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

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