Offering fans a relaxed and revealing look at his life and growing career in the land of the rising sun, Jesse in Japan will run across ESPN Africa’s social and digital platforms throughout the year, with a premiere episode each month.

Life beyond the try line

Kriel has been part of the Yokohama Canon Eagles since 2020 and reached a historic milestone in November 2025 when he was appointed the team’s first foreign captain. Jesse in Japan steps away from matchday pressure to capture the quieter rhythms of his life, from training sessions with teammates and recovery routines to favourite local restaurants, neighbourhood errands and moments of downtime. In addition, expect glimpses into differences between Mzansi and Japan, prepping for the next match, gym routines, insights into this exciting league and more.

The series will offer an unfiltered glimpse into how the South African rugby player has adapted to daily life in a new culture, balancing elite performance with curiosity, discipline and the small comforts that make a place feel like home. Jesse’s status as an athlete and rugby professional has grown exponentially in recent years through his successes with the South African men’s national rugby team the Springboks, which he has recently captained, his successes in Japan and his dedicated approach to health and fitness.

“ESPN remains committed to offering viewers cross the continent an unparalleled offering of the very best of US and international sporting leagues,” says Kyle De Klerk, Director of Sports at The Walt Disney Company Africa. “We are delighted to be working with Jesse Kriel to bring Jesse in Japan to viewers, offering complementary programming that gives an insight into the life and career of not only this sporting legend but also the thrilling Japan Rugby League One as he, together with his teammates, create historic sporting moments.”

“I am excited to be collaborating with ESPN to offer rugby fans and viewers the opportunity to be a part of my exciting journey in Japan,” says Jesse Kriel. “The series is an invitation to celebrate the food, culture, people and of course rugby action that I have am lucky enough to be a part of in the Japan Rugby League One and beyond.”

JRLO Exclusive to ESPN Africa

The prestigious Japan Rugby League One features a number of South African sporting icons such as Faf De Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe, Kwagga Smith, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Malcolm Marx  and Pieter-Steph Du Toit.

As the Japan Rugby League One season unfolds, only on ESPN, the series will track Kriel’s journey as the competition builds towards the finals in June. Viewers can catch the action on ESPN (DStv 218, StarSat 248), on ESPN2 (DStv 219, StarSat 249), and on Disney+ in South Africa with two live games every week and repeat broadcasts to ensure that no big moment is missed.

Fans in the iconic Cape Town Stadium will be treated to a three-day feast of thrilling rugby sevens action as the best 24 men’s and 16 women’s international teams go head-to-head in a bid to become world champions.

The 2022 edition of Rugby World Cup Sevens follows a hugely successful tournament in San Francisco, USA in 2018.

FNB CEO, Jacques Celliers, said: “We are honoured to be associated as the Global Partner for the RWC7s 2022. Over the years, rugby has helped unify our country and has provided a unique platform for South Africa to showcase its sporting talent on the global stage. The RWC7s 2022 South Africa is another opportunity for us to continue living our legacy of ‘help’, ‘hope’ and ‘togetherness’. We are very proud to be part of this monumental occasion; and look forward to hosting eager Rugby fans from across the globe in South Africa”.

As regular hosts of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, Cape Town is a highlight in every team’s calendar and will provide the perfect location for RWC7s to continue the momentum from the Olympics to engage and inspire new fans and players around the world.

The lot will receive the latest smartphone offerings from Huawei for players and management. Huawei looks forward to providing the teams with performance incentives in the form of tablets and Huawei’s TalkBand fitness trackers which will be an invaluable monitoring tool for players and management to ensure maximum performance on and off the field, mentioned Huawei in their statement. a

Hopefully, the partnership will extend to the field, too — among other technologies, Huawei will bring their latest tablets to coaches and players to improve their communication and play calling. There aren’t many more details so far, but it’s evident that Huawei wants to cater to Rugby fans with a lot more than just its existing Culture Club app.

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