Kobelco Kobe Steelers

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	Dave Rennie
Captain(s)	Brodie Retallick, Lee Seung-sin
League	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

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

Current management team

Position	Name	Nationality
Director of rugby and head coach	Dave Rennie	New Zealand
Rugby Coach mentor/Team Ambassador	Wayne Smith	New Zealand
Attack coach	Mike Blair	Scotland
Defence coach	Peter Murchie	Scotland
Forwards coach	Dan McFarland	England
Scrum coach	Hisateru Hirashima	Japan

Current squad

The Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad for the 2025-26 season is:^[2] ^[a] ^[b]

Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad
Props Shigure Takao Hikaru Moriwaki Sho Maeda Kauvaka Kaivelata Hiroshi Yamashita Koo Ji-won Takayuki Watanabe Isileli Nakajima Takashi Ōshita ^REP ^[a] ^[b] Riku Tomita ^REP ^[a] ^[b] Hookers Keita Miyauchi Takuya Kitade Kenta Matsuoka Ash Dixon* Sione Sime Mau* Locks Brodie Retallick (cc) Naohiro Kotaki Gerard Cowley-Tuioti* Neil Hansen Kavaia Tagivetaua Takuma Motohashi Waisake Raratubua	Flankers Hayato Fukunishi Takara Imamura Solomone Funaki* Hikaru Hashimoto Go Maeda Sosefo Fakatava* Nico Henrico ^REP ^DEP ^[a] No8s Ardie Savea Willie Potgieter Tiennan Costley Sione Polutele* ^REP ^[a] ^[b] Scrum-halves Atsushi Hiwasa Daiki Nakajima Kenta Tokuda Itsuki Kamimura Fly-halves Bryn Gatland	Centres Timothy Lafaele Anton Lienert-Brown Michael Little* Mac Harris* Tali Ioasa Talilotu Fakatulolo* Yoshiki Ōmachi ^REP ^[a] ^[b] Wingers Ataata Moeakiola Junta Hamano Kazuma Ueda Inoke Burua* Soma Sugimoto Ryota Funabiki Fullbacks Shinsuke Iseki Kanta Matsunaga Utility Backs Lee Seung-sin (cc) Daisuke Ito Hayata Tsujino Shunsuke Uenobo ^REP ^[a] ^[b]
(cc) denotes team co-captains. Bold denotes internationally capped. ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g January 12 2026, Oshita,Tomita,Henrico,Polutele,Omachi,Uenobo was Joined as an early entry(graduating from university this academic year) from the team after the round 4. ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Oshita,Tomita,Polutele,Omachi,Uenobo is eligible to compete starting from Round 5.

Past players

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

Foreign players

References

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

External links

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

[Early_Entry-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g January 12 2026, Oshita,Tomita,Henrico,Polutele,Omachi,Uenobo was Joined as an early entry(graduating from university this academic year) from the team after the round 4.

[Early_Entry_match-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Oshita,Tomita,Polutele,Omachi,Uenobo is eligible to compete starting from Round 5.

[1] "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

[Kobe_Steelers:_Players-2] "Kobe Steelers: Players" (in Japanese). Kobelco Kobe Steelers. 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

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