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Rugby: Japan lock Dearns to join Super Rugby's Hurricanes next season Category: Sports

Rugby: Japan lock Dearns to join Super Rugby's Hurricanes next season Category: Sports

The Mainichi4 days ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Super Rugby's Hurricanes have signed Japan lock Warner Dearns for the 2026 season, the club based in his native New Zealand said Wednesday.
The 23-year-old helped Brave Lupus Tokyo win their second consecutive Japan Rugby League One title in the 2024-2025 season and plans to return to the team in the 2026-2027 season.
"I'm really excited about the opportunity to join the Hurricanes and take on a new challenge in Super Rugby," Dearns said in a statement through the club.
"I'm looking forward to continuing to grow as a player and giving everything I have for the jersey."
Dearns went to high school in Japan and has 21 caps for the Brave Blossoms, including at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

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Rugby: Japan lock Dearns to join Super Rugby's Hurricanes next season Category: Sports
Rugby: Japan lock Dearns to join Super Rugby's Hurricanes next season Category: Sports

The Mainichi

time4 days ago

  • The Mainichi

Rugby: Japan lock Dearns to join Super Rugby's Hurricanes next season Category: Sports

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Super Rugby's Hurricanes have signed Japan lock Warner Dearns for the 2026 season, the club based in his native New Zealand said Wednesday. The 23-year-old helped Brave Lupus Tokyo win their second consecutive Japan Rugby League One title in the 2024-2025 season and plans to return to the team in the 2026-2027 season. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to join the Hurricanes and take on a new challenge in Super Rugby," Dearns said in a statement through the club. "I'm looking forward to continuing to grow as a player and giving everything I have for the jersey." Dearns went to high school in Japan and has 21 caps for the Brave Blossoms, including at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Schmidt warned he must release Wallabies for Lions warm-ups
Schmidt warned he must release Wallabies for Lions warm-ups

Japan Today

time5 days ago

  • Japan Today

Schmidt warned he must release Wallabies for Lions warm-ups

rugby union The British and Irish Lions are demanding that top Wallabies players appear for their Super Rugby sides to ensure warm-up matches are meaningful preparation for the three-test series. The Lions arrived in Perth on Sunday night where they will face Super Rugby side Western Force in their opening match on Australian soil on Saturday. The Force are set to field five Wallabies -- Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White -- who have all been released from Australia's training in Sydney. But teammates Carlo Tizzano and Ben Donaldson have been retained in the Wallabies camp by Australia head coach Joe Schmidt. "We'll see a competitive fixture at the weekend and that's what we're looking for," said Lions chief executive Ben Calveley, who reminded Rugby Australia and Schmidt that releasing the Wallabies was part of the tour agreement. "We want to make sure our guys are battle-hardened when it comes to the test series. The agreement is very clear, it says that test players have to be released to play in fixtures leading into that series. That is our expectation." The Lions also play Super Rugby's Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs before the first test in Brisbane on July 19. Schmidt has not yet indicated that he will release any of his players for those fixtures. "We'll play the game at the weekend and will carry on having discussions with (Rugby Australia chief executive) Phil Waugh and take it step-by-step," Calveley said in comments reported by the BBC and other UK media. "It's really important that these games are competitive. It's not just from a performance standpoint, but it's also right for the fans, partners and broadcasters who are all expecting competitive fixtures." The Lions are unlikely to face any of the NSW Waratahs' Australian stars such as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou on July 5 because that match is a day before the Wallabies' sole warm-up match, a test against Fiji. © 2025 AFP

Wallabies confident but wary of wounded British and irish Lions
Wallabies confident but wary of wounded British and irish Lions

Japan Today

time7 days ago

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Wallabies confident but wary of wounded British and irish Lions

Australia coach Joe Schmidt is confident the Wallabies can be competitive against the Lions rugby union By Martin PARRY Australia coach Joe Schmidt is confident the Wallabies can be competitive against the British and Irish Lions, but he will be wary of a side wounded by defeat to Argentina in a Dublin warm-up. Andy Farrell's squad arrived in Perth on Sunday evening already feeling pressure after a slick Pumas exploited their lack of familiarity and cohesion in a rousing 28-24 victory on Friday. While far from the ideal send-off for a nine-game tour, which includes tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, Farrell has time to fine tune. He was without the bulk of his Leinster players against Argentina, and his options are a lot stronger now they are involved. "We need to be a lot better than that. And we will. We'll dust ourselves off but that will concentrate the minds," he said. The first test in Brisbane is not until July 19 after five lead-in games, starting against a Nic White-led Western Force on Saturday before meeting the Queensland Reds four days later. Clashes against the NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and a combined Australia-New Zealand XV will follow. Lions skipper Maro Itoje said the loss to Argentina only served to highlight where they can improve. "We showed glimmers of what we can do. But we did not consistently pile on the pressure. Argentina caught us napping sometimes," he said. "We weren't accurate enough in some areas but when we looked good, we looked good." Schmidt is intimately familiar with the Lions coaching staff, none more so than Farrell who was his right-hand man during a successful stretch as Ireland boss. He will know how much the defeat hurt. "I know a lot of those guys very well ... they'll be well coached, well organized and they have strength in depth," Schmidt said of the Lions, speaking before the Argentina match "They can play in so many different ways, they can be really physical, they can be square and come at you, they can get you on the edges. We're going to have to be really well prepared." Whether they are sufficiently prepared remains to be seen, with Australia's only warm-up a test against Fiji on July 6. Schmidt is also conscious that outside of his Brumbies cohort, who featured in the Super Rugby semifinals, the bulk of his squad have not had a competitive game since late May. He was initially said to be against members of his test squad playing for their Super Rugby clubs against the Lions, to safeguard against injury, but appears to have relaxed his stance. "One thing we're conscious of is making sure our clubs are competitive," said Schmidt. "Some of these guys haven't played -– it'll be four or five weeks since they'll have played. So to get a game under their belt before they actually come into Wallaby camp may be the most advantageous situation." Schmidt was installed to restore Australia's reputation after they slumped to 10th in the world following a horror 2023 World Cup under Eddie Jones. While credited with bringing stability and a new work ethic, the Wallabies are still only ranked eight and Schmidt's record of six wins and seven defeats is nothing to shout about. But he is taking confidence from a last-gasp win over England at Twickenham in November and pushing Ireland to the limit in Dublin three weeks later. "How confident are we of success against the Lions? I'm confident that we can be competitive," he said. "And if we can be within a score of the Lions and there's five to go, then we're a chance." When they last toured Australia in 2013, the Lions won the series 2-1 with Wallabies prop James Slipper the sole survivor. Coached by Warren Gatland, the visitors clinched the first test in Brisbane 23-21 before Australia battled back with a gutsy 16-15 win at Melbourne. But it was all Lions in the Sydney decider, triumphing 41-16. It proved to be the last tour they won, drawing the series with New Zealand four years later and losing to South Africa in 2021. © 2025 AFP

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