The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

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 lowe ...

, and based in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

. They were the first ever

Top League Japan Rugby League One (formerly 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 absorbing the ...

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 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 absorbing the ...

in 2022.

Honours

: ** Champions: 2003–04, 2018-19

Personnel

Current management team

Current squad

The current Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad for the 2023 season is: * * denotes players qualified to play for the

on dual nationality or residency grounds.

Past players

Japanese players

Toshiyuki Hayashi , (born 8 February 1960 in Tokushima) was a Japanese rugby union player. He played as a prop and as a lock. He was educated at Tokushima Prefectural Johoku High School and was graduated in economics at Doshisha University. He was nicknamed and . ...

* Ian Williams *

Seiji Hirao was a Japanese rugby union footballer and coach. He played as a fly-half, and was one of the most popular Japanese players of his time, earning the name of "Mr. Rugby". Biography Hirao first played rugby at Fushimi Kogyo, in Kyoto, who won the n ...

Yuya Saito is a Japanese rugby union player. He plays as No. 8, currently for Toyota Jido Shokki. He graduated from Meiji University and used to play for Suntory Sungoliath before he went to play professional rugby in France for about one season. He's a ...

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 se ...

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

Foreign players

Brodie Retallick Brodie Allan Retallick (born 31 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who plays as a lock for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and is part of the squad for New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition. Retallick ...

* Andy Ellis *

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

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 won 121 caps for Australia national rugby union team, Australia, the th ...

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

Andries Bekker Andries Bekker (born 5 December 1983 in Cape Town, South Africa) is a 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 debut in 2 ...

Jacque Fourie Jacque is a given name and a surname which may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Jacque Batt (died 2014), American First Lady of Idaho 1994-1999 * Jaque Fourie (born 1983), South African former rugby union rugby player * Jacque Fresco (1916–2017), Ame ...

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 raised ...

* Dave Bickle *

Mark Egan Mark Egan (born January 14, 1951 in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States) 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, Elem ...

* Simon Wensley *

Pierre Hola Pierre Hola (born 9 June 1978) is an Australia-born rugby union footballer. He has represented Tonga and currently plays his club rugby in the Australian Shute Shield for Eastwood. Career Hola made his debut for Tonga in September 1998 in a mat ...

* Peter Grant *

Thinus Delport Thinus Delport (born 2 February 1975, in Port Elizabeth) is a South African ex rugby union player who played at wing or fullback for Worcester Warriors and South Africa. He started his career playing for the Lions from U21 level and he made his ...

* 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 ca ...

References

External links

Steelers upset Green Rockets in Microsoft Cup
- Japan Times, January 24, 2005
Kobelco Steelers
official site

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