The League One regular season attendance record was broken twice in 24 hours in round two as Division 1 head-to-head battles included Faf de Klerk squaring off against Aaron Smith.
Double World Cup winner de Klerk, who is in his second season at Yokohama Canon Eagles, edged out 2015 World Cup winner Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett’s Toyota Verblitz 24-22.
A record-breaking 31,312-strong crowd was in attendance at Nissan Stadium which hosted the 2019 World Cup final.
The previous record was 19,079 for last season’s clash between Suntory Sungoliath and Saitama Wild Knights.
Just 24 hours latter the new record was broken when Suntory hosted Toshiba Brave Lupus at Ajinomoto Stadium.
The star-laden game between two of the league’s powerhouses, who were both victorious in round one, produced a nail-biting encounter.
Suntory fielded All Blacks captain Sam Cane and two-time World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe while Toshiba called on Richie Mo'unga (below with fellow Kiwi Rob Thompson) and Shannon Frizell as well as the Brave Blossoms’ Michael Leitch and wing wizard Jone Naikabula.
The Fuchu Derby is one of League One’s biggest matches and with the headline-grabbing recruitment of World Cup aces there was high hopes for a bumper crowd but the turnout of 31,953 fans exceeded all expectations.
A huge walk-up of fans on the day meant that some missed the kick-off with hosts Suntory having since announced that they will review their matchday ticket operations.
Among those in attendance was Eddie Jones - having watched a merciless Suntory expose the champions Kubota one week ago - for his first outing since returning as the Brave Blossoms head coach.
The Suntory consultant officially embarks on his third coaching post in 12 months from 1 January but will already be firming up his vision for Japan’s future following his return to the role he held from 2012-2015.
The average number of spectators in round two was 13,813, which is a 98% increase compared to the same stage last season.
League One officials will be lapping up the crowd numbers but will also be mindful that the J-League, Japan’s premier football league, is poised to move seasons to an August start (instead of February) from 2026-2027.
Nissan Stadium is the home ground of J-League outfit Yokohama F. Marinos while Ajinomoto Stadium is the home of FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy.
Both stadium’s could be unavailable for League One action from 2026-2027 if the J-League rubber stamps a winter switch.
Pictures courtesy of Toyota Verblitz and Toshiba Brave Lupus
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