{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://www.asiarugby.com/category/news/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.", "next_url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/category/news/feed/json/?paged=2", "home_page_url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/category/news/", "feed_url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/category/news/feed/json/", "language": "en-US", "title": "News Archives - Asia Rugby", "description": "Regional Association of the Governing Body for the Global Game", "items": [ { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9300", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/03/03/hsbc-canada-sevens-set-for-historic-weekend/", "title": "HSBC Canada Sevens set for historic weekend", "content_html": "

The 28 captains gathered on Wednesday on the traditional territory of Tsleil-Waututh Nation ahead of the highly anticipated HSBC Canada Sevens on 3-5 March, which sees the women\u2019s Series join the men for the first time ever at BC Place as the race for Series glory and Olympic qualification heats up.

\n\n

The world\u2019s best men\u2019s and women\u2019s rugby sevens players will return to action in Vancouver this weekend with a three-day event from 3-5 March as the race for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series glory and the all-important Olympic qualification heats up.

\n

The 28 captains who will do battle for the highly coveted HSBC Canada Sevens crowns gathered on Wednesday on the traditional territory of Tsleil-Waututh Nation as they fine tune their preparations ahead of kick off on Friday.

\n

With the popular event returning to the city for the eighth consecutive year, Canada\u2019s men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams will be looking to put on a show for their fans as they enter the field at the BC Place Stadium.

\n

Canada women’s co-captain Breanne Nicholas said: \u201cWe\u2019re very excited to be playing on our home turf alongside the men. We know what it\u2019s like in Langford, and we\u2019re ready for the hype of Vancouver. Playing alongside the men is not only positive for the growth of rugby in Canada but the growth of women\u2019s sport in Canada.\u201d

\n

However, New Zealand\u2019s Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens lead the current Series standings and arrive in confident mood having won the last three women\u2019s events and two men\u2019s events respectively.

\n

This weekend in Vancouver, if New Zealand’s women’s team reaches the cup finals, they will be the second nation to officially qualify for Paris 2024 after France, who have a spot secured as hosts.

\n

Black Ferns women\u2019s captain Sarah Goss said: \u201cIt\u2019s been amazing being in a new city in Canada, we love coming here and to be able to play at BC Place \u2013 we went to the stadium yesterday and had a run around against Canada \u2013 it\u2019s an amazing stadium and we\u2019re looking forward to the weekend.

\n

\u201cI have only seen that [New Zealand can qualify for Paris 2024] in the media and we haven\u2019t actually talked about that as a team. We\u2019re just trying to get better and better as the tournament goes along and we\u2019re very happy with how we\u2019re sitting but we probably won\u2019t be too happy unless we continue that momentum we\u2019ve already built.\u201d

\n

The 2023 Series is shaping up to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women\u2019s and men\u2019s teams in the 2023 Series standings, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next year’s pinnacle event in the nation\u2019s capital.

\n

The men\u2019s Series has seen five different gold medal winners (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and South Africa) in the six rounds to date.

\n

New Zealand sit firmly on top of the women’s leader board with 78 points, having won the last three tournaments in Sydney, Hamilton and Cape Town. Australia, the only other nation to have won a tournament in Dubai, are tied with USA at 66 points each. The Americans join New Zealand as the only nation to have medalled at every event this season, while France picked up their first bronze medal in Sydney.

\n

VIEW MEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>

\n

VIEW WOMEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>

\n

The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher at the bottom end of the men\u2019s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.

\n

Ireland captain Harry McNulty said: \u201cBack-to-back tournaments are always tough, and with the three-day tournament it means one less training day, but we love coming to Vancouver \u2013 it\u2019s always a great crowd so we\u2019re excited to push on from last week. For us it was great to get three wins in the pool but disappointing to not win anything on day two, so we\u2019re really looking forward to putting in another good performance this weekend.

\n

\u201cEvery tournament you have to take into consideration how hard the pools are because it\u2019s been crazy at the moment when there\u2019s nine teams who can qualify for the four Olympic spots at the end of the season. So we\u2019re going tournament-to-tournament in terms of getting our preparation right but also every tournament means you\u2019re one step closer to the end of the season so we need to make sure we get the most amount of points as we can.\u201d

\n

The men\u2019s pools for Vancouver have HSBC Los Angeles winners New Zealand in Pool A alongside Cape Town champions Samoa, Spain and the United States. Pool B includes silver medal winners Argentina with South Africa France and Japan. Bronze medal winners Fiji will meet Great Britain, Uruguay and Kenya in Pool C, while Australia lead Pool D alongside Ireland, Canada and Chile.

\n

VIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

\n

The women\u2019s pools for Vancouver have New Zealand, Fiji, Great Britain and Colombia in Pool A. Reigning Series champions Australia will be looking to bounce back in Pool B against France, Japan and Spain. Pool C sees the USA together with Ireland, hosts Canada and Brazil.

\n

VIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

\n

The action begins at 09:15 local time (GMT-8) on Friday, beginning three days of action-packed world-class rugby sevens, which concludes with the finals on Sunday evening.

\n

Tickets for the HSBC Canada Sevens are available from\u00a0Home – Canada Sevens

\n

Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, YouTube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.

\n

WHERE TO WATCH >>

\n

The post HSBC Canada Sevens set for historic weekend appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The 28 captains gathered on Wednesday on the traditional territory of Tsleil-Waututh Nation ahead of the highly anticipated HSBC Canada Sevens on 3-5 March, which sees the women\u2019s Series join the men for the first time ever at BC Place as the race for Series glory and Olympic qualification heats up.\n\nThe HSBC Canada Sevens gets underway 3-5 March, marking the 200th men’s tournament in HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series storied history\nFor the first time ever, the top 12 women\u2019s nations are set to join the men at BC Place for a thrilling three-day competition\nNew Zealand Black Ferns Sevens lead current women\u2019s Series standings, can officially qualify for Paris 2024 this weekend\nNew Zealand All Blacks Sevens sit atop the men\u2019s Series standings having won back-to-back stops in Sydney and Los Angeles\nThe HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 is the most competitive in history with Paris 2024 Olympic qualification the prize for the top four teams\nPlay begins at 09:15 local time (GMT-8) on Friday, with the finals on Sunday\n\nThe world\u2019s best men\u2019s and women\u2019s rugby sevens players will return to action in Vancouver this weekend with a three-day event from 3-5 March as the race for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series glory and the all-important Olympic qualification heats up.\nThe 28 captains who will do battle for the highly coveted HSBC Canada Sevens crowns gathered on Wednesday on the traditional territory of Tsleil-Waututh Nation as they fine tune their preparations ahead of kick off on Friday.\nWith the popular event returning to the city for the eighth consecutive year, Canada\u2019s men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams will be looking to put on a show for their fans as they enter the field at the BC Place Stadium.\nCanada women’s co-captain Breanne Nicholas said: \u201cWe\u2019re very excited to be playing on our home turf alongside the men. We know what it\u2019s like in Langford, and we\u2019re ready for the hype of Vancouver. Playing alongside the men is not only positive for the growth of rugby in Canada but the growth of women\u2019s sport in Canada.\u201d\nHowever, New Zealand\u2019s Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens lead the current Series standings and arrive in confident mood having won the last three women\u2019s events and two men\u2019s events respectively.\nThis weekend in Vancouver, if New Zealand’s women’s team reaches the cup finals, they will be the second nation to officially qualify for Paris 2024 after France, who have a spot secured as hosts.\nBlack Ferns women\u2019s captain Sarah Goss said: \u201cIt\u2019s been amazing being in a new city in Canada, we love coming here and to be able to play at BC Place \u2013 we went to the stadium yesterday and had a run around against Canada \u2013 it\u2019s an amazing stadium and we\u2019re looking forward to the weekend.\n\u201cI have only seen that [New Zealand can qualify for Paris 2024] in the media and we haven\u2019t actually talked about that as a team. We\u2019re just trying to get better and better as the tournament goes along and we\u2019re very happy with how we\u2019re sitting but we probably won\u2019t be too happy unless we continue that momentum we\u2019ve already built.\u201d\nThe 2023 Series is shaping up to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women\u2019s and men\u2019s teams in the 2023 Series standings, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next year’s pinnacle event in the nation\u2019s capital.\nThe men\u2019s Series has seen five different gold medal winners (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and South Africa) in the six rounds to date.\nNew Zealand sit firmly on top of the women’s leader board with 78 points, having won the last three tournaments in Sydney, Hamilton and Cape Town. Australia, the only other nation to have won a tournament in Dubai, are tied with USA at 66 points each. The Americans join New Zealand as the only nation to have medalled at every event this season, while France picked up their first bronze medal in Sydney.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>\nThe stakes couldn\u2019t be higher at the bottom end of the men\u2019s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.\nIreland captain Harry McNulty said: \u201cBack-to-back tournaments are always tough, and with the three-day tournament it means one less training day, but we love coming to Vancouver \u2013 it\u2019s always a great crowd so we\u2019re excited to push on from last week. For us it was great to get three wins in the pool but disappointing to not win anything on day two, so we\u2019re really looking forward to putting in another good performance this weekend.\n\u201cEvery tournament you have to take into consideration how hard the pools are because it\u2019s been crazy at the moment when there\u2019s nine teams who can qualify for the four Olympic spots at the end of the season. So we\u2019re going tournament-to-tournament in terms of getting our preparation right but also every tournament means you\u2019re one step closer to the end of the season so we need to make sure we get the most amount of points as we can.\u201d\nThe men\u2019s pools for Vancouver have HSBC Los Angeles winners New Zealand in Pool A alongside Cape Town champions Samoa, Spain and the United States. Pool B includes silver medal winners Argentina with South Africa France and Japan. Bronze medal winners Fiji will meet Great Britain, Uruguay and Kenya in Pool C, while Australia lead Pool D alongside Ireland, Canada and Chile.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nThe women\u2019s pools for Vancouver have New Zealand, Fiji, Great Britain and Colombia in Pool A. Reigning Series champions Australia will be looking to bounce back in Pool B against France, Japan and Spain. Pool C sees the USA together with Ireland, hosts Canada and Brazil.\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nThe action begins at 09:15 local time (GMT-8) on Friday, beginning three days of action-packed world-class rugby sevens, which concludes with the finals on Sunday evening.\nTickets for the HSBC Canada Sevens are available from\u00a0Home – Canada Sevens\nRugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, YouTube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.\nWHERE TO WATCH >>\nThe post HSBC Canada Sevens set for historic weekend appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-03-03T17:58:34+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-03T17:58:34+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Fiji.jpg", "tags": [ "HSBC Canada Sevens", "HSBC", "New Zealand Rugby", "Fiji Rugby", "Tsleil-Waututh", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9298", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/03/03/hsbc-world-rugby-sevens-series-hits-major-milestone/", "title": "HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series hits major milestone", "content_html": "

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will celebrate a special milestone this weekend with the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver being the 200th men\u2019s tournament in the competition\u2019s storied history. We take a look at how the competition has evolved.

\n

On 2 December, 1999 the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series was born in Dubai.

\n

Fittingly, current men\u2019s Series leaders New Zealand had the honour of competing in the very first match and former sevens star turned World Rugby commentator Karl Te Nana scored in a 14-0 win against Tonga.

\n

To this day, Te Nana remembers the thrill of being involved from the very first blast of Australian referee George Ayoub\u2019s whistle.

\n

\u201cWhen the Series first launched, there was so much excitement amongst all the countries to have an organised series created,\u201d he said.

\n

\u201cThe chance to continuously match yourself against the best in the world in 10 tournaments was a real new and fresh concept that both players and fans gravitated to.\u201d

\n

Dubai is one of the two original venues still used to this day (Hong Kong is the other) and was also the location for the opening tournament when the women\u2019s Series was launched in 2012-13.

\n
\n

We go again in Vancouver! \"\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\"

\n

\"\ud83d\udcc6\" 3-5 March

\n

\"\ud83c\udf9f\" Get your tickets to #Canada7s: https://t.co/deBxy6tqyi#HSBC7s pic.twitter.com/CjDVjTF5nh

\n

\u2014 World Rugby 7s (@WorldRugby7s) February 28, 2023

\n

\n

For Te Nana, it was a natural choice as the launchpad for the Series because it was already a renowned sevens destination.

\n

\u201cThe first tournament in Dubai was always a vibe because of its already established history. It was like playing in a major at golf,\u201d he said.

\n

\u201cSo when New Zealand had the honour to play the first game of the Series against Tonga, we as a team knew the significance of that, and for me to score the first try ever on the World Sevens Series, at the time I didn’t take much notice but now as I look back, I’m very proud of that moment.\u201d

\n

New Zealand went on to be crowned champions in that first tournament in Dubai following a 38-14 win over Fiji, another of the sport\u2019s powerhouses long before the Series was initiated.

\n

SOUTHERN DOMINANCE

\n

A fierce rivalry had already developed between the countries from the first two editions of Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1993 and 1997 and that was translated into the Series.

\n

Those two countries claimed all the titles on offer between them throughout the inaugural Series and, by the end of it all, the All Blacks Sevens came out on top in the final standings by just six points.

\n

It was the first of six consecutive overall Series titles for New Zealand, who won just over half (26) of the first 50 tournaments played.

\n

Of the 30 different nations that have played and scored in the Series, New Zealand and Fiji are to date the only ones to reach 3,000 points.

\n

Fiji became Series champions for the first time in 2005-06 but it was still New Zealand who largely held the upper hand as the Series continued to grow, their run of seven consecutive tournament wins between London in 2007 to Hong Kong the following year being a record that still exists today.

\n

BLITZBOKS\u2019 BREAKTHROUGH

\n

2009 was not only a significant year for sevens in terms of it winning the vote to become an Olympic sport but it also marked the emergence of South Africa as a threat to New Zealand and Fiji, the Blitzboks claiming the first of their four Series titles that year.

\n

Samoa threw their hat into the ring by taking the next title in 2010 and England were always a threat with record Series points scorer Ben Gollings dictating play. But for the most part, it was New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa who continued to fight it out for top honours.

\n

The next 11 Series titles, from 2011 to 2021, were shared by the southern hemisphere trio with New Zealand claiming five, and Fiji and South Africa three apiece, the latter benefitting from the absence of their main rivals due to COVID-19 in their 2021 Series win.

\n

For a 10-year period between 2004 and 2014, that trio and England, Samoa, Argentina, Australia and France were the only teams to win a tournament in the Series.

\n

But as sevens\u2019 Olympics debut in Rio in 2016 drew ever closer new teams came to the fore with the USA enjoying the first of their three tournament successes in London in the 2014-15 Series. Over the next two years, they were joined by Scotland and Canada in adding their names to the roll of honour.

\n

In total, 12 different teams have now won a tournament in the Series.

\n

With the general competitiveness of sevens going up several notches following the sport\u2019s inclusion in the Olympic Games, New Zealand\u2019s almost total dominance from those early years will be very hard to replicate.

\n

But while Australia became the first new overall Series winner in 12 years in 2022, the All Blacks Sevens remain the team to beat in most people\u2019s eyes.

\n

Their overall tally of 64 tournament wins, and 100-plus \u00a0final appearances, from the 199 men\u2019s tournaments played to date easily eclipses what any of the other teams can muster.

\n

Fiji are next best with 44 tournament wins and South Africa are third on 40.

\n

A SHOWCASE FOR SKILLS

\n

Once considered a means of improving fitness for 15s or for an end-of-season jamboree, sevens has become huge in its own right and the Series has played a big part in its evolution into an Olympic sport that helps spread the rugby gospel far and wide.

\n

Ever-evolving, the Series will be remodelled next year and will include seven festival-style events, in seven iconic global destinations, across seven months, featuring the 12 best men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams in the world.

\n

Te Nana was one of the first to leave his mark on the Series and is still taken aback by how big and far-reaching it has become.

\n

\u201cIt’s amazing how from the inception to what the beast of a product and spectacle the sevens has become. It is just amazing,\u201d he said.

\n

\u201cWorld Rugby have done a fantastic job creating a platform for men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams and athletes to thrive and showcase their abilities to help connect, inspire and bring joy to audiences across the globe.\u201d

\n

The post HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series hits major milestone appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will celebrate a special milestone this weekend with the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver being the 200th men\u2019s tournament in the competition\u2019s storied history. We take a look at how the competition has evolved.\nOn 2 December, 1999 the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series was born in Dubai.\nFittingly, current men\u2019s Series leaders New Zealand had the honour of competing in the very first match and former sevens star turned World Rugby commentator Karl Te Nana scored in a 14-0 win against Tonga.\nTo this day, Te Nana remembers the thrill of being involved from the very first blast of Australian referee George Ayoub\u2019s whistle.\n\u201cWhen the Series first launched, there was so much excitement amongst all the countries to have an organised series created,\u201d he said.\n\u201cThe chance to continuously match yourself against the best in the world in 10 tournaments was a real new and fresh concept that both players and fans gravitated to.\u201d\nDubai is one of the two original venues still used to this day (Hong Kong is the other) and was also the location for the opening tournament when the women\u2019s Series was launched in 2012-13.\n\nWe go again in Vancouver! \n 3-5 March\n Get your tickets to #Canada7s: https://t.co/deBxy6tqyi#HSBC7s pic.twitter.com/CjDVjTF5nh\n\u2014 World Rugby 7s (@WorldRugby7s) February 28, 2023\n\nFor Te Nana, it was a natural choice as the launchpad for the Series because it was already a renowned sevens destination.\n\u201cThe first tournament in Dubai was always a vibe because of its already established history. It was like playing in a major at golf,\u201d he said.\n\u201cSo when New Zealand had the honour to play the first game of the Series against Tonga, we as a team knew the significance of that, and for me to score the first try ever on the World Sevens Series, at the time I didn’t take much notice but now as I look back, I’m very proud of that moment.\u201d\nNew Zealand went on to be crowned champions in that first tournament in Dubai following a 38-14 win over Fiji, another of the sport\u2019s powerhouses long before the Series was initiated.\nSOUTHERN DOMINANCE\nA fierce rivalry had already developed between the countries from the first two editions of Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1993 and 1997 and that was translated into the Series.\nThose two countries claimed all the titles on offer between them throughout the inaugural Series and, by the end of it all, the All Blacks Sevens came out on top in the final standings by just six points.\nIt was the first of six consecutive overall Series titles for New Zealand, who won just over half (26) of the first 50 tournaments played.\nOf the 30 different nations that have played and scored in the Series, New Zealand and Fiji are to date the only ones to reach 3,000 points.\nFiji became Series champions for the first time in 2005-06 but it was still New Zealand who largely held the upper hand as the Series continued to grow, their run of seven consecutive tournament wins between London in 2007 to Hong Kong the following year being a record that still exists today.\nBLITZBOKS\u2019 BREAKTHROUGH\n2009 was not only a significant year for sevens in terms of it winning the vote to become an Olympic sport but it also marked the emergence of South Africa as a threat to New Zealand and Fiji, the Blitzboks claiming the first of their four Series titles that year.\nSamoa threw their hat into the ring by taking the next title in 2010 and England were always a threat with record Series points scorer Ben Gollings dictating play. But for the most part, it was New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa who continued to fight it out for top honours.\nThe next 11 Series titles, from 2011 to 2021, were shared by the southern hemisphere trio with New Zealand claiming five, and Fiji and South Africa three apiece, the latter benefitting from the absence of their main rivals due to COVID-19 in their 2021 Series win.\nFor a 10-year period between 2004 and 2014, that trio and England, Samoa, Argentina, Australia and France were the only teams to win a tournament in the Series.\nBut as sevens\u2019 Olympics debut in Rio in 2016 drew ever closer new teams came to the fore with the USA enjoying the first of their three tournament successes in London in the 2014-15 Series. Over the next two years, they were joined by Scotland and Canada in adding their names to the roll of honour.\nIn total, 12 different teams have now won a tournament in the Series.\nWith the general competitiveness of sevens going up several notches following the sport\u2019s inclusion in the Olympic Games, New Zealand\u2019s almost total dominance from those early years will be very hard to replicate.\nBut while Australia became the first new overall Series winner in 12 years in 2022, the All Blacks Sevens remain the team to beat in most people\u2019s eyes.\nTheir overall tally of 64 tournament wins, and 100-plus \u00a0final appearances, from the 199 men\u2019s tournaments played to date easily eclipses what any of the other teams can muster.\nFiji are next best with 44 tournament wins and South Africa are third on 40.\nA SHOWCASE FOR SKILLS\nOnce considered a means of improving fitness for 15s or for an end-of-season jamboree, sevens has become huge in its own right and the Series has played a big part in its evolution into an Olympic sport that helps spread the rugby gospel far and wide.\nEver-evolving, the Series will be remodelled next year and will include seven festival-style events, in seven iconic global destinations, across seven months, featuring the 12 best men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams in the world.\nTe Nana was one of the first to leave his mark on the Series and is still taken aback by how big and far-reaching it has become.\n\u201cIt’s amazing how from the inception to what the beast of a product and spectacle the sevens has become. It is just amazing,\u201d he said.\n\u201cWorld Rugby have done a fantastic job creating a platform for men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams and athletes to thrive and showcase their abilities to help connect, inspire and bring joy to audiences across the globe.\u201d\nThe post HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series hits major milestone appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-03-03T17:46:32+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-03T17:46:32+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HSBC-World-Rugby-Sevens.jpg", "tags": [ "HSBC", "World Rugby Sevens", "HSBC World Rugby Sevens", "HSBC Canada Sevens", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9275", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/02/09/asia-rugby-appoints-match-officials-for-division-3-west/", "title": "Asia Rugby Appoints Match Officials for Division 3 West\u00a0", "content_html": "

-Stakes high as winner stays in contention for Asia Rugby Div 3 crown, promotion to Div 2
\n-Test slated for February 10th in Al Ain, UAE
\n-Mark the date to watch the match in real time on AR\u2019s social media platforms

\n

Asia Rugby has announced the appointment of match officials for the upcoming Asia Rugby Division 3 West match between Iran and Qatar, set to take place\u00a0on Friday, February 10th, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates who are:

\n\n

\"\"

\n

The appointed match officials have been carefully handpicked by Asia Rugby\u2019s Selections and Appointments Panel, and then ratified by both Asia Rugby Referee\u2019s Committee and the Asia Rugby Interim CEO.

\n

This will be the last match of the Division 3 Regional Championships. The winner will contest the Division 3 Playoff Tournament in March against India and Kazakhstan, who won Divisions 3 South and Central, respectively, in 2022. The Playoff Tournament champion and runners-up will earn a promotion to Division 2 to be played during the period 2nd to 5th May 2023.

\n

Asia Rugby will be live-streaming the match on its Facebook page and YouTube channel, and featuring highlights on its Instagram page.

\n

\u00a0Asia Rugby Division 3 West
\nIran v Qatar
\nLocation: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
\nDate:\u00a0Friday 10th\u00a0February 2023
\nTime:\u00a019:00\u00a0 (UAE +4 GMT)

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The post Asia Rugby Appoints Match Officials for Division 3 West\u00a0 appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "-Stakes high as winner stays in contention for Asia Rugby Div 3 crown, promotion to Div 2\n-Test slated for February 10th in Al Ain, UAE\n-Mark the date to watch the match in real time on AR\u2019s social media platforms\nAsia Rugby has announced the appointment of match officials for the upcoming Asia Rugby Division 3 West match between Iran and Qatar, set to take place\u00a0on Friday, February 10th, in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates who are:\n\nGhaith Jalajel, the Asia Rugby Competitions Manager, Will act as Tournament Director.\nJaco De Wit, from the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation (UAERF), will be the Referee.\nTony Duminy and Azhfar Nor, from UAE Rugby Federation and Malaysia Rugby respectively, will be the Assistant Referees.\nPeter Hudson has been appointed as the Match Officials Performance Reviewer.\nRamesh Lachmanan from Malaysia Rugby will serve as the Judicial Officer\nChris Galea from the Singapore Rugby Union as the Citing Commissioner.\n\n\nThe appointed match officials have been carefully handpicked by Asia Rugby\u2019s Selections and Appointments Panel, and then ratified by both Asia Rugby Referee\u2019s Committee and the Asia Rugby Interim CEO.\nThis will be the last match of the Division 3 Regional Championships. The winner will contest the Division 3 Playoff Tournament in March against India and Kazakhstan, who won Divisions 3 South and Central, respectively, in 2022. The Playoff Tournament champion and runners-up will earn a promotion to Division 2 to be played during the period 2nd to 5th May 2023.\nAsia Rugby will be live-streaming the match on its Facebook page and YouTube channel, and featuring highlights on its Instagram page.\n\u00a0Asia Rugby Division 3 West\nIran v Qatar\nLocation: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates\nDate:\u00a0Friday 10th\u00a0February 2023\nTime:\u00a019:00\u00a0 (UAE +4 GMT)\n\n \nThe post Asia Rugby Appoints Match Officials for Division 3 West\u00a0 appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-02-09T08:57:36+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-02-09T14:12:19+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-12-at-5.16.39-PM.jpeg", "tags": [ "Featured", "Asia Rugby Championship", "News", "Match offical" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9250", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/01/25/hsbc-sydney-sevens-ready-for-action/", "title": "HSBC Sydney Sevens ready for action", "content_html": "\n

The world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge provided the backdrop as captains of the 28 men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams gathered ahead of the HSBC Sydney Sevens which kicks off on Friday 27 January.

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The high speed, all action event continues on Saturday with the culmination of the pool phase and quarter-finals, before the semi-finals and finals on Sunday.

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With the popular event returning to the city for the first time since 2020, Australia\u2019s men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams will be looking to put on a show for their fans as they enter the field at the Allianz Stadium as reigning Series champions.

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However New Zealand\u2019s Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens lead the current Series standings and arrive in confident mood following their gold and silver medal wins respectively on home soil in Hamilton last weekend.

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The 2023 Series is shaping up to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women\u2019s and men\u2019s teams in the 2023 Series standings, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next summer\u2019s pinnacle event in the nation\u2019s capital.

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The Men\u2019s Series has seen four different gold medal winners (Argentina, Australia, Samoa and South Africa) in the four rounds to date while New Zealand, Australia and the USA have claimed all the medals in the first three rounds of the women\u2019s competition.

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VIEW MEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>

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VIEW WOMEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>

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The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher at the bottom end of the men\u2019s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.

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In the men\u2019s tournament in Sydney, Pool A sees Hamilton winners Argentina drawn with hosts Australia, Great Britain and Canada. Pool B is led by current Series leaders New Zealand, together with South Africa, Kenya and Uruguay. USA, Ireland, Samoa and Spain will compete in Pool C. Double Olympic champions Fiji will be looking to return to form and are in Pool D with France, Tonga and Japan.

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VIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

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The women\u2019s pools see New Zealand paired with Japan, France and Papua New Guinea in Pool A. USA head a strong looking Pool B that includes Great Britain, Fiji and Canada. Hosts Australia are in Pool C together with Ireland, Spain and Brazil.

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VIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

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The action begins at 12:00 local time (GMT+11) on Friday, beginning three days of action-packed world class rugby sevens, which concludes with the finals on Sunday evening.

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Tickets for the HSBC Sydney Sevens are available from\u00a0www.sydney7s.com.au/tickets.

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Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, You Tube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.

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WHERE TO WATCH >>

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The post HSBC Sydney Sevens ready for action appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The HSBC Sydney Sevens returns to action on 27-29 January for first time since 2020\nHosts Australia are reigning men\u2019s and women\u2019s Series champions\nNew Zealand\u2019s All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens lead current Series standings\nThe 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is the most competitive in history with Paris 2024 Olympic qualification the prize for the top four teams\nPlay begins at 12:00 local time (GMT+11) on Friday, with the finals on Sunday\n\nThe world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge provided the backdrop as captains of the 28 men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams gathered ahead of the HSBC Sydney Sevens which kicks off on Friday 27 January.\nThe high speed, all action event continues on Saturday with the culmination of the pool phase and quarter-finals, before the semi-finals and finals on Sunday.\nWith the popular event returning to the city for the first time since 2020, Australia\u2019s men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams will be looking to put on a show for their fans as they enter the field at the Allianz Stadium as reigning Series champions.\n\nFrance 2023 family united to deliver best-ever Rugby World Cup in landmark year for the sport\nHSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returns to New Zealand\nExciting year of rugby sevens gets underway in Hamilton\nBack to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar\n\nHowever New Zealand\u2019s Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens lead the current Series standings and arrive in confident mood following their gold and silver medal wins respectively on home soil in Hamilton last weekend.\nThe 2023 Series is shaping up to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women\u2019s and men\u2019s teams in the 2023 Series standings, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next summer\u2019s pinnacle event in the nation\u2019s capital.\nThe Men\u2019s Series has seen four different gold medal winners (Argentina, Australia, Samoa and South Africa) in the four rounds to date while New Zealand, Australia and the USA have claimed all the medals in the first three rounds of the women\u2019s competition.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>\nThe stakes couldn\u2019t be higher at the bottom end of the men\u2019s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.\nIn the men\u2019s tournament in Sydney, Pool A sees Hamilton winners Argentina drawn with hosts Australia, Great Britain and Canada. Pool B is led by current Series leaders New Zealand, together with South Africa, Kenya and Uruguay. USA, Ireland, Samoa and Spain will compete in Pool C. Double Olympic champions Fiji will be looking to return to form and are in Pool D with France, Tonga and Japan.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nThe women\u2019s pools see New Zealand paired with Japan, France and Papua New Guinea in Pool A. USA head a strong looking Pool B that includes Great Britain, Fiji and Canada. Hosts Australia are in Pool C together with Ireland, Spain and Brazil.\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nThe action begins at 12:00 local time (GMT+11) on Friday, beginning three days of action-packed world class rugby sevens, which concludes with the finals on Sunday evening.\nTickets for the HSBC Sydney Sevens are available from\u00a0www.sydney7s.com.au/tickets.\nRugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, You Tube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.\nWHERE TO WATCH >>\nThe post HSBC Sydney Sevens ready for action appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-01-25T16:45:46+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-25T18:26:12+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HSBC-Sydney-Sevens-ready-for-action.jpg", "tags": [ "HSBC", "HSBC Sydney Sevens", "Sydney Sevens", "Harbour Bridge", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9247", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/01/24/france-2023-family-united-to-deliver-best-ever-rugby-world-cup-in-landmark-year-for-the-sport/", "title": "France 2023 family united to deliver best-ever Rugby World Cup in landmark year for the sport", "content_html": "

The family behind the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France have underscored their commitment to delivering one of the great sports events as they gathered for a special celebration in Paris.

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The family behind the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France have underscored their commitment to delivering one of the great sports events as they gathered for a special celebration in Paris.

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Leading figures from the French Sports Ministry, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) presented their wishes alongside World Rugby and France 2023 representatives, reaffirming the collective mission to deliver a transformative and engaging Rugby World Cup that will deliver multiple significant benefits for Rugby and France.

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Productive and positive meetings took place between the France 2023 Organising Committee and World Rugby to review the progress to date and plan the final push as the tournament enters its operational delivery phase. An updated project roadmap and budget will be presented to the France 2023 board on 2 February to consolidate the good progress and set this year\u2019s priorities with the event expected to leave a tangible legacy benefiting the French grassroot rugby. Rugby World Cup 2023 will kick-off on 8 September with a blockbuster at Stade de France (Saint-Denis) when hosts France will face New Zealand in front of a sold-out crowd.

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FRANCE READY TO WELCOME THE WORLD

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Across 48 matches, 51 days and nine host cities, fans will be able to experience the best of France and its lifestyle. Organisers and host cities are working together to implement Rugby Villages in the heart of host cities where the local public and international visitors can gather to share their passion for rugby and enjoy activities and products linked to France and the tournament. In a video published today, France 2023 is inviting rugby fans to get ready for an exceptional event and moments of celebrations together with more than 600,000 international visitors expected during the tournament.

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Following unprecedented demand for tickets and with more than two million tickets already sold, the Organising Committee will launch the\u00a0official resale platform\u00a0on Tuesday, 24 January at 18:00 CET. The website is the only official and secured way for fans to resell tickets bought during the previous sale phases. Tickets sold on other websites won\u2019t guarantee access to the Rugby World Cup 2023 venues.

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Avoid disappointment, buy official >>

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World Rugby Chairman\u00a0Sir Bill Beaumont\u00a0said: \u201cThe waiting is almost over! Rugby World Cup 2023 will be the main event in rugby\u2019s 200th\u00a0birthday celebrations and as we begin the year of the tournament, the spirit of unity across all stakeholders is strong. We can say with great confidence that France is ready. Ready to welcome the world\u2019s best players for an unforgettable celebration of rugby and French culture. Ready also to deliver a tournament that will forever be remembered as innovative, sustainable, and transformative; a tournament that brought people together.\u201d

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\u201cOur partners, the public authorities, the FFR, France 2023 and Rugby World Cup\u2019s staff were united in Paris earlier this month around one common objective: delivering a fantastic and responsible event, one that France can be proud of. In addition to incredible rugby action and lifelong memories, Rugby World Cup 2023 will be a celebration of our togetherness and will leave a legacy that will live long after the champions are crowned.\u201d

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France 2023 Chairman\u00a0Jacques Rivoal\u00a0added: \u201cHere we are! The closing moments of a match whose outcome is eagerly awaited by all: the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2023\u2019s 48 matches, the hosting of 20 qualified nations, the guaranteed emotions everywhere in France and abroad. With millions of rugby fans from around the world, we will make this Rugby World Cup 2023 a moment of togetherness and celebration.

\n

\u201cI would like to thank all those who, collectively, will bring this unique event to the highest standards: our founding members (FFR, French State, CNOSF), World Rugby, our economic and institutional partners, and the employees of the France 2023 Organising Committee.\u201d

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The French Minister of Sports, Olympic and Paralympic Games\u00a0Am\u00e9lie Oud\u00e9a-Cast\u00e9ra\u00a0said: \u201cIn 2023, it is in France that rugby fans from all over the world will meet. We will be up to the challenge of this extraordinary event and are working tirelessly to ensure that it is successfully organised in every respect. Our ambition is to enable all fans to experience a unique moment of fervour and popular celebration, to ensure that this Rugby World Cup leaves a legacy for the development of rugby in our country, and to make 2023 a great year for the global rugby family.\u201d

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Watch \u201cLet\u2019s Celebrate Togetherness\u201d video >>

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Rugby World Cup 2023 – Let’s Celebrate Togetherness

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Rugby World Cup 2023 will be a moment of celebration and togetherness. The world will be united from 8 September to 28 October, 2023 to share an unforgettable experience: the celebration of rugby and its values, the best of France and its lifestyle, the celebration of France 2023\u2019s commitment to have a positive impact and, overall, a nationwide festival for fans in France and abroad who will come together for 51 days and 48 matches, making this tournament a truly special one.

\n

The post France 2023 family united to deliver best-ever Rugby World Cup in landmark year for the sport appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The family behind the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France have underscored their commitment to delivering one of the great sports events as they gathered for a special celebration in Paris.\n\nRugby World Cup year kicked off with an event bringing together all of France 2023 stakeholders in Paris\nFrench Minister of Sports, Olympic and Paralympic Games Am\u00e9lie Oud\u00e9a-Cast\u00e9ra announce “We will be up to the challenge of this extraordinary event”\nRugby World Cup 2023 will \u201cCelebrate Togetherness\u201d and rugby\u2019s unique ability to unite people\nPositive and productive meetings took place as the tournament is on track for its delivery\nFrance is preparing to welcome international fans with \u201cRugby Villages\u201d in host cities\nOfficial RWC 2023 ticketing resale platform will launch on 24 January at 18:00 CET\n\nThe family behind the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France have underscored their commitment to delivering one of the great sports events as they gathered for a special celebration in Paris.\nLeading figures from the French Sports Ministry, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) presented their wishes alongside World Rugby and France 2023 representatives, reaffirming the collective mission to deliver a transformative and engaging Rugby World Cup that will deliver multiple significant benefits for Rugby and France.\nProductive and positive meetings took place between the France 2023 Organising Committee and World Rugby to review the progress to date and plan the final push as the tournament enters its operational delivery phase. An updated project roadmap and budget will be presented to the France 2023 board on 2 February to consolidate the good progress and set this year\u2019s priorities with the event expected to leave a tangible legacy benefiting the French grassroot rugby. Rugby World Cup 2023 will kick-off on 8 September with a blockbuster at Stade de France (Saint-Denis) when hosts France will face New Zealand in front of a sold-out crowd.\nFRANCE READY TO WELCOME THE WORLD\nAcross 48 matches, 51 days and nine host cities, fans will be able to experience the best of France and its lifestyle. Organisers and host cities are working together to implement Rugby Villages in the heart of host cities where the local public and international visitors can gather to share their passion for rugby and enjoy activities and products linked to France and the tournament. In a video published today, France 2023 is inviting rugby fans to get ready for an exceptional event and moments of celebrations together with more than 600,000 international visitors expected during the tournament.\nFollowing unprecedented demand for tickets and with more than two million tickets already sold, the Organising Committee will launch the\u00a0official resale platform\u00a0on Tuesday, 24 January at 18:00 CET. The website is the only official and secured way for fans to resell tickets bought during the previous sale phases. Tickets sold on other websites won\u2019t guarantee access to the Rugby World Cup 2023 venues.\nAvoid disappointment, buy official >>\nWorld Rugby Chairman\u00a0Sir Bill Beaumont\u00a0said: \u201cThe waiting is almost over! Rugby World Cup 2023 will be the main event in rugby\u2019s 200th\u00a0birthday celebrations and as we begin the year of the tournament, the spirit of unity across all stakeholders is strong. We can say with great confidence that France is ready. Ready to welcome the world\u2019s best players for an unforgettable celebration of rugby and French culture. Ready also to deliver a tournament that will forever be remembered as innovative, sustainable, and transformative; a tournament that brought people together.\u201d\n\u201cOur partners, the public authorities, the FFR, France 2023 and Rugby World Cup\u2019s staff were united in Paris earlier this month around one common objective: delivering a fantastic and responsible event, one that France can be proud of. In addition to incredible rugby action and lifelong memories, Rugby World Cup 2023 will be a celebration of our togetherness and will leave a legacy that will live long after the champions are crowned.\u201d\nFrance 2023 Chairman\u00a0Jacques Rivoal\u00a0added: \u201cHere we are! The closing moments of a match whose outcome is eagerly awaited by all: the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2023\u2019s 48 matches, the hosting of 20 qualified nations, the guaranteed emotions everywhere in France and abroad. With millions of rugby fans from around the world, we will make this Rugby World Cup 2023 a moment of togetherness and celebration.\n\u201cI would like to thank all those who, collectively, will bring this unique event to the highest standards: our founding members (FFR, French State, CNOSF), World Rugby, our economic and institutional partners, and the employees of the France 2023 Organising Committee.\u201d\nThe French Minister of Sports, Olympic and Paralympic Games\u00a0Am\u00e9lie Oud\u00e9a-Cast\u00e9ra\u00a0said: \u201cIn 2023, it is in France that rugby fans from all over the world will meet. We will be up to the challenge of this extraordinary event and are working tirelessly to ensure that it is successfully organised in every respect. Our ambition is to enable all fans to experience a unique moment of fervour and popular celebration, to ensure that this Rugby World Cup leaves a legacy for the development of rugby in our country, and to make 2023 a great year for the global rugby family.\u201d\nWatch \u201cLet\u2019s Celebrate Togetherness\u201d video >>\nRugby World Cup 2023 – Let’s Celebrate Togetherness\nRugby World Cup 2023 will be a moment of celebration and togetherness. The world will be united from 8 September to 28 October, 2023 to share an unforgettable experience: the celebration of rugby and its values, the best of France and its lifestyle, the celebration of France 2023\u2019s commitment to have a positive impact and, overall, a nationwide festival for fans in France and abroad who will come together for 51 days and 48 matches, making this tournament a truly special one.\nThe post France 2023 family united to deliver best-ever Rugby World Cup in landmark year for the sport appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-01-24T22:40:08+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-24T22:40:08+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/France-2023.jpg", "tags": [ "Rugby World Cup", "France 2023", "Rugby World Cup 2023", "CNOSF", "FFR", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9238", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/01/18/hsbc-world-rugby-sevens-series-returns-to-new-zealand/", "title": "HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returns to New Zealand", "content_html": "

The world\u2019s best men\u2019s and women\u2019s rugby sevens players will return to action in New Zealand for the first time in 1,091 days following a three year absence as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues in Hamilton on 21-22 January.

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The world\u2019s best men\u2019s and women\u2019s rugby sevens players will return to action in New Zealand for the first time in 1,091 days following a three year absence as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues in Hamilton on 21-22 January.

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The Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens will be looking to defend the HSBC New Zealand Sevens titles won on home soil dating back to the last event held in 2020, while Samoa and Australia enter the event as men\u2019s and women\u2019s Series leaders respectively.

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The 2023 Series is shaping up to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women\u2019s and men\u2019s teams in the 2023 Series standings, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next summer\u2019s pinnacle event in the nation\u2019s capital.

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The Men\u2019s Series has seen eight different teams reach the Cup semi-final stage, with all eight teams medalling across the first three tournaments. There have been three different gold medal winners (Australia, Samoa and South Africa), three different silver medallists (Fiji, Ireland and New Zealand), and three different bronze medal winners (France, New Zealand and USA). Only New Zealand have medalled twice, while Samoa, South Africa and USA have made the semi-finals twice.

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VIEW MEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>

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The Women\u2019s Series has only seen two tournaments, compared to three for the men, but five different teams have reached the Cup Semi-Final stage. Only three teams have medalled so far, with Australia and New Zealand claiming one gold each. USA have won both bronze medal matches.

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VIEW WOMEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>

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The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher at the bottom end of the men\u2019s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.

\n

The 16 men\u2019s and 12 women\u2019s team captains lined-up in Hamilton on Wednesday in front of the newly opened\u00a0 K\u2019aute Pasigika Pan Pacific Community Centre before engaging with fans for autographs and selfies.

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The men\u2019s pool draw for Hamilton sees Cape Town champions Samoa take their place in Pool A alongside Olympic champions Fiji, France and Kenya.

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Hosts New Zealand slot into Pool B alongside Great Britain, Hong Kong winners Australia and invitational team Tonga.

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New Zealand men\u2019s captain Sam Dickson said: \u201cWe’re super excited to be playing at home again. It’s been a few years since we’ve been here. We have many good memories here and we\u2019re looking forward to the weekend.

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\u201cIt\u2019s an Olympic qualifying year and our goal is to win the World Series and qualify for the Olympics. We obviously had a slow start, but we bounced back really well in Dubai and Cape Town and we now sit third in the table. So we’ll be looking at keeping that momentum and flying here in Hamilton and putting on a good show for our fans.\u201d

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Cape Town bronze medal winners USA lead Pool C and will face off against Uruguay, Ireland and Japan on day one.

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South Africa, Cup winners in Dubai in December, are joined by Argentina, Spain and Canada in Pool D.

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VIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

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In the women\u2019s competition, hosts and reigning Olympic champions New Zealand will face off against Great Britain, Fiji and invitational team Papua New Guinea in Pool A.

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New Zealand women\u2019s captain Sarah Hirini said: \u201cIt’s awesome to be back here in Hamilton and obviously being an Olympic qualifying year we want to make sure that we’re in the top four and we’re qualified for Paris. But I think most importantly, just being able to play good footy and have a good time doing it.

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\u201cThere is great momentum for women\u2019s sport and we can’t really go anywhere without someone talking about the World Cup which is massively exciting for us and we want to continue that excitement for the sevens team as well.\u201d

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Series title holders Australia, who will be looking to build on their incredible form in 2022 ahead of their home tournament in Sydney from 27-29 January, headline Pool B alongside France, Canada and Japan.

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Pool C features USA, who have claimed a pair of bronze medals so far this season, along with Ireland, Brazil and Spain.

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VIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

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The action begins at 09:10 local time (GMT+13) on Saturday, with all pool phase matches taking place on Saturday. The Cup quarter-finals get the action under way at 09:30 on Sunday, with the women\u2019s final at 19:26 and the men\u2019s final wrapping up the event at 19:56.

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Having been on New Zealand\u2019s sporting calendar for more than two decades, this year the tournament will see the addition of a second playing field next to FMG Stadium Waikato to enable the full men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws to be played over two action-packed days of thrilling world class rugby sevens.

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Remaining tickets are available at\u00a0https://www.sevens.co.nz/tickets/.

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Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, You Tube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.

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WHERE TO WATCH >>

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The post HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returns to New Zealand appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The world\u2019s best men\u2019s and women\u2019s rugby sevens players will return to action in New Zealand for the first time in 1,091 days following a three year absence as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues in Hamilton on 21-22 January.\n\nThe HSBC New Zealand Sevens returns to Hamilton on 21-22 January following a three year absence\nThe 2023 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is the most hotly contested in history with Paris 2024 Olympic qualification at stake and a battle to avoid relegation in the men\u2019s competition\nNew Zealand All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens aiming to defend titles on home soil\nSamoa and Australia lead men\u2019s and women\u2019s Series after three and two rounds respectively\nPlay begins at 09:10 local time (GMT+13) on Saturday, with the finals from 19:26 on Sunday\n\nThe world\u2019s best men\u2019s and women\u2019s rugby sevens players will return to action in New Zealand for the first time in 1,091 days following a three year absence as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues in Hamilton on 21-22 January.\nThe Black Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens will be looking to defend the HSBC New Zealand Sevens titles won on home soil dating back to the last event held in 2020, while Samoa and Australia enter the event as men\u2019s and women\u2019s Series leaders respectively.\nThe 2023 Series is shaping up to be the most competitive in history with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on offer for the top four women\u2019s and men\u2019s teams in the 2023 Series standings, while hosts France have pre-qualified for next summer\u2019s pinnacle event in the nation\u2019s capital.\n\nExciting year of rugby sevens gets underway in Hamilton\nBack to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar\nLesley Mckenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025\nAsia Rugby Statement: Expulsion case of Mohamed Rizly Mohamed Illyas\n\nThe Men\u2019s Series has seen eight different teams reach the Cup semi-final stage, with all eight teams medalling across the first three tournaments. There have been three different gold medal winners (Australia, Samoa and South Africa), three different silver medallists (Fiji, Ireland and New Zealand), and three different bronze medal winners (France, New Zealand and USA). Only New Zealand have medalled twice, while Samoa, South Africa and USA have made the semi-finals twice.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>\nThe Women\u2019s Series has only seen two tournaments, compared to three for the men, but five different teams have reached the Cup Semi-Final stage. Only three teams have medalled so far, with Australia and New Zealand claiming one gold each. USA have won both bronze medal matches.\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S SERIES STANDINGS >>\nThe stakes couldn\u2019t be higher at the bottom end of the men\u2019s Series this season as well. Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated to the 2024 Sevens Challenger Series while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series.\nThe 16 men\u2019s and 12 women\u2019s team captains lined-up in Hamilton on Wednesday in front of the newly opened\u00a0 K\u2019aute Pasigika Pan Pacific Community Centre before engaging with fans for autographs and selfies.\nThe men\u2019s pool draw for Hamilton sees Cape Town champions Samoa take their place in Pool A alongside Olympic champions Fiji, France and Kenya.\nHosts New Zealand slot into Pool B alongside Great Britain, Hong Kong winners Australia and invitational team Tonga.\nNew Zealand men\u2019s captain Sam Dickson said: \u201cWe’re super excited to be playing at home again. It’s been a few years since we’ve been here. We have many good memories here and we\u2019re looking forward to the weekend.\n\u201cIt\u2019s an Olympic qualifying year and our goal is to win the World Series and qualify for the Olympics. We obviously had a slow start, but we bounced back really well in Dubai and Cape Town and we now sit third in the table. So we’ll be looking at keeping that momentum and flying here in Hamilton and putting on a good show for our fans.\u201d\nCape Town bronze medal winners USA lead Pool C and will face off against Uruguay, Ireland and Japan on day one.\nSouth Africa, Cup winners in Dubai in December, are joined by Argentina, Spain and Canada in Pool D.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nIn the women\u2019s competition, hosts and reigning Olympic champions New Zealand will face off against Great Britain, Fiji and invitational team Papua New Guinea in Pool A.\nNew Zealand women\u2019s captain Sarah Hirini said: \u201cIt’s awesome to be back here in Hamilton and obviously being an Olympic qualifying year we want to make sure that we’re in the top four and we’re qualified for Paris. But I think most importantly, just being able to play good footy and have a good time doing it.\n\u201cThere is great momentum for women\u2019s sport and we can’t really go anywhere without someone talking about the World Cup which is massively exciting for us and we want to continue that excitement for the sevens team as well.\u201d\nSeries title holders Australia, who will be looking to build on their incredible form in 2022 ahead of their home tournament in Sydney from 27-29 January, headline Pool B alongside France, Canada and Japan.\nPool C features USA, who have claimed a pair of bronze medals so far this season, along with Ireland, Brazil and Spain.\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nThe action begins at 09:10 local time (GMT+13) on Saturday, with all pool phase matches taking place on Saturday. The Cup quarter-finals get the action under way at 09:30 on Sunday, with the women\u2019s final at 19:26 and the men\u2019s final wrapping up the event at 19:56.\nHaving been on New Zealand\u2019s sporting calendar for more than two decades, this year the tournament will see the addition of a second playing field next to FMG Stadium Waikato to enable the full men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws to be played over two action-packed days of thrilling world class rugby sevens.\nRemaining tickets are available at\u00a0https://www.sevens.co.nz/tickets/.\nRugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, You Tube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.\nWHERE TO WATCH >>\nThe post HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returns to New Zealand appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-01-18T13:23:13+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-18T13:23:13+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HSBC-World-Rugby-Sevens-Series-2023.jpg", "tags": [ "HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023", "HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series", "World Rugby Sevens", "HSBC World Rugby Sevens", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9232", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/01/12/exciting-year-of-rugby-sevens-gets-underway-in-hamilton/", "title": "Exciting year of rugby sevens gets underway in Hamilton", "content_html": "

The first event of 2023 kicks off next weekend with the return of the HSBC New Zealand Sevens at FMG Stadium Waikato as the race to qualify for Paris 2024 heats up.

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After a short break for the holiday season, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues with the HSBC New Zealand Sevens on 21-22 January kicking off what will be a thrilling year for rugby sevens.

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Hamilton marks the fourth event in a busy 11-stop men\u2019s Series, with Samoa and South Africa currently tied atop the standings, closely followed by New Zealand and USA.

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In the women\u2019s competition, Hamilton marks the third stop on the 2023 Series with trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand tied at the top of the standings after winning titles in Dubai and Cape Town respectively. USA and France are leading the chase in the race for the top four.

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Having been on New Zealand\u2019s sporting calendar for more than two decades, this year the tournament will see the addition of a second playing field next to FMG Stadium Waikato to enable the full men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws to be played over two action-packed days.

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The men\u2019s pool draw for Hamilton sees Cape Town champions Samoa take their place in Pool A alongside Olympic champions Fiji, France and Kenya.

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Hosts New Zealand slot into Pool B alongside Great Britain, Hong Kong winners Australia and invitational team Tonga.

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Cape Town bronze medal winners USA lead Pool C and will face off against Uruguay, Ireland and Japan on day one.

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South Africa, Cup winners in Dubai in December, are joined by Argentina, Spain and Canada in Pool D.

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\u201cTeams will be looking to build towards Olympic qualification, so we have to hit the ground running on day one,\u201d All Blacks Sevens head coach Clark Laidlaw said.

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\u201cThe players can\u2019t wait to get out on the field at FMG Stadium Waikato and put on their best performance in front of a big home crowd one last time. We are looking forward to it.\u201d

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VIEW SERIES 2023 CALENDAR >>

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In the women\u2019s competition, hosts New Zealand will face off against Great Britain, Fiji and invitational team Papua New Guinea in Pool A.

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Australia, who will be looking to build on their incredible momentum in 2022 in Hamilton ahead of their home tournament in Sydney from 27-29 January, headline Pool B alongside France, Canada and Japan.

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Pool C features USA, Ireland, Brazil and Spain.

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\u201cTo be back playing in a World Series event on our whenua since 2020 is incredibly exciting. The team has been looking forward to competing on home turf, in front of their wh\u0101nau and fans. It\u2019s going to be a memorable weekend for all of us, especially the players who will be taking the field for the final time in Hamilton,\u201d Black Ferns Sevens head coach Cory Sweeney said.

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VIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

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VIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>

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World Rugby Chief Competitions and Performance Officer, Nigel Cass said: \u201cWe are excited to kick off what will be a thrilling year for rugby sevens at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton next weekend in front of a packed house of knowledgeable, enthusiastic and passionate rugby fans.

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\u201cWith Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification on the line this season for both men\u2019s and women’s competitions, we know the action will be fierce at FMG Stadium Waikato from the opening match on Saturday morning to the final whistle on Sunday evening.\u201d

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The weekend kicks off with South Africa against Canada in the men\u2019s competition on 21 January at 09:10 local time (GMT +13) in Pool D action. Day one concludes with the New Zealand and Great Britain encounter in the women\u2019s event at 20:03.

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Rugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, YouTube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.

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WHERE TO WATCH >>

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For all tournament tickets, please visit\u00a0www.sevens.co.nz

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The post Exciting year of rugby sevens gets underway in Hamilton appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "The first event of 2023 kicks off next weekend with the return of the HSBC New Zealand Sevens at FMG Stadium Waikato as the race to qualify for Paris 2024 heats up.\n\nHSBC New Zealand Sevens returns on 21-22 January\nBlack Ferns Sevens and All Blacks Sevens look to defend titles won on home soil dating back to last event held in 2020\nParis 2024 Olympic qualification at stake for the top four teams in the 2023 Series\nThe action begins at 09:10 local time (GMT+13) on Saturday, with the final match on Sunday at 19:56\n\nAfter a short break for the holiday season, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 continues with the HSBC New Zealand Sevens on 21-22 January kicking off what will be a thrilling year for rugby sevens.\nHamilton marks the fourth event in a busy 11-stop men\u2019s Series, with Samoa and South Africa currently tied atop the standings, closely followed by New Zealand and USA.\nIn the women\u2019s competition, Hamilton marks the third stop on the 2023 Series with trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand tied at the top of the standings after winning titles in Dubai and Cape Town respectively. USA and France are leading the chase in the race for the top four.\nHaving been on New Zealand\u2019s sporting calendar for more than two decades, this year the tournament will see the addition of a second playing field next to FMG Stadium Waikato to enable the full men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws to be played over two action-packed days.\nThe men\u2019s pool draw for Hamilton sees Cape Town champions Samoa take their place in Pool A alongside Olympic champions Fiji, France and Kenya.\nHosts New Zealand slot into Pool B alongside Great Britain, Hong Kong winners Australia and invitational team Tonga.\nCape Town bronze medal winners USA lead Pool C and will face off against Uruguay, Ireland and Japan on day one.\nSouth Africa, Cup winners in Dubai in December, are joined by Argentina, Spain and Canada in Pool D.\n\u201cTeams will be looking to build towards Olympic qualification, so we have to hit the ground running on day one,\u201d All Blacks Sevens head coach Clark Laidlaw said.\n\u201cThe players can\u2019t wait to get out on the field at FMG Stadium Waikato and put on their best performance in front of a big home crowd one last time. We are looking forward to it.\u201d\nVIEW SERIES 2023 CALENDAR >>\nIn the women\u2019s competition, hosts New Zealand will face off against Great Britain, Fiji and invitational team Papua New Guinea in Pool A.\nAustralia, who will be looking to build on their incredible momentum in 2022 in Hamilton ahead of their home tournament in Sydney from 27-29 January, headline Pool B alongside France, Canada and Japan.\nPool C features USA, Ireland, Brazil and Spain.\n\u201cTo be back playing in a World Series event on our whenua since 2020 is incredibly exciting. The team has been looking forward to competing on home turf, in front of their wh\u0101nau and fans. It\u2019s going to be a memorable weekend for all of us, especially the players who will be taking the field for the final time in Hamilton,\u201d Black Ferns Sevens head coach Cory Sweeney said.\nVIEW MEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nVIEW WOMEN\u2019S MATCH SCHEDULE >>\nWorld Rugby Chief Competitions and Performance Officer, Nigel Cass said: \u201cWe are excited to kick off what will be a thrilling year for rugby sevens at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton next weekend in front of a packed house of knowledgeable, enthusiastic and passionate rugby fans.\n\u201cWith Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification on the line this season for both men\u2019s and women’s competitions, we know the action will be fierce at FMG Stadium Waikato from the opening match on Saturday morning to the final whistle on Sunday evening.\u201d\nThe weekend kicks off with South Africa against Canada in the men\u2019s competition on 21 January at 09:10 local time (GMT +13) in Pool D action. Day one concludes with the New Zealand and Great Britain encounter in the women\u2019s event at 20:03.\nRugby sevens fans around the world can watch the action via live stream on World Rugby digital platforms including\u00a0www.world.rugby, YouTube and Facebook in countries where there is no national broadcaster covering the event.\nWHERE TO WATCH >>\nFor all tournament tickets, please visit\u00a0www.sevens.co.nz\nThe post Exciting year of rugby sevens gets underway in Hamilton appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-01-12T12:46:05+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-12T12:46:05+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Exciting-year-of-rugby-sevens-gets-underway-in-Hamilton.jpg", "tags": [ "All Blacks", "HSBC", "New Zealand Rugby", "HSBC New Zealand Sevens", "All Blacks 7s", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9202", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/01/08/asia-rugby-2023-calendar/", "title": "Back to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar", "content_html": "

Back to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar

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Asia Rugby published its full schedule for 2023 with over 22 international and regional events.\u00a0

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\u00a0

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In the year, Asia will host five major 7s events, along with three World Rugby Sevens Series legs.

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\nThe first half of the Asia Rugby Calendar is dedicated to fifteens rugby and kicks off with the Asia Rugby Division III West. The tournament was originally scheduled for 2022 but was postponed due to political instability in Iran. The one-off game between Iran and Qatar will now be played in the UAE on the 10th\u00a0of February 2023, with the winner promoted to the Division III Playoff tournament. The tournament gives the regional Division III union teams a pathway to the top tier of\u00a0the Asia Rugby Championship, thereby also giving all unions in Asia an opportunity for Rugby World Cup qualification.

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\u00a0

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The premier Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Championship will feature Hong Kong, Korea and Malaysia and will be played in June. The Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Division I and Divisions II are scheduled for May.

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\u00a0

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The Asia Rugby Women\u2019s Championship will be played in 2 tiers and constitutes a pathway to the long-awaited World Rugby WXV tournament. The top team Asia 1 will compete in WXV 2 and the runner-up in WXV 3.

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August will see the sevens season kick-off with Asia Rugby Sevens Series – Round 1 on the 19th and 20th of August,\u00a0 with all eyes on the pinnacle multiple-sports event in Asia the ASIAD. The rugby 7s event will feature 12 or 16 teams (ongoing discussion with the organizing committee), with all teams battling for treasured Asian Games silverware in Hangzhou China from 24th\u00a0September to 26th September. The second round of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series will be played on the 28th and 29th of October.\u00a0

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\u00a0The Asia Rugby Sevens Series will again feature the top 8 women\u2019s and men’s teams, the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy will give the balance of the Asian team to compete in October.

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\u00a0

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The fifth major sevens tournament hosted by Asia Rugby in 2023 will be the Asia Rugby Qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics as a stand-alone tournament for men and women.\u00a0

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\u00a0

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The Asia Rugby schedule also includes both sevens and fifteens tournaments for age-grade teams, including Asia Rugby U20s men’s and women’s Sevens in November and the Asia Rugby U18s Boys and Girls in September.

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Lastly, World Rugby\u2019s prestigious premier HSBC 7s World Series, showcasing the talents of the best 7s sides and athletes in the world, will stage three tournaments in Asia \u2013 the Dubai 7s, the Hong Kong 7s and the Singapore 7s.

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The World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 will feature two three-day combined men\u2019s and women\u2019s events taking place at\u00a0Markotter\u00a0Stadium in Stellenbosch, South Africa on 20-22 and 28-30 April 2023.

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\nAll Asia Rugby tournaments will be live-streamed in real-time and will be available free to air across the continent on Asia Rugby and its member unions\u2019 social media platforms.

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\u00a0

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Asia Rugby Youtube\u00a0
\nAsia Rugby FB

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Asia Rugby 2023 Calendar

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The post Back to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "Back to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar\n\nAfter pandemic disruptions, Asia Rugby set to return to full schedule\n5 major Sevens events slated for 2023\nFull Asia Rugby Women\u2019s XV returns, with the top tier featuring 4 teams\nRugby 7s to feature at Asian Games in September\nStandalone Asia Rugby Qualifier event for Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, scheduled for November\nRugby 7s age groups for under U18 and U20\u00a0continues from last year \n\nAsia Rugby published its full schedule for 2023 with over 22 international and regional events.\u00a0\n\u00a0\nIn the year, Asia will host five major 7s events, along with three World Rugby Sevens Series legs.\n\nThe first half of the Asia Rugby Calendar is dedicated to fifteens rugby and kicks off with the Asia Rugby Division III West. The tournament was originally scheduled for 2022 but was postponed due to political instability in Iran. The one-off game between Iran and Qatar will now be played in the UAE on the 10th\u00a0of February 2023, with the winner promoted to the Division III Playoff tournament. The tournament gives the regional Division III union teams a pathway to the top tier of\u00a0the Asia Rugby Championship, thereby also giving all unions in Asia an opportunity for Rugby World Cup qualification.\n\n\u00a0\nThe premier Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Championship will feature Hong Kong, Korea and Malaysia and will be played in June. The Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Division I and Divisions II are scheduled for May.\n\u00a0\nThe Asia Rugby Women\u2019s Championship will be played in 2 tiers and constitutes a pathway to the long-awaited World Rugby WXV tournament. The top team Asia 1 will compete in WXV 2 and the runner-up in WXV 3.\nAugust will see the sevens season kick-off with Asia Rugby Sevens Series – Round 1 on the 19th and 20th of August,\u00a0 with all eyes on the pinnacle multiple-sports event in Asia the ASIAD. The rugby 7s event will feature 12 or 16 teams (ongoing discussion with the organizing committee), with all teams battling for treasured Asian Games silverware in Hangzhou China from 24th\u00a0September to 26th September. The second round of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series will be played on the 28th and 29th of October.\u00a0\n\u00a0The Asia Rugby Sevens Series will again feature the top 8 women\u2019s and men’s teams, the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy will give the balance of the Asian team to compete in October.\n\n\u00a0\nThe fifth major sevens tournament hosted by Asia Rugby in 2023 will be the Asia Rugby Qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics as a stand-alone tournament for men and women.\u00a0\n\u00a0\nThe Asia Rugby schedule also includes both sevens and fifteens tournaments for age-grade teams, including Asia Rugby U20s men’s and women’s Sevens in November and the Asia Rugby U18s Boys and Girls in September.\nLastly, World Rugby\u2019s prestigious premier HSBC 7s World Series, showcasing the talents of the best 7s sides and athletes in the world, will stage three tournaments in Asia \u2013 the Dubai 7s, the Hong Kong 7s and the Singapore 7s.\nThe World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 will feature two three-day combined men\u2019s and women\u2019s events taking place at\u00a0Markotter\u00a0Stadium in Stellenbosch, South Africa on 20-22 and 28-30 April 2023.\n\nAll Asia Rugby tournaments will be live-streamed in real-time and will be available free to air across the continent on Asia Rugby and its member unions\u2019 social media platforms.\n\u00a0\nAsia Rugby Youtube\u00a0\nAsia Rugby FB\nAsia Rugby 2023 Calendar\n\nThe post Back to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-01-08T17:16:59+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-08T17:17:36+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Calander-2023.jpg", "tags": [ "Asian Games", "AR7s", "ARC", "Dubai 7s", "Singapore 7s", "Rugby World Cup", "#ARW7s", "Featured", "Olympics", "Sevens Challenger Series", "Asia Rugby Championship", "Asia Rugby Sevens Series", "Singapore Rugby Sevens", "Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9214", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2023/01/08/lesley-mckenzie-excited-to-help-japan-realise-potential-on-road-to-rugby-world-cup-2025/", "title": "Lesley Mckenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025", "content_html": "

We caught up with the Sakura 15s coach, who signed a contract extension with the Japan Rugby Football Union last month.

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Lesley McKenzie is motivated to put the lessons of 2022 into practice this year having extended her contract as Japan women’s coach.

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Reflecting on last month\u2019s announcement that she will lead the Sakura 15s until at least the end of March 2024, McKenzie told World Rugby that \u201cit wouldn\u2019t have felt like the right time to finish\u201d following\u00a0Rugby World Cup 2021.

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Japan went into that tournament on the back of an impressive five months in which they beat Fiji, Australia, South Africa and Ireland.

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They were unable to maintain that form in New Zealand, though, exiting the tournament at the pool phase following defeats to Canada, USA and Italy.

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\u201cThe job I’ve done is a good job but obviously, none of us feel satisfied with the games that we put on the table in the World Cup,\u201d McKenzie said. \u201cWe wanted to win some of our pool games, and we didn’t get that.

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\u201cWe did get a really good education around why we weren’t able to win those and where we need to get to next and I think that’s what is giving me a bit of momentum towards the next cycle [to Rugby World Cup 2025].

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\u201cIt’s a really short cycle, it’s only two and a half years essentially, so it’s more of a sprint than anything else.

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\u201cAnd, it would have felt premature to say that I had done a job with this team, even though I am really proud of some of the things that we have done in the meantime.\u201d

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Older and wiser

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Having represented Canada at two Rugby World Cups as a player, RWC 2021 was McKenzie\u2019s first as a coach and she admits it was not only her players who will take learnings from their time in New Zealand.

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\u201cGenuinely I’ve joked about it,\u201d she added. \u201cThe joke is, I feel like a sadder, older, wiser person and I am all of those things but I’m also, you know, in a really good way.

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\u201cIt was a massive learning for me and to be at the World Cup not as a player, but to be responsible for guiding those experiences of my players and my staff and management was a really great experience for me.

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\u201cI mean, it’s clearly irreplaceable by any other form of education, and I’m really happy that I\u2019ve done that.\u201d

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On returning to Japan from New Zealand, McKenzie let her players have a month\u2019s break so they could decompress following what was an intense campaign.

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Now that the review process has started, she is more confident than ever in the potential that is contained within Japanese rugby.

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\u201cThat is certainly going to be a big part of my message,\u201d McKenzie said.

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\u201cThis puts them in really good stead to have a really good go at [RWC 2025] because we\u2019ve got so much that we can achieve or that we can add before the next one.\u201d

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Quarter-final goal

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In the statement to announce McKenzie\u2019s new contract, Japan Rugby Football Union National Team Director Yoshiyuki Miyazaki stated it was the body\u2019s goal to reach the quarter-finals of the expanded RWC 2025 in England.

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McKenzie acknowledges the target adds a certain amount of pressure to her role, but insists it is a challenge she believes she can rise to.

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\u201cOf course, it\u2019s a pressure on me, but it’s also achievable,\u201d she said. \u201cThat’s going to be a significant and legitimate pressure on every coach that goes to the next World Cup, because we see so many teams that are now centralising contracts, that are going full-time in whatever guise that is for their programme.

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\u201cIt’s not somewhere that Japan is at yet and so, what I said, it’s back to the races, it really is because we’ve evolved significantly to get to this point and to have some of the results that we had in 2022.

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\u201cBut at the same time, no one’s standing still and so we’ve got to really double down on how we approach and how rapidly we can shift into the next gear.\u201d

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As she looks ahead to a potentially pivotal year for her young squad on the road to England, it is a task McKenzie is \u201chugely excited\u201d to take on.

\n

\u201cWe\u2019re stepping from something solid now and there\u2019s so much clearer understanding amongst the squad,\u201d she said.

\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to take much of the current team into the next cycle and that’s thrilling because it’s not something that Japan’s ever [been able] to use to springboard from. That\u2019s an awareness we\u2019ve never worked with before.

\n

\u201cSo, the job for me is going to be raising that awareness and then shifting that onto their shoulders really effectively.

\n

\u201cI think the exciting thing for me as the head coach is that the programme itself, the focus of the programme, has to shift from where we were doing a lot of learning and growing and getting some understanding the last few years; now we’ve got to have a whole different approach.

\n

\u201cWhat really excites me in the next cycle for a head coach is that I’m going to change the way I deliver.

\n

\u201cI’ve got to change the way they see themselves or how we set them up to take leadership, to take accountability and if we can’t do that, then we’ll fail. But if we can do that, that’s a big step forward for us.\u201d

\n

The post Lesley Mckenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025 appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "We caught up with the Sakura 15s coach, who signed a contract extension with the Japan Rugby Football Union last month.\nLesley McKenzie is motivated to put the lessons of 2022 into practice this year having extended her contract as Japan women’s coach.\nReflecting on last month\u2019s announcement that she will lead the Sakura 15s until at least the end of March 2024, McKenzie told World Rugby that \u201cit wouldn\u2019t have felt like the right time to finish\u201d following\u00a0Rugby World Cup 2021.\nJapan went into that tournament on the back of an impressive five months in which they beat Fiji, Australia, South Africa and Ireland.\nThey were unable to maintain that form in New Zealand, though, exiting the tournament at the pool phase following defeats to Canada, USA and Italy.\n\u201cThe job I’ve done is a good job but obviously, none of us feel satisfied with the games that we put on the table in the World Cup,\u201d McKenzie said. \u201cWe wanted to win some of our pool games, and we didn’t get that.\n\u201cWe did get a really good education around why we weren’t able to win those and where we need to get to next and I think that’s what is giving me a bit of momentum towards the next cycle [to Rugby World Cup 2025].\n\u201cIt’s a really short cycle, it’s only two and a half years essentially, so it’s more of a sprint than anything else.\n\u201cAnd, it would have felt premature to say that I had done a job with this team, even though I am really proud of some of the things that we have done in the meantime.\u201d\n\nU20 Trophy: The story so far\nWorld Rugby looks to enhance the flow of the game with law application guidelines\n\nOlder and wiser\nHaving represented Canada at two Rugby World Cups as a player, RWC 2021 was McKenzie\u2019s first as a coach and she admits it was not only her players who will take learnings from their time in New Zealand.\n\u201cGenuinely I’ve joked about it,\u201d she added. \u201cThe joke is, I feel like a sadder, older, wiser person and I am all of those things but I’m also, you know, in a really good way.\n\u201cIt was a massive learning for me and to be at the World Cup not as a player, but to be responsible for guiding those experiences of my players and my staff and management was a really great experience for me.\n\u201cI mean, it’s clearly irreplaceable by any other form of education, and I’m really happy that I\u2019ve done that.\u201d\nOn returning to Japan from New Zealand, McKenzie let her players have a month\u2019s break so they could decompress following what was an intense campaign.\nNow that the review process has started, she is more confident than ever in the potential that is contained within Japanese rugby.\n\u201cThat is certainly going to be a big part of my message,\u201d McKenzie said.\n\u201cThis puts them in really good stead to have a really good go at [RWC 2025] because we\u2019ve got so much that we can achieve or that we can add before the next one.\u201d\nQuarter-final goal\nIn the statement to announce McKenzie\u2019s new contract, Japan Rugby Football Union National Team Director Yoshiyuki Miyazaki stated it was the body\u2019s goal to reach the quarter-finals of the expanded RWC 2025 in England.\nMcKenzie acknowledges the target adds a certain amount of pressure to her role, but insists it is a challenge she believes she can rise to.\n\u201cOf course, it\u2019s a pressure on me, but it’s also achievable,\u201d she said. \u201cThat’s going to be a significant and legitimate pressure on every coach that goes to the next World Cup, because we see so many teams that are now centralising contracts, that are going full-time in whatever guise that is for their programme.\n\u201cIt’s not somewhere that Japan is at yet and so, what I said, it’s back to the races, it really is because we’ve evolved significantly to get to this point and to have some of the results that we had in 2022.\n\u201cBut at the same time, no one’s standing still and so we’ve got to really double down on how we approach and how rapidly we can shift into the next gear.\u201d\nAs she looks ahead to a potentially pivotal year for her young squad on the road to England, it is a task McKenzie is \u201chugely excited\u201d to take on.\n\u201cWe\u2019re stepping from something solid now and there\u2019s so much clearer understanding amongst the squad,\u201d she said.\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to take much of the current team into the next cycle and that’s thrilling because it’s not something that Japan’s ever [been able] to use to springboard from. That\u2019s an awareness we\u2019ve never worked with before.\n\u201cSo, the job for me is going to be raising that awareness and then shifting that onto their shoulders really effectively.\n\u201cI think the exciting thing for me as the head coach is that the programme itself, the focus of the programme, has to shift from where we were doing a lot of learning and growing and getting some understanding the last few years; now we’ve got to have a whole different approach.\n\u201cWhat really excites me in the next cycle for a head coach is that I’m going to change the way I deliver.\n\u201cI’ve got to change the way they see themselves or how we set them up to take leadership, to take accountability and if we can’t do that, then we’ll fail. But if we can do that, that’s a big step forward for us.\u201d\nThe post Lesley Mckenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025 appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2023-01-08T13:43:41+08:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-08T13:43:41+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Lesley-McKenzie.jpg", "tags": [ "Rugby World Cup 2021", "Japan Rugby", "Rugby Football Union", "Lesley McKenzie", "Featured", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://www.asiarugby.com/?p=9199", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/2022/12/24/u20-trophy-the-story-so-far/", "title": "U20 Trophy: The story so far", "content_html": "

With the World Rugby U20 Trophy finally returning in 2023 after a three-year absence, we take a stroll down memory lane to look back at the 12 previous editions of the influential age-grade competition.

\n

There is no better example of the success of the World Rugby U20 Trophy as a vehicle to prepare players for the highest level of the game than the Portugal team that qualified for\u00a0Rugby World Cup 2023\u00a0in Dubai a month ago.

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Four players who started\u00a0the 16-16 draw with the USA\u00a0in the decisive match of the Final Qualification Tournament featured in the final of the last edition of the U20 Trophy in Brazil, a heart-breaking 35-34 defeat to Japan in 2019.

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And in addition to Jose Madeira, Jeronimo Portela, Rodrigo Marta and the star and top try-scorer of the 2019 tournament , Raffaele Storti, four other members of the XV came up through the U20s system but at an earlier date, including captain and inspiration Tomas Appleton.

\n

Portugal are not the exception though, the make-up of the squads at Rugby World Cup 2019 highlighted just how important the U20s pathway is in terms of developing future stars of the game.

\n

While there were 218 players in Japan who\u2019d experienced playing in the top-level U20 Championship, a further 83 had come up through the ranks via the U20 Trophy, age-grade international rugby\u2019s second-tier competition.

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Georgia\u2019s Otari Giorgadze, Beka Gorgadze, Giorgi Kveseladze and Giorgi Melikidze, for example, were members of the Junior Lelos team that lifted the U20 Trophy in 2015, while centre Lasha Khmaladze shares the record as the competition\u2019s most-capped player with Uruguay\u2019s Diego Magno (82 caps).

\n
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World Rugby U20 Trophy 2019 – Japan U20 v Portugal U20 https://t.co/PMRjCHDuSh

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\u2014 World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 21, 2019

\n

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The U20 Trophy has produced many memorable moments as well as players, but it would be hard to top the 2019 final in S\u00e3o Jose dos Campos.

\n

In a free-flowing match unrecognisable from the weather-affected final played between these two teams in Montevideo in 2017, Japan once again came out on top to secure promotion back to the World Rugby U20 Championship \u2013 but not before Portugal gave them the mightiest of scares.

\n

Japan raced into a 14-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes, but Portugal showed great resolve and no little skill to fight their way back into the contest at the Estadio Martins Pereira.

\n

From the 36th to the 76th minute, the Portuguese were ahead on the scoreboard despite being second-best at scrum time throughout, but a try from full-back Ryosuke Kawase and the all-important conversion from Ryuto Fukuyama denied them a place in the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time.

\n

It was the third time Japan have won age-grade international rugby\u2019s second-tier competition, following on from their successes in 2014 and 2017, with promotion achieved to the U20 Championship on each occasion.

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Here is our tournament-by-tournament guide to the U20 Trophy.

\n

U20 TROPHY 2008
\nHOST: CHILE
\nWINNER: URUGUAY
\nRUNNER-UP: CHILE

\n

Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 877
\nTries: 126

\n

Top points scorer: Goderdzi Joglidze (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a050
\nTop try scorer: Kim Hyun Soo (KOR)\u00a0\u2013\u00a07

\n

A Los Teritos team containing a test captain in the making in Juan Manuel Gaminara, and other future stars such as Diego Magno and Jeronimo Etcheverry, broke the hearts of the partisan 7,000 crowd in attendance at the\u00a0Stade Fran\u00e7ais Club in Santiago with a stirring come-from-behind win against hosts Chile.

\n

A final between the two unbeaten sides from the pool stages looked to be heading the way of the home side when they raced into an 8-0 lead, but Los Teritos replied with 20 unanswered points, scoring tries through Magno and fly-half Germ\u00e1n Albanell, to take the inaugural title. The absence of a semi-final stage meant the pool runners-up went into a straight shootout for the bronze, Georgia winning an all-east European affair with Romania, 34-10

\n

U20 TROPHY 2009
\nHOST: KENYA
\nWINNER: ROMANIA
\nRUNNER-UP: USA

\n

Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 1049
\nTries: 152

\n

Top points scorer: Stefan Patrascu (ROM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a061
\nTop try scorer: Ionut Puisoru (ROM) / Thomas Claps (CHI) / Sung Kun Cha (KOR) / Collins Omae\u00a0\u2013\u00a05

\n

Like the inaugural final, the eventual winners had to come from behind with Romania overhauling a 13-3 interval deficit against the USA.

\n

Barry Sheehan\u2019s yellow card on the stroke of half-time proved costly as Romania scored through Adrian Apostol within four minutes of the re-start before Marian Pirvu and Stefan Patrascu added their names to the scoresheet late on.

\n

With the U20 Championship being cut from 16 teams to 12 in 2010, champions Romania missed out on promotion. Maintaining their form from the year before, Chile claimed the bronze medal with a 19-17 win over the hosts Kenya.

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U20 TROPHY 2010
\nHOST: RUSSIA
\nWINNER: ITALY
\nRUNNER-UP: JAPAN

\n

Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 703
\nTries: 83

\n

Top points scorer: Alberto Chillon (ITA) – 51
\nTop try scorer: Takaaki Nakazuru (JPN) – 4

\n

Despite being guaranteed a return to the top-tier U20 Championship in 2011 as hosts of World Rugby\u2019s premier age grade tournament, Italy were determined to take their place among the elite in their own right as U20 Trophy 2010 champions.

\n

Kicking off with comfortable wins against Papua New Guinea (74-0) and defending champions Romania (30-7) in Pool A of what was a hugely competitive tournament with Japan, Canada and Uruguay also having played at a higher level the year before, the Azzurrini then beat Uruguay thanks to a last-gasp penalty try.

\n

Pool B winners Japan lay in wait but an early try from dashing centre Tommaso Benvenuti calmed any nerves the young Italians may have had, and Antonio Denti, Michele Mortali and Gabriele Cicchinelli confirmed their dominance against the gallant Japanese, who scored a late consolation try through Mao Enoki. Denis Kukishev\u2019s penalty, 12 minutes into extra time, saw Russia claim the bronze medal at Romania\u2019s expense.

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U20 TROPHY 2011
\nHOST: GEORGIA
\nWINNER: SAMOA
\nRUNNER-UP: JAPAN

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 879
\nTries: 115

\n

Top points scorer: Bakhva Kobakhidze (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a052
\nTop try scorer: Robert Lilomaiava (SAM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a09

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The 2011 final followed the same pattern as the first two tournaments with Samoa trailing Japan 17-0 before finally showing the sort of form that had seen them sweep Uruguay, USA and Russia aside in topping Pool A with a perfect record.

\n

Tries from wing Masakatasu Hikosaka and hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka put Japan on the front foot, but in typical Samoan fashion, they struck back with dangerous broken-field play leading to tries from Jordan Taufua, Robert Lilomaiava and Faavae Faavaeand a 19-17 half-time lead.

\n

Wing Viliamu Alauni dotted the ball down to make it 24-17 to the Samoans, but back came Japan with prop Mao Enoki\u2019s second try in as many finals levelling the scores. Then, with the match heading into extra time, full-back Peter Schuster scored at the death to win it for the Islanders. Georgia outscored Uruguay two tries to nil to win the third place play-off, 20-15.

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U20 TROPHY 2012
\nHOST: USA
\nWINNER: USA
\nRUNNER-UP: JAPAN

\n

Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 1015
\nTries: 144

\n

Top point scorer: Madison Hughes (USA) – 72
\nTop try scorer: Hosea Saumaki (TGA) – 7

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USA became the first host nation to win the Junior World Rugby Trophy on home soil after a thrilling victory over Japan in Utah.

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The JWRT 2012 final was typical of the nail-biting drama evident throughout a tournament that did much to boost rugby\u2019s appeal in the US. In an epic match that saw 10 tries shared equally and the lead change hands seven times, USA withstood one last onslaught from the Brave Blossoms to cling on for a 37-33 win in front of a sell-out crowd.

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Having lost the two previous finals it was a case of more disappointment for Japan who were christened the \u2018Cardiac Kids\u2019 because of their involvement in a series of heart-stopping pool matches, and the final was no different.

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Having fought their way back from a 14-point deficit in the first half, the match was ultimately won by wing Noah Tarrant\u2019s hat-trick try in the 76th minute and the determined defensive rearguard that followed. Madison Hughes kicked 12 points in the match to take his overall tournament tally to 72 points, which is still a tournament record to this day.

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Manase Folau\u2019s late try saw Tonga deny Georgia 31-29 in an equally thrilling third place play-off.

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U20 TROPHY 2013
\nHOST: CHILE
\nWINNER: ITALY
\nRUNNER-UP: CANADA

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 840
\nTries: 112

\n

Top point scorer: Shane O’Leary (CAN)\u00a0\u2013\u00a045
\nTop try scorer: Kai Ishii (JPN)\u00a0\u2013\u00a08

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For the second time in five years the U20 Trophy was held in Chile but this time it was Italy not Uruguay who came out on top.

\n

Italy secured an immediate return to the IRB Junior World Championship after overcoming Canada 45-23 in the final in Temuco.

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The Azzurrini, who were relegated to the second tier after losing 19-17 to Fiji in the relegation play-off at JWC 2012, won all four of their matches in Chile to ensure their place among the world\u2019s elite Under 20 teams in New Zealand next year.

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Having safely negotiated their way through the pool stages, Italy made their intentions clear from the start of the final at the Estadio Germ\u00e1n Becker with Marcello Violi crossing in the opening minute.

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But, despite leading only 10-6 at half-time, Italy took advantage when Canada had two players sin-binned in the second half, scoring five tries, including a second by Violi, to run out impressive winners.

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Chile made it onto podium, as they did in 2008, after beating Japan 38-35 to claim the bronze medal.

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U20 TROPHY 2014
\nHOST: HONG KONG
\nWINNER: JAPAN
\nRUNNER-UP: TONGA

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 761
\nTries: 82

\n

Top point scorer: Revaz Jinchvelashvili (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a063
\nTop try scorer: Vakhtang Amiranashvili (GEO) / German Kessler (URU)\u00a0\u2013\u00a04

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Having fallen at the final hurdle on three occasions from 2010 to 2012, Japan were determined to finally lift the Trophy but they began with a defeat to Uruguay.

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However, they bounced back brilliantly, winning the rest of their matches including victory over first-time finalists Tonga.

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After a tight first half in which Japan led 10-3, second-half tries from Shunta Nakamura, Shuhei Narita and Takayuki Watanabe confirmed the win for the Asian team and promotion to the U20 Championship.

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The third place play-off was a battle of the Americas between two former Trophy champions. It went right down to the wire with the USA holding on to beat ill-disciplined Uruguay, who finished the game down to 12 men, 26-25.

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U20 TROPHY 2015
\nHOST: PORTUGAL
\nWINNER: GEORGIA
\nRUNNER-UP: CANADA

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 862
\nTries: 114

\n

Top point scorer: Revaz Jinchvelashvili (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a051
\nTop try scorer: Christo van der Merwe (NAM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a05

\n

Georgian reaffirmed their status as a growing power in world rugby with a maiden U20 Trophy title. For many in the Junior Lelos\u2019 ranks the win in the final over Canada marked the start of something special, especially scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze who, just four months later, would go on to become the youngest played to appear at a Rugby World Cup, aged just 18 years and 340 days.

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Canada went into the game at the Estadio Universitario with a settled team showing only one change from the starting XV that had beaten Tonga to reach a second Trophy final in three years. But the Canadians were second-best for large periods of the game against a Georgian outfit that demonstrated their ability to be clinical in the tight as well as the loose.

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Tries before the break tries for Mikheili Babunashvili, Giorgi Melikidze, Badri Liparteliani and Tornike Zoidze were followed by three more in the second-half, scored by Anzor Sichinava, Giorgi Kveseladze, Revazi Jintchvelashvili.

\n

Canada captain Lucas Rumball served notice of the ability that has seen him earmarked as one to watch at this year\u2019s Rugby World Cup with a try on the stroke of half-time, while fellow loose forward, Luke Bradley, grabbed a brace.

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Tonga and Uruguay served up a feast of tries in a third place play-off that ended in a 44-43 win for the South Americans.

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U20 TROPHY 2016
\nHOST: ZIMBABWE
\nWINNER: SAMOA
\nRUNNER-UP: SPAIN

\n

Tournament statistics*
\nPoints: 1054
\nTries: 141

\n

Top point scorer: Hanco Germishuys (USA)\u00a0\u2013\u00a048
\nTop try scorer: Hanco Germishuys (USA)\u00a0\u2013\u00a08

\n

Played under trialled scoring laws with six points awarded for a try, the 2016 edition of the U20 Trophy was a feast of running rugby. A then tournament record 1,054 points were scored with 70 of them coming in a classic final between Samoa and Spain that was won in the fifth minute of extra-time thanks to a try from replacement Tivoli Masaga.

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Even for a tournament where entertainment had been the order of the day throughout, few people would have predicted that the final would have been quite so dramatic. Leading by eight points with nine minutes left to go, Spain threatened to cause an upset against the side relegated from the U20 Championship in 2015. However, number eight Elia Elia\u2019s hat-trick try handed Samoa a lifeline which they gratefully accepted when Masaga crossed in the corner. Despite his treble, Elia missed out on the top try scorer award to another number eight, USA\u2019s Hanco Germishuys.

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In the third place play-off, five first-half tries meant the bronze medal was Fiji\u2019s long before Namibia staged a second-half fight-back.

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U20 TROPHY 2017
\nHOST: URUGUAY
\nWINNER: JAPAN
\nRUNNER-UP: PORTUGAL

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 727
\nTries: 101

\n

Top point scorer: Alejo Piazza (URU)\u00a0\u2013\u00a040
\nTop try scorer:\u00a0 Faulua Makisi (JPN)\u00a0\u2013\u00a06

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Not even the torrential rain could dampen Japan\u2019s enthusiasm as they celebrated a return to the World Rugby U20 Championship at the first attempt following a 14-3 victory over valiant Portugal in a truncated U20 Trophy final.

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With large pools of surface water on the Estadio Charrua pitch worsening all the time and thunderstorms rolling in, the decision was taken by referee Francisco Gonzalez to abandon play with 15 minutes to go. Japan led 14-3 at the time and were declared the winners.

\n

Understandably, the tactics of both teams were clear from the start \u2013 kick for territory and hope for a mistake \u2013 and Japan\u2019s first try from Faulua Makisi, his sixth of the tournament, came from a charged down clearance kick.

\n

Conceding a scrum penalty try seven minutes into the second half ultimately sealed Porttugal\u2019s fate.

\n

Hosts Uruguay managed a repeat of the bronze medal they won in Lisbon two years earlier with a relatively comfortable victory over Namibia in the penultimate game of the day.

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U20 TROPHY 2018
\nHOST: ROMANIA
\nWINNER: FIJI
\nRUNNER-UP: SAMOA

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 1164
\nTries: 166

\n

Top point scorer: Denzo Bruwer (NAM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a059
\nTop try scorer: Manuel Ardao (URU)\u00a0\u2013\u00a06

\n

Fiji celebrated a return to the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time since 2014 in typically flamboyant fashion.

\n

Inspired by full-back Nabetelevu Turaganivalu and centres Vilimoni Botitu and Ilikena Vudogo, Fiji were irrepressible in attack as they ruthlessly capitalised on basic Samoan errors, of which there were many, to put the two-time champions to the sword, scoring nine tries in a 58-8 win.

\n

Samoa\u2019s lack of patience in attack and high turnover rate hurt them badly and Fiji could even afford to lose a man to the sin-bin in each half as they recorded the biggest win in the history of U20 Trophy finals.

\n

In a match of 16 tries, Manuel Pinto, Nuno Mascarenhas and Duarte Campos each bagged a brace as Portugal maintained their form from the year before to beat Namibia 67-36 and win the bronze medal.

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U20 TROPHY 2019
\nHOST: BRAZIL
\nWINNER: JAPAN
\nRUNNER-UP: PORTUGAL

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Tournament statistics
\nPoints: 1,106
\nTries: 159

\n

Top point scorer: Will Percillier (Canada)\u00a0\u2013\u00a065
\nTop try scorer: Raffaele Storti (Portugal)\u00a0\u2013\u00a09

\n

When Japan scored a promotion-clinching try with two minutes to go in the final against Portugal, it brought the curtain down on a final day of high drama at the Estadio Martins Pereira.

\n

Their 35-34 victory, in what was a re-run of the 2017 showpiece, was the third consecutive match to be decided by three points or less. In addition to the Japan v Portugal thriller, arguably the best U20 Trophy final of all time, Brazil\u2019s seventh-place play-off with Hong Kong went to sudden-death extra-time, the hosts winning their first match at this level thanks to a drop goal, while Tonga\u2019s play-off for bronze with Uruguay would have gone beyond the 80 minutes had Los Teritos kicker Matias D\u2019Avanzo not struck the upright with an all-important conversion.

\n

Japan\u2019s success ensured captain and back-row Shota Fukui created a piece of U20 Trophy history. Fukui, then a winger, was part of the 2017-winning side and becomes the first player to win the title twice \u2013 and in very different positions, too!

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Portugal may have lost out on a maiden U20 Trophy title, but they unearthed a player with a very bright future in 18-year-old winger Raffaele Storti. A brace of tries in the final took the speedster\u2019s tally to nine, equalling the record for a single U20 Trophy tournament set by Samoa\u2019s Robert Lilomaiava in 2011.

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*\u00a0Law trials with points (T=6, PT=8, C/PG/DG=2)

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The post U20 Trophy: The story so far appeared first on Asia Rugby.

\n", "content_text": "With the World Rugby U20 Trophy finally returning in 2023 after a three-year absence, we take a stroll down memory lane to look back at the 12 previous editions of the influential age-grade competition.\nThere is no better example of the success of the World Rugby U20 Trophy as a vehicle to prepare players for the highest level of the game than the Portugal team that qualified for\u00a0Rugby World Cup 2023\u00a0in Dubai a month ago.\nFour players who started\u00a0the 16-16 draw with the USA\u00a0in the decisive match of the Final Qualification Tournament featured in the final of the last edition of the U20 Trophy in Brazil, a heart-breaking 35-34 defeat to Japan in 2019.\nAnd in addition to Jose Madeira, Jeronimo Portela, Rodrigo Marta and the star and top try-scorer of the 2019 tournament , Raffaele Storti, four other members of the XV came up through the U20s system but at an earlier date, including captain and inspiration Tomas Appleton.\nPortugal are not the exception though, the make-up of the squads at Rugby World Cup 2019 highlighted just how important the U20s pathway is in terms of developing future stars of the game.\nWhile there were 218 players in Japan who\u2019d experienced playing in the top-level U20 Championship, a further 83 had come up through the ranks via the U20 Trophy, age-grade international rugby\u2019s second-tier competition.\nGeorgia\u2019s Otari Giorgadze, Beka Gorgadze, Giorgi Kveseladze and Giorgi Melikidze, for example, were members of the Junior Lelos team that lifted the U20 Trophy in 2015, while centre Lasha Khmaladze shares the record as the competition\u2019s most-capped player with Uruguay\u2019s Diego Magno (82 caps).\n\nWorld Rugby U20 Trophy 2019 – Japan U20 v Portugal U20 https://t.co/PMRjCHDuSh\n\u2014 World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 21, 2019\n\nThe U20 Trophy has produced many memorable moments as well as players, but it would be hard to top the 2019 final in S\u00e3o Jose dos Campos.\nIn a free-flowing match unrecognisable from the weather-affected final played between these two teams in Montevideo in 2017, Japan once again came out on top to secure promotion back to the World Rugby U20 Championship \u2013 but not before Portugal gave them the mightiest of scares.\nJapan raced into a 14-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes, but Portugal showed great resolve and no little skill to fight their way back into the contest at the Estadio Martins Pereira.\nFrom the 36th to the 76th minute, the Portuguese were ahead on the scoreboard despite being second-best at scrum time throughout, but a try from full-back Ryosuke Kawase and the all-important conversion from Ryuto Fukuyama denied them a place in the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time.\nIt was the third time Japan have won age-grade international rugby\u2019s second-tier competition, following on from their successes in 2014 and 2017, with promotion achieved to the U20 Championship on each occasion.\nHere is our tournament-by-tournament guide to the U20 Trophy.\nU20 TROPHY 2008\nHOST: CHILE\nWINNER: URUGUAY\nRUNNER-UP: CHILE\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 877\nTries: 126\nTop points scorer: Goderdzi Joglidze (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a050\nTop try scorer: Kim Hyun Soo (KOR)\u00a0\u2013\u00a07\nA Los Teritos team containing a test captain in the making in Juan Manuel Gaminara, and other future stars such as Diego Magno and Jeronimo Etcheverry, broke the hearts of the partisan 7,000 crowd in attendance at the\u00a0Stade Fran\u00e7ais Club in Santiago with a stirring come-from-behind win against hosts Chile.\nA final between the two unbeaten sides from the pool stages looked to be heading the way of the home side when they raced into an 8-0 lead, but Los Teritos replied with 20 unanswered points, scoring tries through Magno and fly-half Germ\u00e1n Albanell, to take the inaugural title. The absence of a semi-final stage meant the pool runners-up went into a straight shootout for the bronze, Georgia winning an all-east European affair with Romania, 34-10\nU20 TROPHY 2009\nHOST: KENYA\nWINNER: ROMANIA\nRUNNER-UP: USA\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 1049\nTries: 152\nTop points scorer: Stefan Patrascu (ROM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a061\nTop try scorer: Ionut Puisoru (ROM) / Thomas Claps (CHI) / Sung Kun Cha (KOR) / Collins Omae\u00a0\u2013\u00a05\nLike the inaugural final, the eventual winners had to come from behind with Romania overhauling a 13-3 interval deficit against the USA.\nBarry Sheehan\u2019s yellow card on the stroke of half-time proved costly as Romania scored through Adrian Apostol within four minutes of the re-start before Marian Pirvu and Stefan Patrascu added their names to the scoresheet late on.\nWith the U20 Championship being cut from 16 teams to 12 in 2010, champions Romania missed out on promotion. Maintaining their form from the year before, Chile claimed the bronze medal with a 19-17 win over the hosts Kenya.\nU20 TROPHY 2010\nHOST: RUSSIA\nWINNER: ITALY\nRUNNER-UP: JAPAN\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 703\nTries: 83\nTop points scorer: Alberto Chillon (ITA) – 51\nTop try scorer: Takaaki Nakazuru (JPN) – 4\nDespite being guaranteed a return to the top-tier U20 Championship in 2011 as hosts of World Rugby\u2019s premier age grade tournament, Italy were determined to take their place among the elite in their own right as U20 Trophy 2010 champions.\nKicking off with comfortable wins against Papua New Guinea (74-0) and defending champions Romania (30-7) in Pool A of what was a hugely competitive tournament with Japan, Canada and Uruguay also having played at a higher level the year before, the Azzurrini then beat Uruguay thanks to a last-gasp penalty try.\nPool B winners Japan lay in wait but an early try from dashing centre Tommaso Benvenuti calmed any nerves the young Italians may have had, and Antonio Denti, Michele Mortali and Gabriele Cicchinelli confirmed their dominance against the gallant Japanese, who scored a late consolation try through Mao Enoki. Denis Kukishev\u2019s penalty, 12 minutes into extra time, saw Russia claim the bronze medal at Romania\u2019s expense.\nU20 TROPHY 2011\nHOST: GEORGIA\nWINNER: SAMOA\nRUNNER-UP: JAPAN\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 879\nTries: 115\nTop points scorer: Bakhva Kobakhidze (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a052\nTop try scorer: Robert Lilomaiava (SAM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a09\nThe 2011 final followed the same pattern as the first two tournaments with Samoa trailing Japan 17-0 before finally showing the sort of form that had seen them sweep Uruguay, USA and Russia aside in topping Pool A with a perfect record.\nTries from wing Masakatasu Hikosaka and hooker Yoshikatsu Hikosaka put Japan on the front foot, but in typical Samoan fashion, they struck back with dangerous broken-field play leading to tries from Jordan Taufua, Robert Lilomaiava and Faavae Faavaeand a 19-17 half-time lead.\nWing Viliamu Alauni dotted the ball down to make it 24-17 to the Samoans, but back came Japan with prop Mao Enoki\u2019s second try in as many finals levelling the scores. Then, with the match heading into extra time, full-back Peter Schuster scored at the death to win it for the Islanders. Georgia outscored Uruguay two tries to nil to win the third place play-off, 20-15.\nU20 TROPHY 2012\nHOST: USA\nWINNER: USA\nRUNNER-UP: JAPAN\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 1015\nTries: 144\nTop point scorer: Madison Hughes (USA) – 72\nTop try scorer: Hosea Saumaki (TGA) – 7\nUSA became the first host nation to win the Junior World Rugby Trophy on home soil after a thrilling victory over Japan in Utah.\nThe JWRT 2012 final was typical of the nail-biting drama evident throughout a tournament that did much to boost rugby\u2019s appeal in the US. In an epic match that saw 10 tries shared equally and the lead change hands seven times, USA withstood one last onslaught from the Brave Blossoms to cling on for a 37-33 win in front of a sell-out crowd.\nHaving lost the two previous finals it was a case of more disappointment for Japan who were christened the \u2018Cardiac Kids\u2019 because of their involvement in a series of heart-stopping pool matches, and the final was no different.\nHaving fought their way back from a 14-point deficit in the first half, the match was ultimately won by wing Noah Tarrant\u2019s hat-trick try in the 76th minute and the determined defensive rearguard that followed. Madison Hughes kicked 12 points in the match to take his overall tournament tally to 72 points, which is still a tournament record to this day.\nManase Folau\u2019s late try saw Tonga deny Georgia 31-29 in an equally thrilling third place play-off.\nU20 TROPHY 2013\nHOST: CHILE\nWINNER: ITALY\nRUNNER-UP: CANADA\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 840\nTries: 112\nTop point scorer: Shane O’Leary (CAN)\u00a0\u2013\u00a045\nTop try scorer: Kai Ishii (JPN)\u00a0\u2013\u00a08\nFor the second time in five years the U20 Trophy was held in Chile but this time it was Italy not Uruguay who came out on top.\nItaly secured an immediate return to the IRB Junior World Championship after overcoming Canada 45-23 in the final in Temuco.\nThe Azzurrini, who were relegated to the second tier after losing 19-17 to Fiji in the relegation play-off at JWC 2012, won all four of their matches in Chile to ensure their place among the world\u2019s elite Under 20 teams in New Zealand next year.\nHaving safely negotiated their way through the pool stages, Italy made their intentions clear from the start of the final at the Estadio Germ\u00e1n Becker with Marcello Violi crossing in the opening minute.\nBut, despite leading only 10-6 at half-time, Italy took advantage when Canada had two players sin-binned in the second half, scoring five tries, including a second by Violi, to run out impressive winners.\nChile made it onto podium, as they did in 2008, after beating Japan 38-35 to claim the bronze medal.\nU20 TROPHY 2014\nHOST: HONG KONG\nWINNER: JAPAN\nRUNNER-UP: TONGA\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 761\nTries: 82\nTop point scorer: Revaz Jinchvelashvili (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a063\nTop try scorer: Vakhtang Amiranashvili (GEO) / German Kessler (URU)\u00a0\u2013\u00a04\nHaving fallen at the final hurdle on three occasions from 2010 to 2012, Japan were determined to finally lift the Trophy but they began with a defeat to Uruguay.\nHowever, they bounced back brilliantly, winning the rest of their matches including victory over first-time finalists Tonga.\nAfter a tight first half in which Japan led 10-3, second-half tries from Shunta Nakamura, Shuhei Narita and Takayuki Watanabe confirmed the win for the Asian team and promotion to the U20 Championship.\nThe third place play-off was a battle of the Americas between two former Trophy champions. It went right down to the wire with the USA holding on to beat ill-disciplined Uruguay, who finished the game down to 12 men, 26-25.\nU20 TROPHY 2015\nHOST: PORTUGAL\nWINNER: GEORGIA\nRUNNER-UP: CANADA\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 862\nTries: 114\nTop point scorer: Revaz Jinchvelashvili (GEO)\u00a0\u2013\u00a051\nTop try scorer: Christo van der Merwe (NAM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a05\nGeorgian reaffirmed their status as a growing power in world rugby with a maiden U20 Trophy title. For many in the Junior Lelos\u2019 ranks the win in the final over Canada marked the start of something special, especially scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze who, just four months later, would go on to become the youngest played to appear at a Rugby World Cup, aged just 18 years and 340 days.\nCanada went into the game at the Estadio Universitario with a settled team showing only one change from the starting XV that had beaten Tonga to reach a second Trophy final in three years. But the Canadians were second-best for large periods of the game against a Georgian outfit that demonstrated their ability to be clinical in the tight as well as the loose.\nTries before the break tries for Mikheili Babunashvili, Giorgi Melikidze, Badri Liparteliani and Tornike Zoidze were followed by three more in the second-half, scored by Anzor Sichinava, Giorgi Kveseladze, Revazi Jintchvelashvili.\nCanada captain Lucas Rumball served notice of the ability that has seen him earmarked as one to watch at this year\u2019s Rugby World Cup with a try on the stroke of half-time, while fellow loose forward, Luke Bradley, grabbed a brace.\nTonga and Uruguay served up a feast of tries in a third place play-off that ended in a 44-43 win for the South Americans.\nU20 TROPHY 2016\nHOST: ZIMBABWE\nWINNER: SAMOA\nRUNNER-UP: SPAIN\nTournament statistics*\nPoints: 1054\nTries: 141\nTop point scorer: Hanco Germishuys (USA)\u00a0\u2013\u00a048\nTop try scorer: Hanco Germishuys (USA)\u00a0\u2013\u00a08\nPlayed under trialled scoring laws with six points awarded for a try, the 2016 edition of the U20 Trophy was a feast of running rugby. A then tournament record 1,054 points were scored with 70 of them coming in a classic final between Samoa and Spain that was won in the fifth minute of extra-time thanks to a try from replacement Tivoli Masaga.\nEven for a tournament where entertainment had been the order of the day throughout, few people would have predicted that the final would have been quite so dramatic. Leading by eight points with nine minutes left to go, Spain threatened to cause an upset against the side relegated from the U20 Championship in 2015. However, number eight Elia Elia\u2019s hat-trick try handed Samoa a lifeline which they gratefully accepted when Masaga crossed in the corner. Despite his treble, Elia missed out on the top try scorer award to another number eight, USA\u2019s Hanco Germishuys.\nIn the third place play-off, five first-half tries meant the bronze medal was Fiji\u2019s long before Namibia staged a second-half fight-back.\nU20 TROPHY 2017\nHOST: URUGUAY\nWINNER: JAPAN\nRUNNER-UP: PORTUGAL\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 727\nTries: 101\nTop point scorer: Alejo Piazza (URU)\u00a0\u2013\u00a040\nTop try scorer:\u00a0 Faulua Makisi (JPN)\u00a0\u2013\u00a06\nNot even the torrential rain could dampen Japan\u2019s enthusiasm as they celebrated a return to the World Rugby U20 Championship at the first attempt following a 14-3 victory over valiant Portugal in a truncated U20 Trophy final.\nWith large pools of surface water on the Estadio Charrua pitch worsening all the time and thunderstorms rolling in, the decision was taken by referee Francisco Gonzalez to abandon play with 15 minutes to go. Japan led 14-3 at the time and were declared the winners.\nUnderstandably, the tactics of both teams were clear from the start \u2013 kick for territory and hope for a mistake \u2013 and Japan\u2019s first try from Faulua Makisi, his sixth of the tournament, came from a charged down clearance kick.\nConceding a scrum penalty try seven minutes into the second half ultimately sealed Porttugal\u2019s fate.\nHosts Uruguay managed a repeat of the bronze medal they won in Lisbon two years earlier with a relatively comfortable victory over Namibia in the penultimate game of the day.\nU20 TROPHY 2018\nHOST: ROMANIA\nWINNER: FIJI\nRUNNER-UP: SAMOA\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 1164\nTries: 166\nTop point scorer: Denzo Bruwer (NAM)\u00a0\u2013\u00a059\nTop try scorer: Manuel Ardao (URU)\u00a0\u2013\u00a06\nFiji celebrated a return to the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time since 2014 in typically flamboyant fashion.\nInspired by full-back Nabetelevu Turaganivalu and centres Vilimoni Botitu and Ilikena Vudogo, Fiji were irrepressible in attack as they ruthlessly capitalised on basic Samoan errors, of which there were many, to put the two-time champions to the sword, scoring nine tries in a 58-8 win.\nSamoa\u2019s lack of patience in attack and high turnover rate hurt them badly and Fiji could even afford to lose a man to the sin-bin in each half as they recorded the biggest win in the history of U20 Trophy finals.\nIn a match of 16 tries, Manuel Pinto, Nuno Mascarenhas and Duarte Campos each bagged a brace as Portugal maintained their form from the year before to beat Namibia 67-36 and win the bronze medal.\nU20 TROPHY 2019\nHOST: BRAZIL\nWINNER: JAPAN\nRUNNER-UP: PORTUGAL\nTournament statistics\nPoints: 1,106\nTries: 159\nTop point scorer: Will Percillier (Canada)\u00a0\u2013\u00a065\nTop try scorer: Raffaele Storti (Portugal)\u00a0\u2013\u00a09\nWhen Japan scored a promotion-clinching try with two minutes to go in the final against Portugal, it brought the curtain down on a final day of high drama at the Estadio Martins Pereira.\nTheir 35-34 victory, in what was a re-run of the 2017 showpiece, was the third consecutive match to be decided by three points or less. In addition to the Japan v Portugal thriller, arguably the best U20 Trophy final of all time, Brazil\u2019s seventh-place play-off with Hong Kong went to sudden-death extra-time, the hosts winning their first match at this level thanks to a drop goal, while Tonga\u2019s play-off for bronze with Uruguay would have gone beyond the 80 minutes had Los Teritos kicker Matias D\u2019Avanzo not struck the upright with an all-important conversion.\nJapan\u2019s success ensured captain and back-row Shota Fukui created a piece of U20 Trophy history. Fukui, then a winger, was part of the 2017-winning side and becomes the first player to win the title twice \u2013 and in very different positions, too!\nPortugal may have lost out on a maiden U20 Trophy title, but they unearthed a player with a very bright future in 18-year-old winger Raffaele Storti. A brace of tries in the final took the speedster\u2019s tally to nine, equalling the record for a single U20 Trophy tournament set by Samoa\u2019s Robert Lilomaiava in 2011.\n*\u00a0Law trials with points (T=6, PT=8, C/PG/DG=2)\nThe post U20 Trophy: The story so far appeared first on Asia Rugby.", "date_published": "2022-12-24T11:23:22+08:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-24T11:23:22+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Asia Rugby", "url": "https://www.asiarugby.com/author/k-haroon/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea791d807df550e52d2e6508886912b7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.asiarugby.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/World-Rugby-U20-Trophy-2019-final-Japan-v-Portugal.jpg", "tags": [ "World Rugby U20 Trophy", "Rugby World Cup 2023", "U20 Trophy", "Jose Madeira", "Jeronimo Portela", "Rodrigo Marta", "Featured", "News" ] } ] }