What to watch in men’s rugby: Challenger kicks off, League One heats up

The race to join the sevens top table will get underway in South Africa this weekend while the Japan Rugby League One title race gathers pace. You can watch the action unfold live and for free via RugbyPass TV.

Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium plays host to the opening round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger on Saturday and Sunday as 12 teams chase a place on next year’s SVNS circuit.

In Japan on Sunday, meanwhile, League One pacesetters Saitama Wild Knights put their unbeaten record on the line as they welcome play-off chasing Kobelco Kobe Steelers to Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.

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Featuring never-before-seen footage, Jonah Lomu shares his story and how he escaped gang violence to become the planet’s most iconic rugby player. Watch the full documentary on RugbyPass TV and via the RugbyPass app

Watch in our app

You can watch all of the action unfold in South Africa and Japan as it happens on RugbyPass TV.

Steelers look to upset Wild Knights

Japan Rugby League One leaders Wild Knights host the fifth-placed Steelers at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium on Sunday as the regular season heads into its second half.

The Steelers rejuvenated their play-off hopes with a 63-21 victory against Toyota Verblitz at Hanazono Rugby Stadium last weekend.

Captain Brodie Retallick scored one of his side’s nine tries in a win that lifted them up to fifth in the table and to the head of the queue of teams hoping to crash the top four.

Sunday’s assignment in Saitama represents a real test for Dave Rennie’s side but a victory would provide a shot in the arm for their post-season hopes.

Fixture

Japan Rugby League One

Saitama Wild Knights

46 - 32

Full-time

Kobelco Kobe Steelers

All Stats and Data

The unbeaten Wild Knights secured their eighth win of the season with a routine 39-10 win against Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium last Saturday.

Ryuji Noguchi twice crossed the whitewash, while winger Koki Takeyumi scored 12 points as the hosts maintained their place at the top of the standings.

Wild Knights hold a five-point cushion over second-place Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo heading into round 10, with Sunday’s visitors 10 further back.

However, despite the gap between the sides in the standings, there will be keenly contested battles all over the pitch in Saitama.

Lood de Jager, Ben Gunter and Dylan Riley will be up against Retallick, Willie Potgieter and Seungsin Lee.

Find out who comes out on top live and for free on RugbyPass TV, except where there is a local broadcast deal in place.

Sunday, March 2
05:30 GMT – Saitama Wild Knights v Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Kumagaya Rugby Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

Race for SVNS starts in Cape Town

Canada and Samoa will begin their bid for an immediate return to HSBC SVNS when the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 gets underway in Cape Town this weekend.

Samoa – one of only five teams to win the World Series title before it was rebranded for the 2024 season – suffered relegation in Madrid last June, losing a play-off against hosts Spain.

Canada were beaten by arch rivals USA at the same stage and both nations will be determined to play their way back onto the top table.

But they won’t be the only teams with a point to prove. Chile missed out on a place on this year’s SVNS circuit in agonising fashion, losing 12-10 to South American neighbours Uruguay in Madrid.

Japan are another team with SVNS ambitions, while Tonga, Hong Kong China, Madagascar, Uganda, Brazil, Portugal, Germany and Georgia will join them on the start line at Athlone Stadium.

Cape Town will play host to the first two rounds of the Challenger across the next fortnight with the top eight teams in the standings at the end of the second of those qualifying for the third tournament in Krakow in April.

The top four teams in the standings at the end of the tournament in Poland will then guarantee their passage to the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles between May 3-4.

For now, though, the focus can only be on this weekend’s opening round in Cape Town and RugbyPass TV is streaming both matchdays live and for free, except in Canada and South Africa.

Saturday, March 1
07:56 GMT – World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger day one, Athlone Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

Sunday, March 2
07:56 GMT – World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger day two, Athlone Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE