Jason Kawau is a rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 player currently playing for the Kobelco Steelers in the Top League

Top League

The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams...

 in Japan.

Playing Career

Kawau made his provincial debut for Otago in 2003, but never became a fixture in the squad, making 8 appearances over two seasons. He transferred to Southland in 2005, where his career would blossom.

Kawau spent 5 seasons as a starter in the Stags' backfield, making his 50th appearance during the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup

2009 Air New Zealand Cup

The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup was the 33rd provincial rugby union competition, the fourth since the competition reconstruction in 2006, involving the top 14 provincial unions in New Zealand. It ran for 15 weeks from 30 July to 7 November...

. His tenure with Southland would end on a high with the team's Ranfurly Shield

Ranfurly Shield

The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies...

 triumph over Canterbury near the end of the 2009 season.

After impressing for Southland, Kawau was called into the Highlanders squad part-way through the 2006 Super 14 season

2006 Super 14 season

The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...

 as an injury replacement, and made two appearances. He was a full squad member the following season, and scored 3 tries in just 6 appearances. However, he was not included in the Highlanders squad for 2008

2008 Super 14 season

The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 31 May, when the Crusaders won their seventh Super Rugby title with a 20–12 victory over the Waratahs in front of the Crusaders' home fans. The 2008 season was the third of the expansion,...

.

Kawau returned to Super Rugby in 2009

2009 Super 14 season

The 2009 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2009 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 30 May, when the Bulls won their second Super Rugby title with a decisive 61–17 victory over the Waikato Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. The 2009 season...

 when he was drafted to the Hurricanes and made 9 appearances, mainly as a substitute. He was back with the Hurricanes in 2010

2010 Super 14 season

The 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each team playing one...

, but missed most of the season due to injury, only returning for 4 matches at the end of the year.

Kawau signed in Japan with the Kobelco Steelers for the 2010-11 season.