Kobelco Kobe Steelers

Kobelco Kobe Steelers
コベルコ神戸スティーラーズ
Full name	Kobelco Kobe Steelers
Union	Japan Rugby Football Union
Founded	1928
Location	Kobe, Hyogo
Ground(s)	Noevir Stadium Kobe, Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 30,132, 36,000)
Director of Rugby	Wayne Smith
Coach(es)	Dave Rennie
Captain(s)	Brodie Retallick, Rakuhei Yamashita
League(s)	Japan Rugby League One
2022–2023	9th
1st kit	2nd kit
Official website
	www.kobesteelers.com

The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League 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 in 2022.^[1]

Honours[edit]

The Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad for the 2023-24 season is:^[2]

Kobelco Kobe Steelers squad
Props Suguru Igarashi Koki Yamamoto Shigure Takao Isileli Nakajima Koo Ji-won Hiroshi Yamashita Takayuki Watanabe Sho Maeda Haruto Takahashi Hikaru Moriwaki ^REP Hookers Rinpei Sakaki Takuya Kitade Kenta Matsuoka Hiroaki Ushihara Ikuma Yamada Locks Brodie Retallick (cc) Takara Imamura Naohiro Kotaki Waisake Raratubua* Gerard Cowley-Tuioti Jang Seok-hwan ^DEP	Flankers Hayato Fukunishi Amanaki Saumaki Hikaru Hashimoto Ryo Inoue Go Maeda No8s Willie Potgieter Ardie Savea Tiennan Costley* Scrum-halves Atsushi Hiwasa Daiki Nakajima Kentaro Obata Maki Shimizu Kenta Tokuda Fly-halves Bryn Gatland Lee Seung-sin Taihei Kusaka	Centres Quinton Mahina* Timothy Lafaele Ngani Laumape Michael Little Shintaro Hayashi Gentaro Ikenaga Junta Hamano Tali Ioasa ^DEP Talilotu Fakatulolo ^REP ^DEP Wingers Ataata Moeakiola Kosuke Naka Rakuhei Yamashita (cc) Soma Sugimoto Sione Tapu'osi ^DEP Ryota Funabiki ^REP Fullbacks Ryohei Yamanaka Shinsuke Iseki Kanta Matsunaga Daisuke Ito ^REP Utility Backs
(cc) denotes team co-captains. Bold denotes internationally capped.

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)

^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
^ "Kobe Steelers: Players" (in Japanese). Kobelco Kobe Steelers. 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

v t e Kobelco Kobe Steelers – current squad
Forwards	Tiennan Costley Gerard Cowley-Tuioti Hayato Fukunishi Hikaru Hashimoto Suguru Igarashi Takara Imamura Ryo Inoue Koo Ji-won Takuya Kitade Naohiro Kotaki Go Maeda Sho Maeda Kenta Matsuoka Isileli Nakajima Willie Potgieter Waisake Raratubua Brodie Retallick Rinpei Sasaki Amanaki Saumaki Ardie Savea Jang Seok-Wan Haruto Takahashi Shigure Takao Hiroaki Ushihara Takayuki Watanabe Ikuma Yamada Koki Yamamoto Hiroshi Yamashita
Backs	Bryn Gatland Junta Hamano Shintaro Hayashi Atsushi Hiwasa Gentaro Ikenaga Tali Ioasa Shinsuke Iseki Taihei Kusaka Timothy Lafaele Ngani Laumape Michael Little Quinton Mahina Kanta Matsunaga Ataata Moeakiola Kosuke Naka Daiki Nakajima Kentaro Obata Lee Seung-sin Maki Shimizu Soma Sugimoto Sione Tapu'osi Kenta Tokuda Ryohei Yamanaka Rakuhei Yamashita
Coach	Dave Rennie