Springboks star, All Blacks great top charts as JRLO standouts

Springboks winger Cheslin Kolbe scored the most points in the Japan Rugby League One top flight this season, and a Rugby World Cup-winning All Black topped the try-scoring charts during a standout season under coach Dave Rennie.

After 18 rounds of regular season competition, Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers sat in first place on the overall first division standings. Saitama Wild Knights were one competition point back in second, while Kubota Spears and Tokyo Sungoliath rounded out the top four.

Kobe and Saitama have booked their place in the semi-finals, where they’ll take on yet-to-be-determined opposition at the end of the month. Tokyo Sungoliath host Black Rams Tokyo in the first qualifying final, before Kubota Spears take on Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo on Sunday.

That clash between the Spears and Toshiba Brave Lupus in a rematch of last season’s Grand Final, which Tokyo won 18-13. All Blacks playmaker Richie Mo’unga was recognised with Player of the Final honours, having helped the side go back-to-back as JRLO champions.

Mo’unga was ranked sixth overall for total points scored this season, clocking in with 123 points in 17 appearances for the defending champions. Former Wallabies playmaker Bernard Foley was a bit further up the charts, ranked third with 170 in 17 matches for the Spears.

Brave Blossoms fly-half Ichigo Nakakusu has been in stellar form for BlackRams Tokyo, scoring 184 across 18 appearances. But Nakakusu was just shy of top spot on the point-scoring tally, with Kolbe ranked first with 185 in 16 appearances for Tokyo Sungoliath.

Kolbe has converted 20 penalty attempts and nailed 40 conversions, and touched down for nine tries during the round-robin. The two-time Rugby World Cup winner scored one try in a 17-point haul in a 39-22 win over BlackRams Tokyo last weekend.

Another World Cup winner has turned heads in JRLO throughout the 2025/26 campaign, with lock Brodie Retallick crossing for 17 tries. That was a competition-high effort in JRLO, with Matt Vaega from Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars ranked second with 15.

“He’s been the best player in Japan, been phenomenal,” Rennie, who is currently with Kobe but will take on the All Blacks job after the JRLO season, said on Tuesday in Auckland.

“Just won some award for top try-scorer, but it’s all the other stuff that Brodie does over there, which is outrageous, and he trains exactly the way he plays. So, yeah, I would also say he’s the best lock in the world.

“I’m not sure if Kobe would be too excited about this conversation, but it’s [Rugby World Cup] in the offseason. So yeah, look, I wind Brodie up about a little bit. He loves the All Blacks and I reckon he’s good enough. So it will take, obviously, discussions, and so we’ll push that back at the moment and focus on this year, and then we’ll talk about Brodie next year.”

Former Queensland Reds utility Isaac Lucas finished with a league-high 222 carries, which was 12 more than Urayasu D-Rocks midfielder Samu Kerevi in second. Retallick claimed a spot on the figurative podium for this stat, running the ball 209 times.

Kolbe was first overall for metres gained with 1,356 and equal first for line breaks with 23. The flyer was also second for defenders beaten with 102, with former All Blacks winger Mark Tele’a a clear standout in that regard with 132.

Flying Fijians utility Semi Radradra recorded a league-high 52 offloads, ahead of one-Test All Black Shaun Stevenson in second with 42. Tyler Paul from the Kubota Spears made more tackles than anyone else with 268, ahead of Tiennan Costley in second with 245.

Retallick was ranked fourth overall for lineouts won with 76. Instead, former Queensland Reds lock Harry Hockings topped the charts with 97, having enjoyed another impressive regular season with Tokyo Sungoliath.

Japan Rugby League One first division statistic leaders

Points: Cheslin Kolbe, Tokyo Sungoliath – 185 points

Tries: Brodie Retallick, Kobelco Kobe Steelers – 17 tries

Carries: Isaac Lucas, BlackRams Tokyo – 222 carries

Metres gained: Cheslin Kolbe, Tokyo Sungoliath – 1,356 metres

Line breaks: Cheslin Kolbe, Tokyo Sungoliath & Haruto Kida, Kubota Spears – 23 line breaks

Defenders beaten: Mark Tele’a, Toyota Verblitz – 132 defenders beaten

Offloads: Semi Radradra, Shizuoka BlueRevs – 52 offloads

Tackles: Tyler Paul, Kubota Spears – 268 tackles

Lineouts won: Harry Hockings, Tokyo Sungoliath – 97 lineouts won