ESPN has announced that the 2025-26 season of Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) will air on their channels in Africa, as well as on Disney+ in South Africa, showcasing many world-famous Springboks plying their trade in the Land of the Rising Sun.
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.
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