The primary motivation for our trip to Kyushu was to attend Rugby World Cup and this article would share how we got the tickets as well as our match day experiences.
Buying the RWC tickets
… was pretty easy and affordable, if you aren’t going for the top tier teams or the knock-out stages. There were several sales periods from mid-2018 all the way to the tournament and through one of the ballots, we managed to get four tickets to Match 36 in Fukuoka. However, we decided to forgo them and waited till the next phase in January 2019 and see what tickets were available. After some discussion, we ended up with 4 x Cat D tickets (3,000 JPY each) for Match 28 between France and Tonga in Kumamoto and Match 32 between Wales and Fiji in Oita. There was also a transaction fee of 500 JPY.
France vs Tonga in Kumamoto on Sun 6 Oct
Pre-match
After arriving earlier in the morning with Vietnam Airlines, we collected our rental car and made the leisurely 90-minute drive down Kyushu Expressway to Kumamoto.
Since the kick-off wouldn’t be until 4.45pm in the afternoon, we had some time for sightseeing in the city centre.
Kumamoto was definitely all geared up for the event.
Kumamom, Kumamoto’s most famous export, welcomed us all around.
Some shops caught the festive bug and incorporated the rugby element in their shop display.
Getting to Stadium
One month before the match, RWC organising committee sent out an e-mail with information about the transport options for the different match days. There are several shuttle bus routes as well as park and ride options.
After studying the location of all the carparks, I chose to reserve a spot at Tokyo Electron Kyushu. Although it was 20 minutes’ away from the stadium, It was only a short 5 minutes’ drive away from our hotel. Upon arrival, we were directed to a lot and were soon on our way to the stadium on the shuttle bus (not before making a payment of 500 JPY for the parking).
Match experience
It was a short walk from the drop-off point to the stadium and we had to pass through the big field where there were some pre-match activities going on.
With a capacity of 32,000 spectators, Egao Kenko Stadium was completed in 1998 and is the home stadium of local football team Roasso Kumamoto. Only two RWC games would be held there; France vs Tonga was the first and the second one would be Wales vs Uruguay the following weekend.
We had printed out our match tickets and easily found our Cat D seats in the area behind goal. It was a good turnout for a rugby match, with most seats taken up.
The French took an early lead but the Tongans had an exciting late rally and eventually were only 2 points short. The result meant that France was through to the quarter-finals after the win while Tonga was eliminated. After the match, we retraced our steps to the shuttle pick-up point and then took it back to where we parked the car.
Match highlights
Match 32: Wales vs Fiji
Getting to stadium
Like our first match in Kumamoto, we were asked to reserve our parking spot for the match days. After some research, I opted for the parking near Nanasegawa Nature Park due to its proximity to expressway access. Unlike Kumamoto, parking and shuttle buses were free in Oita.
The shuttle bus dropped us at Carpark A after a 15 minutes’ ride and we had to walk 20 minutes (roughly 1.5km) to the stadium.
Match Experience
With a capacity of 40,000, Showa Denko Dome was completed in May 2001 for FIFA World Cup 2002, co-hosted by both Japan and South Korea. For this Rugby World Cup, it would be hosting five matches, including two quarter-finals.
Unlike Kumamoto where we saw several fan activities, there weren’t any in Oita. Perhaps they were at the other side of the stadium.
Cat D seats meant that we were behind the goal again.
With the kick-off at 6.45pm, it was already dark when match began.
Over 33,000 spectators attended the match, which honestly was a decent turn-out. We saw many locals bringing young children to the event, creating new rugby fans in the process.
Before the match, we checked out what food and drinks were available. Beside the usual hotdogs and burgers, there were some unique Japanese options such as takoyaki and fried rice.
This match started out really exciting with the Fijians taking a shock 10-0 lead but the Welsh responded with two tries to lead 14-10 at half-time. While the Fijians got the lead again early in the second half, it was all Welsh in the last 20 minutes and the match ended 29-17 in their favour.
Match highlights
Final Thoughts
Attending a sporting event was almost always a great experience and I felt that the organizers at both Kumamoto and Oita managed the operations very well.
There were sufficient communication through e-mails before the events and the shuttle services worked perfectly for us on match days. The signages were very clear, making navigation easy.
The next Rugby World Cup will take place in France in 2023; there’s a chance that we will be there as well.
