Verblitz head coach Steve Hansen announces he will step down at the end of this season

Following their 26-38 loss to Mie Honda Heat on May 9th, Toyota Verblitz head coach Steve Hansen announced that he will be stepping down at the end of the season.

　Ian Foster, the former head coach of the New Zealand national team and co-coach, will take over as co-coach.

　67-year-old Hansen took on the role of Director of Rugby for Toyota Verblitz after the 2019 World Cup, where he served as head coach of the All Blacks. He had been holding both positions concurrently since the 2024-25 season.

　Foster said he made the decision to step down two years ago when he joined the coaching staff.
　In his two seasons as head coach, the team finished 10th and 9th.

　He announced his resignation and, while commenting on the day's game, sounded a warning about refereeing in Japan.

He began by saying, "It was a very difficult game, and a very disappointing one," and then confessed, "The quality of the refereeing was poor, and I felt sorry for the players."

"In the first half, plays that should never have been allowed were permitted. In the second half, two tries were disallowed by the TMO, and one of them was an unbelievable decision. I wasn't involved with the ball at all, but it was called obstruction. It was really frustrating."

"I'm leaving the team, so I'm going to say this now," she said, emphasizing her point even more strongly.

"I'm saying this because I care about Japanese rugby and the players. Honestly, one of the biggest disappointments of my time in Japan is that the quality of refereeing doesn't meet the standards of this tournament. This isn't just happening today, it happens almost every week. But nobody says anything. It may not be part of Japanese culture to speak out about these things publicly, but I'm speaking out because I really want to see improvements. If nobody speaks up, nothing will change. If we want to develop good rugby players, we also need to improve the referee training system. I strongly urge the Japan Rugby Football Union and League One to address this issue."

　When asked by reporters for more details about TMO, he continued:

"I feel that the current rugby world is stopping matches too much with TMOs. They were originally introduced to prevent missed calls, but they've gone too far. Matches are stopped frequently, confusing spectators and those watching on television. The same is true for test matches, and it needs to be simplified. I understand that rugby itself is a complex sport. However, within the current system, improving referee training should lead to better results and performance."

"Currently, we cannot speak with the referees or assistant referees. The only person the team can communicate with is the person in charge of leading that group of referees. We receive a report every week apologizing for the incorrect decisions, but I don't think that's working."

　When the conversation shifted to Verblitz, they mentioned promising young players such as Akihito Okui, who served as game captain that day, and Keito Aoki.

"I am very proud of them. They have worked incredibly hard and grown tremendously. Many of them are promising players, and I believe they will be a long-term pillar of Japanese rugby."

"I believe this team will get even stronger in the future and will eventually have the power to compete at the top level. I would like Toyota fans to watch over them patiently. The results will surely follow," he said.

　In addition, Heat head coach Kieran Crowley also announced at a press conference that he will be stepping down at the end of this season.