World player of the year Marx to leave Japan and return to South Africa

HEADING HOME: Malcolm Marx. Pic: David Rogers/Getty Images

Rugby’s World Player of the Year Malcolm Marx will leave Japan ​after seven years next June and ‌returning home to South Africa.

The 32-year-old hooker, a double World Cup winner ​with the Springboks, will leave Kubota ​Spears at the end of the season.

Marx, ⁠who has won 93 caps for ​South Africa, left the Johannesburg-based Lions in 2020 ​to play for NTT Shining Arcs and then joined Spears, with whom he won Japan’s League One ​title in 2023 and reached the ​final in the last two seasons.

"Due to family circumstances, ‌I ⁠have made the difficult decision not to renew my contract beyond the 2026-27 season and to return to South Africa," Marx ​said in a ​statement ⁠on the club’s website.

"My time with the Spears has been an ​invaluable experience for both me and ​my ⁠family, and one that we will always look back on fondly."

The Japanese season starts ⁠in December. Marx ​is expected to sign ​for the Pretoria-based Bulls, local media reported.

Meanwhile Australia head coach Les Kiss is expecting a real test from the England attack ‌when the Wallabies take them on in the Nations Championship next month.

England-Australia clashes at Twickenham have traditionally pitted English power and game management against the flair of the Wallabies but Kiss said he had seen a development ​of the hosts' game under attack coach Lee Blackett.

"We've got England coming up, an extremely experienced team," ​Kiss said. "The game that they're playing, it ⁠certainly has the tenets of set piece and kicking as central, but you can see that they're trying ​to use ... a few other concepts and building that into their game.

"Lee Blackett ... is a very savvy operator and ​I know him well. They're going to have an attacking edge to them as well. So there are real challenges that we know they're ahead of us but that's what we need. We need that now. This is the last window before we close ​out into what will become a massive year for every country."

Reuters