The Cross-Border Rugby series between League One and Super Rugby sides will not be held in 2025.
While the decision was made and announced by Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) last year the news seemed to slip under the radar.
With fans and international media now asking about the future of the series, RugbyJP can provide the latest details in English.
The inaugural Cross-Border Rugby series in 2024 featured four teams from League One as Suntory Sungoliath, inaugural League One champions Saitama Wild Knights, Yokohama Canon Eagles and former League One winners Kubota Spears flew the flag for the host nation.
Super Rugby Pacific was represented by the Blues and the Chiefs.
The series, which came about as a result of Japan Rugby’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with their New Zealand counterparts which was signed in 2023, generated a bumper atmosphere in Japan with many fans reminiscing about the days of the Sunwolves in Super Rugby.
The atmosphere surpassed domestic League One games and attracted many fans from overseas but the organisers came under fire after the majority of the leading All Blacks stars, who were heavily featured in the marketing, were not selected.
Suntory left out their key players and were thumped 43-7 by the Blues who met more resistance when they played a spirited Yokohama Canon Eagles team as Vern Cotter’s team prevailed 57-22.
Robbie Deans’ well-drilled Saitama stunned the Chiefs 38-14 before the Hamilton-based team bounced back with a hard-fought 35-30 win over Kubota (below).
JRLO addressed the series and admitted that there was organisational challenges.
"There was issues such as holding the tournament during the League One season,” read a JRLO statement.
“The next edition has not yet been decided but we are making preparations for the next one after resolving each issue.”
Changes have been made to the 2024-2025 League One season with the post-season play-off tournament seeing an increase of participants from four to six.
There will be six matches from the quarter-finals onwards, with the teams finishing the season placed first and second in the table being seeded and qualifying directly for the semi-finals stage.
The League One Grand Final will now be held at the later date of Sunday 1 June.
Due to the increase in the number of teams in division two (from six to eight) and division three (from five to six), this season's JRLO campaign will have 47 more matches in the regular season compared to last season, with 209 matches held over 21 weeks (including bye weeks).
JRLO announced in November that discussions regarding an early season edition of the Cross-Border Series are ongoing while there is also the possibility of adding foreign teams in League One after the 2026-27 season.
South Korean and Hong Kong teams are believed to be leading the race to join Japan's premier club rugby competition, with the tier one nation and 2019 Rugby World Cup hosts under increasing pressure to support the development of the game across the continent.
Asia Rugby, the continental governing body for rugby, and its President Qais Al-Dhalai has been vocal about the role Japan needs to play in helping to raise the level of the game across Asia by remaining committed to the continent's competitions and adding international teams to League One.
Pictures courtesy of JRLO
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