Bold claim: the 2025-26 Japan Rugby League One season is coming to Africa with star power that can’t be ignored. But here’s the twist you don’t want to miss: this isn’t just a regional broadcast stunt—it's a showcase of several world-class Springboks plying their trade in the Land of the Rising Sun, expanded across ESPN’s Africa channels and Disney+ in South Africa.
ESPN has confirmed that JRLO’s 2025-26 campaign will be available on ESPN networks across Africa and on Disney+ in South Africa, bringing a lineup of top talent into sharper focus for fans. Starting this week, you can watch the action on ESPN (DStv 218, StarSat 248), ESPN2 (DStv 219, StarSat 249), and Disney+, with two live games each week and replay broadcasts so no pivotal moment slips by.
This season highlights a remarkable roster, featuring at least seven Springbok stars. The teams include Franco Mostert with Mie Honda Heat, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Faf de Klerk with Toyota Verblitz and Yokohama Canon Eagles respectively, Jesse Kriel also with Yokohama Canon Eagles, Damian de Allende with Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, Cheslin Kolbe with Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, and Kwagga Smith with Shizuoka Blue Revs.
These players will face coaches renowned in international rugby, such as Steve Hansen at Toyota Verblitz, Robbie Deans (a five-time Super Rugby-winning coach formerly with the Wallabies) at Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, Frans Ludeke at Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay, plus seasoned mentors like Todd Blackadder (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo) and Johan Ackerman (Urayasu DRocks).
The league is organized into three divisions, with teams vying to ascend to Division 1. Twelve clubs compete in Division 1, alongside additional squads in Divisions 2 and 3, creating a stacked pipeline of rivalry and potential upsets.
For rugby enthusiasts across Africa, two Division 1 games will be broadcast live each week on ESPN or ESPN2, with repeats to fit viewers’ schedules, all building toward a thrilling May 2026 finale.
The inaugural fixtures have already been scheduled:
- Kobe vs Spears on Saturday, December 13 at 10:00 on ESPN
- Brave Lupus vs Wild Knights on Sunday, December 14 at 08:00 on ESPN
- Sungoliath vs Verblitz on Saturday, December 20 at 07:30 on ESPN
- Blue Revs vs Brave Lupus on Sunday, December 21 at 07:30 on ESPN
- Black Rams vs Heat on Saturday, December 27 at 06:05 on ESPN
- Kobe vs Verblitz on Sunday, December 28 at 07:30 on ESPN2
If you’re curious about how these matchups might reshape perceptions of the JRLO and the cross-continental appeal of rugby talent, this season promises high-octane action, strategic brilliance, and a compelling argument for global viewers to tune in.”}
