Back to Full Schedule, Enthralling Year of Rugby in the Offering: Asia Rugby Releases 2023 Calendar
- After pandemic disruptions, Asia Rugby set to return to full schedule
- 5 major Sevens events slated for 2023
- Full Asia Rugby Women’s XV returns, with the top tier featuring 4 teams
- Rugby 7s to feature at Asian Games in September
- Standalone Asia Rugby Qualifier event for Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, scheduled for November
- Rugby 7s age groups for under U18 and U20 continues from last year
Asia Rugby published its full schedule for 2023 with over 22 international and regional events.
In the year, Asia will host five major 7s events, along with three World Rugby Sevens Series legs.
The 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 of 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 the Asia Rugby Championship, thereby also giving all unions in Asia an opportunity for Rugby World Cup qualification.
The premier Asia Rugby Men’s Championship will feature Hong Kong, Korea and Malaysia and will be played in June. The Asia Rugby Men’s Division I and Divisions II are scheduled for May.
The Asia Rugby Women’s 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.
August will see the sevens season kick-off with Asia Rugby Sevens Series – Round 1 on the 19th and 20th of August, 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 September to 26th September. The second round of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series will be played on the 28th and 29th of October.
The Asia Rugby Sevens Series will again feature the top 8 women’s and men’s teams, the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy will give the balance of the Asian team to compete in October.
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.
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.
Lastly, World Rugby’s 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 – the Dubai 7s, the Hong Kong 7s and the Singapore 7s.
The World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 will feature two three-day combined men’s and women’s events taking place at Markotter Stadium in Stellenbosch, South Africa on 20-22 and 28-30 April 2023.
All 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’ social media platforms.
Asia Rugby Youtube
Asia Rugby FB
Asia Rugby 2023 Calendar
