Veteran lock Luke Thompson, capped 71 times by Japan, came out of retirement at the age of 40 on Saturday as he joined Japan Rugby League One side NTT Communications Shining Arcs Tokyo-Bay Urayasu.

The New Zealand-born Thompson helped the Brave Blossoms reach the knockout stage of the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2019 when Japan hosted the tournament. He played what many thought was his final game of rugby with Kintetsu Liners in January 2020 before heading back to New Zealand to run a deer farm.

Thompson remained an adviser at Kintetsu but the second-tier club on Saturday said he was leaving the team, minutes before the surprising announcement was made by NTT Comms, who are coached by Rob Penney.

"I am truly very excited to be coming back to Japan to play. Japan is a special place for my family and I, and so we are extremely grateful to NTT Communications Shining Arcs Tokyo-Bay Urayasu for this opportunity," he said in a statement.

"The team has a great group of talented players and very knowledgeable coaching staff, I am excited about the opportunity to work and play alongside the whole Shining Arcs family and do my best to help the team in any way."

Thompson first arrived in Japan in 2004 and played for Sanyo (now Panasonic) Wild Knights for two years before moving to Osaka to play for Kintetsu. He acquired Japanese citizenship in 2011 and played in four straight World Cups from 2007 to 2019.

He holds the Japan national team record as the oldest player to take the field along with the most World Cup appearances with 14.

"To the Shining Arcs fans I hope you will accept me as one of your own. And to those that have supported me in the past I hope you will continue to support me in this new challenge," he said.

"My Family and I are looking forward to moving to Chiba and learning about the Shin Urayasu area and reconnecting with friends in Japan."

==Kyodo

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