The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team owned by

Kobe Steel Kobe Steel, Ltd. (株式会社神戸製鋼所, ''Kabushiki gaisha Kōbe Seikō-sho'') is a major Japanese steel manufacturer headquartered in Chūō-ku, Kobe. Kobelco is the unified brand name of the Kobe Steel Group. Kobe Steel has the low ...

, and based in

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

. They were the first ever

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

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 Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, b ...

in 2022.

Honours

: ** Champions: 2003–04, 2018-19

Personnel

Current management team

Current squad

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

Past players

Yuta Imamura (born 31 October 1984 in Mie, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. Imamura has played 38 international matches for the Japan national rugby union team. Imamura was a member of the Japan team at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2011 Rugby ...

(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

* Toshiyuki Hayashi * Ian Williams * Seiji Hirao * Yuya Saito *

Kensuke Iwabuchi Kensuke "Kenny" Iwabuchi (岩渕健輔いわぶちけんすけ; born December 30, 1975, in Tokyo) is a Japanese rugby player and coach. He plays at stand off, and has 20 caps for the Japan national rugby union team. He also captained the Japan s ...

Daisuke Ohata is a former Japanese rugby union player. He usually played on the wing, and sometimes at centre, for the Japanese national team. He made his name internationally as a speedy ace in the World Rugby Sevens Series (then known as the IRB World Sevens ...

* Andrew Miller * Atsushi Oyagi *

Foreign players

Brodie Retallick Brodie Allan Retallick (born 31 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who currently plays as a lock for Kobelco Kobe Steelers in the Japan Rugby League One competition. He previously played for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and in N ...

* Andy Ellis *

Dan Carter Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982) is a New Zealand retired rugby union player. Carter played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in test match rugby, a ...

Adam Ashley-Cooper Adam Ashley-Cooper (born 27 March 1984) is a former Australian people, Australian rugby union player who last played for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR). He has played in 121 matches for Australia national rugby union team, Australi ...

Aaron Cruden Aaron Wiremu Cruden (born 8 January 1989) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for Waikato and formerly Montpellier, Manawatu and New Zealand internationally. Cruden's usual position is fly-half (first five-eighth). Early life Cru ...

Andries Bekker Andries Bekker (born 5 December 1983 in Cape Town, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player for the Springbok rugby team as well as Kobelco Steelers in the Japanese Top League. Playing career Bekker made his South African d ...

* Jacque Fourie *

Ron Cribb Ronald Te Huia Cribb (born 7 July 1976) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A loose forward, the 1.94 m, 110 kg Cribb is a former All Black, and mainly played number eight. Early life Cribb was born in Whanganui, but was rais ...

Dave Bickle David John Bickle Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 21 August 1970) is a British chartered accountant and former rugby union player. Biography Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bickle was a 6 ft 8 in lock forward who played his early rugby in Engl ...

Mark Egan Mark Egan (born January 14, 1951, in Brockton, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and trumpeter known for his membership in the Pat Metheny Group and the Gil Evans Orchestra. He is co-founder of the jazz fusion band, Elements. Biogra ...

* Simon Wensley * Pierre Hola * Peter Grant * Thinus Delport * Ben Smith *

Lukhanyo Am Lukhanyo Am (born 28 November 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. His regular positions are centre and wing. Professional career Am played for ...

Hayden Parker Hayden John Parker (born 19 November 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a first five-eighth for the Japanese based HITO-Communications Sunwolves in Super Rugby and in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup. Early c ...

References

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 {{Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad Japan Rugby League One teams Sports clubs and teams in Kobe Rugby in Kansai Rugby clubs established in 1928 1928 establishments in Japan