Kobelco Kobe Steelers

Japanese rugby union team

Rugby team

Kobelco Kobe Steelers
コベルコ神戸スティーラーズ

Full name| Kobelco Kobe Steelers
Union| Japan Rugby Football Union
Founded| 1928
Location| Kobe, Hyogo
Ground(s)| Noevir Stadium Kobe, Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 30,132, 36,000)
Director of Rugby| Dave Rennie
Coach(es)| Dave Rennie
Captain(s)| Brodie Retallick, Lee Seung-sin
League(s)| Japan Rugby League One
2023–2024| 5th

1st kit

2nd kit

|

Official website
www.kobesteelers.com

The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-2004 season. The team rebranded as Kobelco Kobe Steelers ahead of the rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One in 2022.[1]

## Honours

[edit]

* Top League:
* Champions: 2003–04, 2018-19

## Personnel

[edit]

### Current management team

[edit]

Position  | Name  | Nationality

|
|

Director of rugby  | Dave Rennie |  New Zealand
Head coach  | Dave Rennie |  New Zealand
Assistant coach  | Mike Blair |  Scotland

### Current squad

[edit]

The Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad for the 2024-25 season is:[2]

Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad

Props

* Koki Yamamoto
* Shigure Takao
* Hikaru Moriwaki
* Kauvaka Kaivelata
* Koo Ji-won
* Hiroshi Yamashita
* Takayuki Watanabe
* Sho Maeda
* Haruto Takahashi
* Isileli Nakajima
* Keita Miyauchi REP

Hookers

* Takuya Kitade
* Kenta Matsuoka
* George Turner
* Hiroaki Ushihara
* Sione Sime Mau* REP

Locks

* Brodie Retallick (cc)
* Naohiro Kotaki
* Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
* Takara Imamura
* Waisake Raratubua*
* Takuma Motohashi REP

Flankers

* Hayato Fukunishi
* Amanaki Saumaki
* Sosefo Fakatava*
* Hikaru Hashimoto
* Go Maeda
* Solomone Funaki* REP

No8s

* Willie Potgieter
* Tiennan Costley

Scrum-halves

* Atsushi Hiwasa
* Daiki Nakajima
* Kentaro Obata
* Kenta Tokuda
* Itsuki Kamimura REP

Fly-halves

* Bryn Gatland
* Taihei Kusaka
* Lee Seung-sin (cc)

Centres

* Timothy Lafaele
* Quinton Mahina*
* Ngani Laumape
* Michael Little*
* Shintaro Hayashi
* Tali Ioasa
* Junta Hamano

Wingers

* Ataata Moeakiola
* Talilotu Fakatulolo*
* Inoke Burua*
* Rakuhei Yamashita
* Soma Sugimoto
* Ryota Funabiki
* Kazuma Ueda REP

Fullbacks

* Daisuke Ito
* Ryohei Yamanaka
* Shinsuke Iseki
* Kanta Matsunaga

Utility Backs

* Hayata Tsujino REP

* (cc) denotes team co-captains.
* Bold denotes internationally capped.

## Past players

[edit]

* Yuta Imamura (2007-19, 124 games) Centre, Japanese international (2006-13, 39 caps)
* Itaru Taniguchi (2008-21, 148 games) Loose forward, Japanese international (2010-11, 10 caps)
* Shoji Ito (2009-18, 104 games) Lock, Japanese international (2012-15, 36 caps)

### Japanese players

[edit]

* Toshiyuki Hayashi
* Ian Williams
* Seiji Hirao
* Yuya Saito
* Kensuke Iwabuchi
* Daisuke Ohata
* Andrew Miller
* Atsushi Oyagi
* Kensuke Iwabuchi

### Foreign players

[edit]

* Brodie Retallick
* Andy Ellis
* Dan Carter
* Adam Ashley-Cooper
* Aaron Cruden
* Andries Bekker
* Jacque Fourie
* Ron Cribb
* Dave Bickle
* Mark Egan
* Simon Wensley
* Pierre Hola
* Peter Grant
* Thinus Delport
* Ben Smith
* Lukhanyo Am
* Hayden Parker

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
2. ^ "Kobe Steelers: Players" (in Japanese). Kobelco Kobe Steelers. 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Steelers upset Green Rockets in Microsoft Cup \- Japan Times, January 24, 2005
* https://www.kobesteelers.com/ Kobelco Steelers] official site
* Top League official site

* v
* t
* e

Japan Rugby League One

2024–25 teams|

| Division One|

* Black Rams Tokyo
* Brave Lupus Tokyo
* Kobe Steelers
* Mie Honda Heat
* Sagamihara DynaBoars
* Saitama Wild Knights
* Shizuoka Blue Revs
* Spears Tokyo Bay
* Tokyo Sungoliath
* Toyota Verblitz
* Urayasu D-Rocks
* Yokohama Canon Eagles

|

Division Two|

* Green Rockets Tokatsu
* Hino Red Dolphins
* Kamaishi Seawaves
* Kintetsu Liners
* Koto Blue Sharks
* Kyuden Voltex
* Red Hurricanes Osaka
* Toyota Shuttles Aichi

Division Three|

* Chugoku Red Regulions
* Kurita Water Gush
* LeRIRO Fukuoka
* Secom Rugguts
* Skyactivs Hiroshima
* Yakult Levins Toda

Former teams|

* Coca-Cola Red Sparks
* IBM Big Blue
* Munakata Sanix Blues
* World Fighting Bull
* Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars

Seasons|

* 2003–04
* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25

* Champions
* JRFU

* v
* t
* e

Rugby union in Japan

Governing body|

* Japan Rugby Football Union

National teams|

| Men's|

* Japan
* A
* U-20
* 7's

|

Women's|

* Women's
* 7's

Competitions|

| International|

* Super Rugby

|

National|

* Japan Rugby League One
* Lixil Cup
* Top Challenge League
* All-Japan Rugby Football Championship

Amateur|

* All-Japan University Rugby Championship
* National High School Rugby Tournament

Hosted events|

* 2019 Rugby World Cup
* Japan Sevens
* Japan Women's Sevens
* 2001 World Games
* Sanix World Youth Tournament

Defunct|

* Japan Company Rugby Football Championship

Major figures|

* Ginnosuke Tanaka
* Edward Bramwell Clarke
* Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu
* Shiggy Konno
* Yoshirō Mori
* International Players

Related articles|

* Sunwolves
* Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium
* School Wars: Hero

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Kobelco Kobe Steelers - current squad

Forwards|

* Tiennan Costley
* Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
* Hayato Fukunishi
* Hikaru Hashimoto
* Suguru Igarashi
* Takara Imamura
* Ryo Inoue
* Koo Ji-won
* Takuya Kitade
* Naohiro Kotaki
* Go Maeda
* Sho Maeda
* Kenta Matsuoka
* Isileli Nakajima
* Willie Potgieter
* Waisake Raratubua
* Brodie Retallick
* Rinpei Sasaki
* Amanaki Saumaki
* Ardie Savea
* Jang Seok-Wan
* Haruto Takahashi
* Shigure Takao
* Hiroaki Ushihara
* Takayuki Watanabe
* Ikuma Yamada
* Koki Yamamoto
* Hiroshi Yamashita

Backs|

* Bryn Gatland
* Junta Hamano
* Shintaro Hayashi
* Atsushi Hiwasa
* Gentaro Ikenaga
* Tali Ioasa
* Shinsuke Iseki
* Taihei Kusaka
* Timothy Lafaele
* Ngani Laumape
* Michael Little
* Quinton Mahina
* Kanta Matsunaga
* Ataata Moeakiola
* Kosuke Naka
* Daiki Nakajima
* Kentaro Obata
* Lee Seung-sin
* Maki Shimizu
* Soma Sugimoto
* Sione Tapu'osi
* Kenta Tokuda
* Ryohei Yamanaka
* Rakuhei Yamashita

Coach|

* Dave Rennie

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