Kobelco Kobe Steelers
Japanese rugby union team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kobelco Kobe Steelers (Japanese: コベルコ神戸スティーラーズ), commonly referred to as simply the Kobe Steelers, is a professional Japanese rugby union team based in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture and owned by the Kobe Steel company. The team compete in the Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) competition and have been playing under the Kobe Steelers name since the inaugural season in 2022.[1]
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| Full name | Kobelco Kobe Steelers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1928 | ||
| Location | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan | ||
| Region | Hyogo Prefecture | ||
| Grounds |
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| Coach | Dave Rennie | ||
| Captain(s) | Brodie Retallick, Lee Seung-sin | ||
| League | Japan Rugby League One | ||
| 2025–26 | 1st of 12, champions | ||
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| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Current personnel
| 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 2026-27 season is:[2]
| Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad | ||
|---|---|---|
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Props
Hookers
Locks
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Flankers
No8s
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves |
Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
Utility Backs
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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
Honours
- Top League:
- Champions: 2003–04, 2018–19
- Japan Rugby League One:
- Champions: 2025–26