Urayasu D-Rocks

Urayasu D-Rocks, commonly known as the D-Rocks, or the Shining Arcs, is a rugby union team owned by NTT Communications and is part of Japan's Rugby League One competition, currently in Division 2. Given the name, the team is based in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture in the Kantō region. The team has undergone several re-brands throughout is history, most recently in 2022, rebranding from Shining Arcs Tokyo-Bay Urayasu in line with the newly formed Japan Rugby League One competition in 2021/22,[1] to the Urayasu D-Rocks in 2022 onwards.[2]

Urayasu D-Rocks
浦安D-Rocks
Full nameUrayasu D-Rocks
Nickname(s)D-Rocks
Founded1976 (1976)
LocationUrayasu City, Chiba, Japan
Ground(s)Chichibunomiya Stadium
(Capacity: 27,188)
Coach(es)Johan Ackermann
League(s)Rugby League One, D2
2022–23, 1st of 610th of 12 (relegated)
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
urayasu-d-rocks.com

History and name
Name Date(s)
NTT Communications RFC
NTTコミュニケーションズRFC		 1976–c. 2000s
NTT Communications Shining Arcs/NTT Shining Arcs
NTTシャイニングアークス		 c. 2000s–2021
Urayasu D-Rocks
浦安D-Rocks		 since 2022[3][2]

NTT Communications RFC was founded in 1976. They won promotion to the expanded Top League of 14 teams at the end of the 2009–10 season. They made their Top League debut for the 2010–11 season. After their first season, they finished 12th place with 4 wins and 9 losses. They had to play a play-off to keep themselves in the Top League, in which they beat Canon Eagles 31–19. In the 2011–12 season, they finished in ninth place.

In July 2022, following the establishment of a new rugby business and sports company by parent company NTT, the Shining Arcs formally rebranded to the Urayasu D-Rocks.[2] The new company, NTT Sports X, was established at the end of the 2022 season and is alleged to have begun with JP¥2.5 billion (US$17.8 million) in capital.[4]

Current squad

The Urayasu D-Rocks is for the 2023-2024 season:[5]

Urayasu D-Rocks squad

Props

  • Japan Kabuto Anoku
  • Japan Shotaro Hirai
  • Japan Kazuki Ban
  • Japan Hidetomo Nabeshima
  • Japan Kazuma Nishikawa
  • South Korea Kim Ryom
  • Japan Ken Saito
  • Japan Rui Sannomiya
  • Japan Syuhei Takeuchi
  • Japan Takuma Asahara
  • Japan Gakuto Ishida
  • Japan Masahide Yanagawa
  • New Zealand Sekonaia Pole
  • Japan Jinichiro Tamanaga REP

Hookers

  • Japan Ryuji Fijimura
  • South Africa Franco Marais
  • Japan Ryo Miura
  • Japan Shunya Hamano
  • Japan Shokei Kin
  • Fiji Samisoni Asaeli*
  • Japan Junichiro Matsushita REP

Locks

  • South Africa Lourens Erasmus
  • England Levi Douglas
  • Japan Yuta Kojima
  • South Korea Kim Ryong-ji*
  • Japan Daiki Sato
  • Japan Shin Takeuchi
  • Japan Wimpie van der Walt
  • New Zealand Tom Parsons REP

Flankers

  • Japan James Moore
  • South Africa Tyler Paul
  • United States Alexander Mackenzie*
  • Japan Shingo Nakashima
  • Japan Shinya Osugi
  • Japan Tetta Shigematsu

No8s

  • Australia Liam Gill
  • Australia Brody Macaskill*
  • Japan Daishi Kojima REP

Scrum-halves

  • Japan Ren Iinuma(c)
  • Japan Taisei Konishi
  • South Africa Tian Meyer
  • United States Karl Keane* DEP
  • Japan Takuya Shirae REP

Fly-halves

  • New Zealand Otere Black
  • New Zealand Hayden Cripps*
  • Japan Shotaro Matsuo
  • Japan Hikaru Tamura
  • Japan Shunta Mori REP

Centres

  • Japan Shane Gates
  • Japan Taiji Hongo
  • Japan Takuya Ishibashi
  • Japan Samisoni Tua
  • Tonga Tone Tukufuka*
  • Australia Samu Kerevi
  • Japan Kentaro Nanimatsu REP

Wingers

  • Japan Siosifa Lisala
  • Japan Kai Ishii
  • Japan Takahiro Ishikawa
  • Japan Junya Matsumoto
  • Japan Larry Sulunga
  • New Zealand Caleb Cavuvati REP DEP

Fullbacks

Utility Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes player is internationally capped
  • * denotes players qualified to play for the Japan on dual nationality or residency grounds.

Notable former players

Home ground
  • The Shining Arcs' home stadium is the NTT Grand Chiba Stadium in Ichikawa.[6]

See also

References
  1. "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. Saito, ラグビーレポート by 斉藤 健仁 (27 July 2022). "「浦安D-Rocks」、NTTグループ再編で誕生した新チームの概要。ジャパンラグビー リーグワン" ['Urayasu D-Rocks', an overview of the new team created as a result of the NTT Group restructuring. Japan Rugby League One]. J Sports (in Japanese).
  3. McCullagh, Kevin (27 July 2022). "Japan's NTT forms new rugby business unit, reorganises teams". SportBusiness.
  4. "ラグビー事業会社の設立について" [Establishment of a rugby business company]. group.ntt (in Japanese). NTT Group. 1 July 2022.
  5. "Members". NTT Shining Arcs. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. "NTT千葉総合運動場グランドのご紹介" [Introduction of NTT Grand Chiba Stadium]. NTT Communications.
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