League One Division One outfit before returning to the United Rugby Championship side to see out the last year of his contract.

RugbyPass reported last May that he was on the verge of a £250,000 permanent move to the DynaBoars until the Bulls board pulled the plug at the last minute because they did not want to set a precedent.

They feared that allowing the 2023 World Cup winner to walk away from the final 12 months of his deal could have been the starting gun for other players to attempt to do the same.

Several Japanese clubs wanted to sign Arendse, who also plays at full-back, but the South African publication Rapport says he is heading back to Sagamihara, the third-most populous city in the country.

It is understood that Johan Ackermann has decided that it would be pointless to offer him another deal, as he would be hardly available in 2027 due to the World Cup.

Arendse has played three times for the Pretoria outfit in the URC this season and has made an appearance against Pau in the Champions Cup, and it is likely to be even less next season.

The Boks will be planning for a hat-trick of World Cup successes, which would mean he probably would not be seen at Loftus until Christmas, and the feeling is that the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Arendse told SA Rugby Magazine that he made the most of his time in Japan after being part of the Blitzboks squad at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but could not leave the team hotel due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

“I wanted to experience and explore the country properly. This time, I’ve been to Tokyo and the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto, and I’ll visit more places before the end of the season,” he said.