Johannesburg, 10 December 2025: The wait is over as the 2025-26 season of Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) prepares to kick off on ESPN, bringing a fresh wave of intensity, speed and world-class rugby to fans across Africa. This prestigious league features a number of South African sporting icons such as Jesse Kriel, Faf De Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe, and Pieter-Steph Du Toit, and joins the vast line-up of American and international sporting leagues that only ESPN can deliver.

Starting this week, viewers can catch the action on ESPN (DStv 218, StarSat 248), on ESPN2 (DStv 219, StarSat 249), and on Disney+ with two live games every week and repeat broadcasts to ensure that no big moment is missed.

^{TOKYO, JAPAN - MAY 13: Lood de Jager of Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights runs with the ball during the League One Playoff semi-final match Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights and Yokohama Canon Eagles at Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground on May 13, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)}

A World-class Lineup Fuels the Excitement

This season, the JRLO features a stellar cast of players, including no fewer than seven stars from the Springboks squad. Competing in the league are Franco Mostert (Mie Honda Heat), Pieter Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Damian de Allende (Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath) and Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs).

They will lock horns with teams guided by high-profile coaches such as Steve Hansen (Toyota Verblitz), ex-Wallabies and five-times Super Rugby-winning coach Robbie Deans (Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights), Frans Ludeke (Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay), and other seasoned mentors, including Todd Blackadder (Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo) and Johan Ackerman (Urayasu DRocks).

The league comprises of 3 divisions, with each team aiming to climb to the first. Twelve teams will battle it out in Division 1, alongside additional clubs in Divisions 2 and 3. For rugby fans across Africa, two Division 1 matches per week will air live on ESPN or ESPN2, with repeat broadcasts for flexibility, building up to a nail-biting final in May 2026.

The first fixtures are already set:

• Kobe versus Spears on Saturday, 13 December at 10:00 on ESPN
• Brave Lupus versus Wild Knights on Sunday, 14 December at 08:00 on ESPN
• Sungoliath versus Verblitz on Saturday, 20 December at 07:30 on ESPN
• Blue Revs versus Brave Lupus on Sunday, 21 December at 07:30 on ESPN
• Black Rams versus Heat on Saturday, 27 December at 06:05 on ESPN
• Kobe versus Verblitz on Sunday, 28 December at 07:30 on ESPN2

Rugby fans can look forward to relentless intensity, fast-paced rugby and match-defining plays that will keep them glued to the screens as this new season promises to deliver high stakes, incredible skill and top-tier competition from start to finish.

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*Currency in South African Rands (ZAR)