Marx lauded by JRLO following prestigious award
SPOTLIGHT: The selection of Spears hooker Malcolm Marx as the 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year last weekend has continued the strong association Japan has enjoyed with the prestigious award.
The recognition has been bestowed on 24 occasions since its inception in 2001, with players who played for Japanese clubs at some stage of their careers receiving the selection panel’s endorsement 13 times.
This includes Kobe Steelers flyhalf Dan Carter, who won on three occasions, Beauden Barrett and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who have won it twice.
Marx is one of four World Rugby Players of the Year who will appear in League One in the upcoming seasons, which is three ahead of any other domestic club competition featuring an active former winner.
Fellow South African Steph du Toit, and the New Zealand pair of Brodie Retallick and Ardie Savea are the others who will grace League One in the 2025-26 season.
After missing the third edition of the competition due to the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which he sustained at the 2023 World Cup, Marx returned to play a leading role as the former champions qualified for last season’s Final, before bowing to defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo in a hotly contested decider where just five points separated the teams.
The Springbok hooker scored 11 tries in 19 appearances for the Spears last term, which took his overall career tally for the club to 35 from 51 matches since he arrived in the country for the final Top League season.
“Malcolm illustrates all that our league stands for, in terms of exciting and entertaining the fans, providing excellence on the field, while passing on the benefits of his experience, and the expertise that he has developed, to the Japanese players within the Spears team,” League One chairman Genichi Tamatsuka says.
“We congratulate him on his achievement and look forward to his return for the upcoming season.”
The fifth edition of League One kicks off on December 13 when Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo host Tokyo Sungoliath, with the Spears visiting last year’s third-place finisher, Kobe, later in the day.
The magnetism of Japan as an outstanding playing and life experience for elite players continues, with the competition this season featuring more than 50 Test-capped foreign players.
“It is very pleasing to have so many of the game’s biggest stars coming to Japan after their international commitments,” Tamatsuka said.
“Their ongoing excellence for their nations reflects the great preparation for test rugby, both physically and mentally, that they receive from playing in our League, due to its competitive nature, but also the excellent support in their and their families’ wellbeing they receive from club staff.
“I congratulate all of our clubs, but particularly Spears Tokyo Bay in this instance, for the wonderful environment they provide that allows the players to thrive, while helping to raise the overall competitive standard each year.”
Marx is the third player in a row to win the award in a season when they played in League One, with Steph du Toit and Savea also achieving the feat.
The players who have featured in the Japan club game who have won the World Rugby Player of the Year are:
2004: Schalk Burger (South Africa and Tokyo Sungoliath)
2005, 2012, 2015: Dan Carter (New Zealand and Kobe Steelers)
2008: Shane Williams (Wales and Dynaboars)
2013: Kieran Read (New Zealand and Verblitz)
2014: Brodie Retallick (New Zealand and Kobe Steelers)
2016, 2017: Beauden Barrett (New Zealand, Tokyo Sungoliath and Verblitz)
2023: Ardie Savea (New Zealand and Kobelco Steelers)
2019, 2024: Pieter Steph du Toit (South Africa and Verblitz)
2025: Malcolm Marx (South Africa and Spears Tokyo Bay)
