Japan Rugby League One: Round 4 - Kwagga Smith leads BlueRevs to rivalry clash with Wild Knights
Rugby NewsThursday, 08 January 2026 at 14:10
Round Four of Japan Rugby League One brings together unfinished business, early-season pressure and a handful of fixtures that could begin to define the 2025-26 campaign. The standout contest takes place at Kumagaya, where Saitama Wild Knights welcome Shizuoka BlueRevs in a rivalry that has quietly become one of the most intriguing in the competition.
Shizuoka may have only one win from their opening three matches, but history suggests this is an opponent Saitama can never take lightly. Under the leadership of Springbok star Kwagga Smith, the BlueRevs have twice inflicted rare regular-season defeats on the Wild Knights in recent years.
Most memorably, they became the first team to win at Kumagaya in the League One era back in 2023, ending Saitama’s extraordinary 47-game unbeaten run. They followed that up last season by halting another Wild Knights streak with a 22-17 win at Yamaha Stadium.
Those losses proved costly for Saitama, triggering a slump that ultimately saw them miss out on a title they had dominated for much of the campaign. With both sides again hovering around the upper reaches of the table, Saturday’s clash feels loaded with consequence.
Elsewhere on a busy Saturday, Tokyo Sungoliath face a critical test of character against Kobelco Kobe Steelers. Sungoliath are still licking their wounds after being dismantled by Kubota Spears, while Kobe arrive with momentum after three strong outings, spearheaded by the destructive influence of former All Blacks captain Ardie Savea. Kobe’s narrow opening-day defeat to Kubota has been followed by back-to-back victories, including a statement win over Toyota Verblitz, and another success would further establish them as genuine title contenders.
Verblitz themselves face a potentially awkward assignment against a BlackRams Tokyo side fresh from their first win of the season. While the absence of Aaron Smith removes a marquee subplot, attention will fall on the Dynaboars bench later in the day, where Brad Weber is set for his League One debut against reigning champions Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.
The champions appear to have steadied after their opening-round setback and will expect to build momentum against a Dynaboars outfit still finding consistency. Sunday’s lone Division One fixture sees unbeaten Kubota Spears travel to Mie Honda Heat. Honda have been competitive without reward so far, but Kubota’s 79-point demolition of Sungoliath last week underlined the scale of the challenge they now face.
Beyond Division One, Hanazono Kintetsu Liners will look to extend their early lead in Division Two, while Division Three’s headline act is the always-unpredictable Hiroshima derby, where recent form counts for little. As Round Four unfolds, old scars remain raw, and early-season statements are there to be made.
Japan Rugby League One – Round Four Fixtures
Division One
Saturday 10 January
- Urayasu D-Rocks vs Yokohama Canon Eagles
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 12.00pm JT (3.00am UK)
- Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo vs Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars
Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, Kanagawa
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
- Saitama Wild Knights vs Shizuoka BlueRevs
Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Saitama
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
- Tokyo Sungoliath vs Kobelco Kobe Steelers
Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
- Toyota Verblitz vs BlackRams Tokyo
Best Denki Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
Sunday 11 January
- Mie Honda Heat vs Kubota Spears
Suzuka Sports Garden, Mie
Kick-off: 12.00pm JT (3.00am UK)
Division Two
Saturday 10 January
- Hanazono Kintetsu Liners vs Hino Red Dolphins
Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka
Kick-off: 12.00pm JT (3.00am UK)
- Shimizu Koto Blue Sharks vs RedHurricanes Osaka
Yumenoshima Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
- Green Rockets Tokatsu vs Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi
Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
Division Three
Saturday 10 January
- Sayama Secom Rugguts vs Yakult Levins Toda
Sayama Rugby Ground, Tochigi
Kick-off: 12.00pm JT (3.00am UK)
- SkyActivs Hiroshima vs Chugoku Electric Power Red Regulions
Balcom BMW Stadium, Hiroshima
Kick-off: 2.30pm JT (5.30am UK)
Sunday 11 January
- Le RIRO Fukuoka vs Kurita Water Gush Akishima
Level-5 Stadium, Fukuoka
Kick-off: 1.00pm JT (4.00am UK)
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