Dave Rennie, All Blacks stars end title droughts with Japan win

Sunday, 7 June 2026

Incoming All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has ended his stint in Japan on a high after leading his team to a championship victory.

Rennie’s Kansai-based side, Kobelco Kobe Steelers, beat the Kubota Spears 22-13 to claim their first title in eight years, returning a nationwide title to Kansai for the first time in that period, and securing their maiden championship of the League One era.

The competition final was played in wet conditions under grey skies in front of 50,451 people at Tokyo’s National Stadium.

The result marked the first time the outgoing Kobe coach, Rennie, has won a title at club level since winning his second Super Rugby title with the Chiefs in 2013.

The Kobe skipper, All Blacks great Brodie Retallick, was also tasting success for the first time at club level since 2013. Ardie Savea had only previously won a club title in professional rugby with the Hurricanes in 2016.

Kobe last won the title in 2018 when Wayne Smith served as the club's Director of Rugby. That team was captained by Andy Ellis, who paired in the halves with his long-time Crusaders and All Black team-mate Dan Carter.

The latest victory meant Kobe notched up consecutive wins against their rivals for the first time in 18 years, having broken a seven-game losing streak against Kubota last month. It is just the third time the side has been crowned champions since a nationwide league first began in Japan in 2003.

The match remained in doubt until the 79th minute, when Kobe flyhalf Seungsin Lee slotted his sixth goal of the afternoon. The final nine-point gap represented the biggest winning margin in the history of the league's championship game, with the previous four tournament finales decided by six, two, four and five points respectively.

Rennie’s attention now turns to New Zealand, with the All Blacks season starting next month.