Samu Kerevi’s Urayasu D-Rocks to offer 30,000 free National Stadium tickets
Japan Rugby League One side Urayasu D-Rocks will give away 30,000 free tickets for their history-making games at Tokyo’s National Stadium in 2027.
Urayasu are coached by former England international Graham Rowntree and their talented squad includes Wallabies internationals Samu Kerevi and Jordan Petaia, Super Rugby winner Devan Flanders, a summer recruit from the Highlanders, and Springboks powerhouse Jasper Wiese.
The NTT Communications-backed club, who retained their place in the top-flight by beating division two outfit Shimizu Blue Sharks in a two-game relegation/promotion play-off in May, announced in September that they will become the first club to stage games at the 67,000-capacity stadium.
Urayasu will host reigning champions Kobe Steelers on Friday 22 January before entertaining Suntory Sungoliath two weeks later at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue which is now known as the MUFG Stadium.
Kobe, who unveiled World Cup-winning All Black Andy Ellis as Dave Rennie’s successor, will look to their marquee players Brodie Retallick, Springboks scrum-half Grant Williams and ex-All Black George Bridge to spearhead their goal of going back-to-back.
Former League One finalists Suntory boast a star-laden squad including captain and former Toulouse scum-half Naoto Saito, ex-Wallaby Sean McMahon, former All Blacks captain Sam Cane and new signing James Lowe as former head coach Keisuke Sawaki has returned with title aspirations.
The double header will mark the first time a League One regular season game is held at the ground which attracted 52,632 fans for Japan’s Nations Championship game against France in July.
Urayasu announced their new project today, inviting applications for the 15,000 free tickets available for both games via their website.
The campaign is open to those attending a Urayasu match for the first time in the 2026-27 season.
Applications are now open until Saturday 31 October with the winners set to be announced after Monday 16 November.
Further rounds of applications will be held.
A club press release said: “For us at Urayasu D-Rocks, hosting a league match at MUFG Stadium (National Stadium) is a major challenge in order to introduce rugby and Urayasu D-Rocks to a wider audience.
“This MUFG National Stadium match is more than just a single event. We aim to be a strong and beloved club that is indispensable to Urayasu. To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to let more people know about the club and expand the circle of support.
“We hope to create new encounters with fans on the grand stage of MUFG Stadium (National Stadium) and connect those relationships to future excitement in our hometown of Urayasu. We will work hard to ensure that this challenge is the first step in nurturing the future of the club together with the local community, our fans, and the children of the future. We would be delighted if you could join us at the venue and create a page in history with us.”
Click here to apply through the fan club Club D-Rockers website - Membership registration and a login are required to apply Click here to visit the special website for both games
Urayasu will host Suntory in their first pre-season game on Saturday. Stay tuned to RugbyJP.com for on-site coverage from Chiba
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