2015 Asia Rugby Championship

Last updated
2015 Asia Rugby Championship
Date18 April – 23 May 2015
CountriesFlag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Final positions
ChampionsFlag of Japan.svg  Japan (23rd title)
Tournament statistics
Matches played6
Tries scored50 (8.33 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Japan.svg Ayumu Goromaru (38)
Flag of South Korea.svg Oh Youn-hyung (38)
Most tries Flag of South Korea.svg Jegal Bin (4)
Flag of Japan.svg Karne Hesketh (4)
Flag of South Korea.svg Jang Seong Min (4)
Website www.asian5nations.com
← 2014
2016 →

The 2015 Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, was the inaugural tri-nations series for top-level rugby union in Asia and the twenty-eighth continental championship for the ARFU nations. The Asia Rugby Championship replaced the former Asian Five Nations in 2015, with only three nations competing in the top division instead of the previous five. The inaugural series included Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Other Asian nations competed in the lower division tournaments.

Contents

Instead of the single round-robin format used in the Asian Five Nations, the three teams played each other twice on a home and away basis. Japan, as the team finishing on top of the standings in 2015, was declared the winner. The bottom-placed team, Korea, was subject to a promotion-relegation play-off against the winner of the next lower division. [1] However, Sri Lanka, who finished on top of Division 1, declined the opportunity to challenge.

Standings

Champions
Will play in the top 3 challenge
PositionNationGamesPointsBonus
points		Total
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 431016340+123321
2Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 411264111–47311
3Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 4103110186–7638
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 5 points
Draw - 3 points
4 or more tries - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points

Notes:

Fixtures

Week 1

18 April 2015
12:00 KST (UTC+09)
South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg30–56Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Try: Seong Min (2) 11' c, 15' c
Namuk 68' c
Con: Youn-hyung (3/3) 11', 15', 68'
Pen: Youn-hyung (3/3) 6', 36', 48'		Report [2] Try: Hopgood (2) 24' c, 71' m
Matsui 32' m
Penalty try 38' c
Hesketh 46' m
Fujita 53' m
Tamura 62' m
Holani 74' c
Ives 78' c
Con: Goromaru (4/9) 25', 39', 75', 79'
Pen: Goromaru (1/1) 2'
Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium, Incheon
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Tim Baker (Hong Kong)
FB15Jang Seong MinSub off.svg 43'
RW14Jegal Bin
OC13Kim Sung Soo (c)Sub off.svg 46'
IC12Kim Namuk
LW11Kim Gwong Min
FH10 Oh Youn-hyung
SH9Lee Myung Jun
N88Han Kun Kyu
OF7Jang Seok Hwan
BF6Kim Hyun Soo
RL5Youn Kwon WooSub off.svg 40'
LL4Kim Ho BumSub off.svg 71'
TP3Kim Kwang SikSub off.svg 46'
HK2Kim JeepSub off.svg 46'
LP1Park Sung KuSub off.svg 46'
Replacements:
HK16Na Kwan YoungSub on.svg 46'
PR17Son Young KiSub on.svg 46'
PR18Shin Dong WonSub on.svg 46'
FL19Hwan In JoSub on.svg 43'
N820Lee Young SeungSub on.svg 40'Sub off.svg 43'
SH21Shin Ki ChulSub on.svg 71'
FB22Nam Young SooSub on.svg 43'
WG23Park Han GyulSub on.svg 46'
Coach:
Flag of South Korea.svg Chung Hyung Seok
FB15 Ayumu Goromaru
RW14 Chihito Matsui
OC13 Karne Hesketh
IC12 Yuu Tamura Sub off.svg 63'
LW11 Yoshikazu Fujita
FH10 Harumichi Tatekawa Sub off.svg 56'
SH9 Atsushi Hiwasa Sub off.svg 72'
N88 Koliniasi Holani
OF7 Hayden Hopgood Cruz Roja.svg 9' to 19'Sub off.svg 75'
BF6 Justin Ives
RL5 Shoji Ito
LL4 Luke Thompson Sub off.svg 75'
TP3 Kensuke Hatakeyama (c)Sub off.svg 66'
HK2 Takeshi Kizu Sub off.svg 54'
LP1 Masataka Mikami Sub off.svg 70'
Replacements:
PR16 Hisateru Hirashima Sub on.svg 70'
HK17 Hiroki Yuhara Sub on.svg 54'
PR18 Hiroshi Yamashita Sub on.svg 66'
LK19 Kazuhiko Usami Sub on.svg 75'
FL20 Tsuyoshi Murata Sub on.svg 9'Sub off.svg 19'Sub on.svg 75'
SH21 Keisuke Uchida Sub on.svg 72'
CE22 Ryohei Yamanaka Sub on.svg 63'
WG23 Toshiaki Hirose Sub on.svg 56'
Coach:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Eddie Jones

Touch judges:
Matthew Rodden (Hong Kong)
Stephen Copeman (Hong Kong)

Week 2

25 April 2015
16:00 HKT (UTC+08)
Hong Kong  Flag of Hong Kong.svg26–33Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Try: T. McQueen 15' c
Aikman 45' c
A. McQueen 56' m
Kam Shing 71' c
Con: McAdam (1/1) 17'
Rowark (2/3) 46', 73'		Report [3] Try: Seong Min (2) 4' m, 39' m
Bin (2) 10' c, 25' m
Yong Heung 49' m
Con: Youn-hyung (1/5) 11'
Pen: Youn-hyung (2/2) 32', 41'
Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Paul McKay (Singapore)
FB15Alex McQueen
RW14Tom McQueen
OC13Max Woodward
IC12Tyler SpitzSub off.svg 61'
LW11 Salom Yiu Kam Shing
FH10Chris McAdamSub off.svg 40'
SH9Cado Lee Ka-to
N88Nick Hewson (c)
OF7Matt Lamming
BF6Alex BaddeleySub off.svg 61'
RL5Paul Dywer
LL4Jack DelaforceSub off.svg 51'
TP3James CooperSub off.svg 58'
HK2Lachlan ChubbSub off.svg 52'
LP1John AikmanSub off.svg 51'
Replacements:
HK16Alex HarrisSub on.svg 52'
PR17Leon Wei Hon SumSub on.svg 51'
PR18Jack NielsenSub on.svg 58'
LK19Bill BrantSub on.svg 51'
FL20Toby FennSub on.svg 61'
SH21Jaime HoodSub on.svg 61'
WG22Charlie Higson-Smith
FH23Niall RowarkSub on.svg 40'
Coach:
Flag of Scotland.svg Andrew Hall
FB15Jang Seong Min
RW14Jegal Bin
OC13Kim Sung Soo (c)Sub off.svg 58'
IC12Kim Namuk
LW11Chang Yong Heung
FH10 Oh Youn-hyung Sub off.svg 69'
SH9Lee Myung Jun
N88Hwan In JoSub off.svg 42'
OF7Jang Seok Hwan
BF6Kim Hyun SooSub off.svg 53'
RL5Youn Kwon Woo
LL4Park Soon Chai
TP3Kim Kwang SikYellow card.svg 44' to 54'Sub off.svg 73'
HK2Kim JeepSub off.svg 46'
LP1Park Sung KuSub off.svg 57'
Replacements:
HK16Na Kwan YoungSub on.svg 46'
PR17Son Young KiSub on.svg 57'
PR18Shin Dong WonSub on.svg 73'
FL19Kim Min KyuSub on.svg 53'
N820Kim Jeong MinSub on.svg 42'
SH21Shin Ki Chul
FB22Nam Young SooSub on.svg 69'
WG23Kim Gwong MinSub on.svg 58'
Coach:
Flag of South Korea.svg Chung Hyung Seok

Touch judges:
Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)
Rui Shimizu (Japan)

Week 3

2 May 2015
14:00 JST (UTC+09)
Japan  Flag of Japan.svg41–0Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
Try: Yamada (2) 15' c, 48' m
Hesketh 27' c
Thompson 31' m
Tamura 43' m
Holani 64' c
Fujita 72' m
Con: Goromaru (3/7) 16', 28', 64'		Report [4]
Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
Attendance: 8,760
Referee: Norman Drake (United Arab Emirates)
FB15 Ayumu Goromaru
RW14 Chihito Matsui Sub off.svg 39'
OC13 Karne Hesketh
IC12 Yuu Tamura
LW11 Akihito Yamada
FH10 Harumichi Tatekawa Sub off.svg 61'
SH9 Atsushi Hiwasa Sub off.svg 63'
N88 Koliniasi Holani
OF7 Tsuyoshi Murata Sub off.svg 39'
BF6 Justin Ives
RL5 Shoji Ito
LL4 Luke Thompson Sub off.svg 63'
TP3 Kensuke Hatakeyama (c)Sub off.svg 61'
HK2 Takeshi Kizu Sub off.svg 29'Sub on.svg 62'
LP1 Masataka Mikami Sub off.svg 29'Sub on.svg 53'
Replacements:
PR16 Yusuke Nagae Sub on.svg 29'Sub off.svg 53'
HK17 Ryuhei Arita Sub on.svg 29'Sub off.svg 62'
PR18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga Sub on.svg 61'
LK19 Kazuhiko Usami Sub on.svg 63'
FL20 Hayden Hopgood Sub on.svg 39'
SH21 Keisuke Uchida Sub on.svg 63'
WG22 Toshiaki Hirose Sub on.svg 61'
WG23 Yoshikazu Fujita Sub on.svg 39'
Coach:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Eddie Jones
FB15Alex McQueen
RW14Tom McQueen
OC13Jaime Hood
IC12Max WoodwardSub off.svg 64'
LW11Charlie Higson-SmithYellow card.svg 61' to 71'Sub off.svg 71'
FH10Ben Rimen
SH9Cado Lee Ka-toSub off.svg 46'
N88Nick Hewson (c)Sub off.svg 55'
OF7Toby Fenn
BF6Matt LammingYellow card.svg 46' to 56'
RL5Paul Dywer
LL4Adam ButterfieldSub off.svg 40'
TP3Jack ParfittSub off.svg 64'
HK2Alex HarrisSub off.svg 52'
LP1Leon Wei Hon SumSub off.svg 40'
Replacements:
HK16John AikmanSub on.svg 52'
PR17Lachlan ChubbSub on.svg 40'
PR18Jack NielsenSub on.svg 64'
LK19Alex BaddeleySub on.svg 40'
N820Damian BaileySub on.svg 55'
SH21Adam RolstonSub on.svg 46'
WG22Jonny ReesSub on.svg 71'
FH23Niall RowarkSub on.svg 64'
Coach:
Flag of Scotland.svg Andrew Hall

Touch judges:
Chris Linwood (United Arab Emirates)
Sansudin Saleh (Malaysia)

Week 4

9 May 2015
JST (UTC+09)
Japan  Flag of Japan.svg66–10Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Try: Fukuoka (3) 1' c, 64' c, 79' c
Tatekawa 16' m
Hesketh (2) 24' c, 60' c
Goromaru 29' c
Hatakeyama 39' m
Holani 52' c
Thompson 72' c
Con: Goromaru (8/9) 1', 24', 29', 52', 60', 64', 72', 79'		Try: Bin 11' c
Con: Han Gyul (1/1) 11'
Pen: Youn-hyung (1/1) 49'
Level-5 Stadium, Fukuoka
Attendance: 4,583
Referee: Matt Rodden (Hong Kong)
FB15 Ayumu Goromaru
RW14 Yoshikazu Fujita
OC13 Karne Hesketh
IC12 Yuu Tamura Sub off.svg 61'
LW11 Kenki Fukuoka
FH10 Harumichi Tatekawa Sub off.svg 67'
SH9 Atsushi Hiwasa Sub off.svg 61'
N88 Koliniasi Holani
OF7 Tsuyoshi Murata Sub off.svg 46'
BF6 Justin Ives
RL5 Shoji Ito
LL4 Kazuhiko Usami Sub off.svg 64'
TP3 Kensuke Hatakeyama (c)Sub off.svg 54'
HK2 Takeshi Kizu Sub off.svg 61'
LP1 Hisateru Hirashima Sub off.svg 46'
Replacements:
PR16 Masataka Mikami Sub on.svg 46'
HK17 Hiroki Yuhara Sub on.svg 61'
PR18 Hiroshi Yamashita Sub on.svg 54'
LK19 Luke Thompson Sub on.svg 64'
FL20 Hayden Hopgood Sub on.svg 46'
SH21 Yuki Yatomi Sub on.svg 61'
CE22 Ryohei Yamanaka Sub on.svg 61'
WG23 Toshiaki Hirose Sub on.svg 67'
Coach:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Eddie Jones
FB15Jang Seong MinSub off.svg 46'
RW14Park Han Gyul
OC13Jegal Bin
IC12Kim Namuk
LW11Kim Gwong Min
FH10Lee EutteumSub off.svg 78'
SH9Shin Ki ChulSub off.svg 21'
N88Park Soon Chai
OF7Kim Jeong Min (c)Sub off.svg 65'
BF6Jang Seok Hwan
RL5Youn Kwon WooSub off.svg 73'
LL4Kim Ho Bum
TP3Shin Dong WonSub off.svg 50'
HK2Kim JeepSub off.svg 73'
LP1Son Young KiSub off.svg 50'
Replacements:
PR16Na Kwan YoungSub on.svg 50'
HK17Kim Min KyuSub on.svg 73'
PR18Kim Min KyuSub on.svg 50'
LK19Choi Kang SanSub on.svg 73'
FL20Hwan In JoSub on.svg 65'
SH21Lee Myung JunSub on.svg 21'
FH22 Oh Youn-hyung Sub on.svg 46'
FB23Nam Young SooSub on.svg 78'
Coach:
Flag of South Korea.svg Chung Hyung Seok

Touch judges:
Tim Baker (Hong Kong)
Patrick Wallingford (Hong Kong)

Week 5

16 May 2015
12:00 KST (UTC+09)
South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svg37–38Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
Try: Jeong Min (2) 11' c, 22' c
Bin 17' m
Yong Heung 41' c
Namuk 74' m
Con: Youn-hyung (3/4) 13', 23', 42'
Pen: Youn-hyung (1/1) 58'
Drop: Youn-hyung (1/1) 68'		Report [5] Try: Kam Shing (2) 19' c, 80+2' c
Fenn 38' m
Spitz 62' m
Dywer 71' c
Hewson 78' c
Con: Rimen (1/2) 20'
Rowark (3/4) 72', 78', 80+3'
Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium, Incheon
Referee: Rui Shimizu (Japan)
FB15Jang Seong Min
RW14Jegal Bin
OC13Kim Sung SooSub off.svg 68'
IC12Kim NamukYellow card.svg 79' to 80'
LW11Chang Yong Heung
FH10 Oh Youn-hyung Sub off.svg 72'
SH9Lee Myung Jun
N88Park Soon ChaiSub off.svg 69'
OF7Kim Jeong Min (c)
BF6Jang Seok Hwan
RL5Youn Kwon WooSub off.svg 55'
LL4Kim Ho BumSub off.svg 74'
TP3Kim Kwang SikRed card.svg 49'
HK2Kim JeepSub off.svg 55'
LP1Park Sung KuSub off.svg 64'
Replacements:
PR16Na Kwan YoungSub on.svg 64'
HK17Kim Min KyuSub on.svg 55'
PR18Shin Dong WonSub on.svg 55'
LK19Park HwanSub on.svg 74'
FL20Hwan In JoSub on.svg 69'
SH21Shin Ki Chul
FH22Lee Eu DumSub on.svg 72'
FB23Andre CoquillardSub on.svg 68'
Coach:
Flag of South Korea.svg Chung Hyung Seok
FB15Alex McQueen
RW14Tom McQueen
OC13Jamie HoodSub off.svg 24'
IC12Max Woodward
LW11 Salom Yiu Kam Shing
FH10Ben RimenSub off.svg 50'
SH9Cado Lee Ka-to
N88Nick Hewson (c)
OF7Toby FennSub off.svg 22'Sub on.svg 24'Sub off.svg 55'
BF6Matt LammingSub off.svg 58'
RL5Adrian Griffiths
LL4Paul DywerSub off.svg 75'
TP3Jack ParfittYellow card.svg 13' to 23'
HK2Lachlan ChubbSub off.svg 74'
LP1John AikmanSub off.svg 49'
Replacements:
HK16Alex HarrisSub on.svg 74'
PR17Leon Wei Hon SumSub on.svg 49'
PR18Jack NielsenSub on.svg 22'Sub off.svg 24'
LK19Jack DelaforceSub on.svg 75'
FL20Alex BaddeleySub on.svg 58'
N821Damian BaileySub on.svg 58'
CE22Tyler SpitzSub on.svg 24'
FH23Niall RowarkSub on.svg 50'
Coach:
Flag of Scotland.svg Andrew Hall

Week 6

23 May 2015
16:00 HKT (UTC+08)
Hong Kong  Flag of Hong Kong.svg0–0
Match abandoned at 20'		Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Aberdeen Sports Ground, Hong Kong
Referee: Chris Linwood (United Arab Emirates)
FB15Jean-Baptiste Aldige
RW14Tom McQueen
OC13Max Woodward
IC12Tyler Spitz
LW11 Salom Yiu Kam Shing
FH10Niall Rowark
SH9Cado Lee Ka-to
N88Alex Baddeley
OF7Matt Lamming
BF6Nick Hewson (c)
RL5Paul Dywer
LL4Adrian Griffiths
TP3Jack Parfitt
HK2Alex Harris
LP1Leon Wei Hon Sum
Replacements:
HK16Lachlan Chubb
PR17Jack Nielsen
PR18James Cooper
LK19Jack Delaforce
N820Damian Bailey
SH21Adam Rolston
CE22Gavin Hadley
FH23Chris McAdam
Coach:
Flag of Scotland.svg Andrew Hall
FB15 Ayumu Goromaru (c)
RW14 Yoshikazu Fujita
OC13 Karne Hesketh
IC12 Yuu Tamura
LW11 Kenki Fukuoka
FH10 Harumichi Tatekawa
SH9 Yuki Yatomi
N88 Koliniasi Holani
OF7 Hayden Hopgood
BF6 Justin Ives
RL5 Shoji Ito
LL4 Luke Thompson
TP3 Shinnosuke Kakinaga
HK2 Ryuhei Arita
LP1 Hisateru Hirashima
Replacements:
PR16 Masataka Mikami
HK17 Hiroki Yuhara
PR18 Ryu Sioapelatu Holani
LK19 Hitoshi Ono
FL20 Michael Broadhurst
SH21 Keisuke Uchida
CE22 Ryohei Yamanaka
WG23 Toshiaki Hirose
Coach:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Eddie Jones

Touch judges:
Norman Drake (United Arab Emirates)
Sansudin Saleh (Malaysia)

Top 3 Challenge

6 June 2015
Sri Lanka  Flag of Sri Lanka.svgCancelledFlag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
TBA

Due to financial reasons, the game was cancelled and South Korea remained in the Tri-nations division for 2016.

Squads

Summary

NationMatch venuesHead coachCaptain
NameCityCapacity
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong Aberdeen Sports Ground Hong Kong 9,000 Flag of Scotland.svg Andrew Hall Nick Hewson
Hong Kong Football Club Stadium Hong Kong 2,800
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium Tokyo 27,188 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Eddie Jones Kensuke Hatakeyama
Level-5 Stadium Fukuoka 22,563
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium Incheon 7,000 Flag of South Korea.svg Chung Hyung Seok Kim Sung Soo

Note: Ages, caps and domestic side are of 18 April 2015 – the starting date of the tournament.

Japan

On 5 March, head coach Eddie Jones named a 31-man squad for the 2015 Asian Rugby Championship. [6]

On 11 April, Chihito Matsui and Ryohei Yamanaka was added to the squad.

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player Position Date of birth (age)CapsClub/province
Ryuhei Arita Hooker (1989-03-21)21 March 1989 (aged 26)7 Flag of Japan.svg Coca-Cola Red Sparks
Takeshi Kizu Hooker (1988-07-15)15 July 1988 (aged 26)30 Flag of Japan.svg Kobelco Steelers
Hiroki Yuhara Hooker (1984-01-21)21 January 1984 (aged 31)18 Flag of Japan.svg Toshiba Brave Lupus
Kensuke Hatakeyama Prop (1985-08-02)2 August 1985 (aged 29)59 Flag of Japan.svg Suntory Sungoliath
Hisateru Hirashima Prop (1983-01-15)15 January 1983 (aged 32)35 Flag of Japan.svg Kobelco Steelers
Ryu Sioapelatu Holani Prop (1982-12-29)29 December 1982 (aged 32)0 Flag of Japan.svg Panasonic Wild Knights
Shinnosuke Kakinaga Prop (1992-12-19)19 December 1992 (aged 22)1 Flag of Japan.svg Suntory Sungoliath
Masataka Mikami Prop (1988-06-04)4 June 1988 (aged 26)23 Flag of Japan.svg Toshiba Brave Lupus
Yusuke Nagae Prop (1985-07-19)19 July 1985 (aged 29)17 Flag of Japan.svg Toyota Industries Shuttles
Hiroshi Yamashita Prop (1986-01-01)1 January 1986 (aged 29)37 Flag of Japan.svg Kobelco Steelers
Shoji Ito Lock (1980-12-02)2 December 1980 (aged 34)28 Flag of Japan.svg Kobelco Steelers
Hitoshi Ono Lock (1978-05-06)6 May 1978 (aged 36)87 Flag of Japan.svg Toshiba Brave Lupus
Luke Thompson Lock (1981-04-16)16 April 1981 (aged 34)49 Flag of Japan.svg Kintetsu Liners
Kazuhiko Usami Lock (1992-03-17)17 March 1992 (aged 23)0 Flag of Japan.svg Canon Eagles
Michael Broadhurst Flanker (1986-10-30)30 October 1986 (aged 28)16 Flag of Japan.svg Ricoh Black Rams
Justin Ives Flanker (1984-05-24)24 May 1984 (aged 30)23 Flag of Japan.svg Canon Eagles
Tsuyoshi Murata Flanker (1988-12-15)15 December 1988 (aged 26)0 Flag of Japan.svg NEC Green Rockets
Koliniasi Holani Number 8 (1981-10-25)25 October 1981 (aged 33)35 Flag of Japan.svg Panasonic Wild Knights
Hayden Hopgood Number 8 (1980-07-30)30 July 1980 (aged 34)3 Flag of Japan.svg Kamaishi Seawaves
Atsushi Hiwasa Scrum-half (1987-05-22)22 May 1987 (aged 27)38 Flag of Japan.svg Suntory Sungoliath
Keisuke Uchida Scrum-half (1992-02-22)22 February 1992 (aged 23)8 Flag of Japan.svg Panasonic Wild Knights
Yuki Yatomi Scrum-half (1985-02-16)16 February 1985 (aged 30)14 Flag of Japan.svg Yamaha Júbilo
Yuu Tamura Fly-half (1989-01-09)9 January 1989 (aged 26)26 Flag of Japan.svg NEC Green Rockets
Harumichi Tatekawa Fly-half (1989-12-02)2 December 1989 (aged 25)28 Flag of Japan.svg Kubota Spears
Male Sa'u Centre (1987-10-13)13 October 1987 (aged 27)20 Flag of Japan.svg Yamaha Júbilo
Craig Wing Centre (1979-12-26)26 December 1979 (aged 35)7 Flag of Japan.svg Kobelco Steelers
Ryohei Yamanaka Centre (1988-06-22)22 June 1988 (aged 26)1 Flag of Japan.svg Waseda University
Yoshikazu Fujita Wing (1993-10-08)8 October 1993 (aged 21)18 Flag of Japan.svg Waseda University
Kenki Fukuoka Wing (1992-09-07)7 September 1992 (aged 22)11 Flag of Japan.svg Tsukuba University
Karne Hesketh Wing (1985-08-01)1 August 1985 (aged 29)2 Flag of Japan.svg Fukuoka Sanix Blues
Toshiaki Hirose Wing (1981-10-17)17 October 1981 (aged 33)23 Flag of Japan.svg Toshiba Brave Lupus
Chihito Matsui Wing (1994-11-11)11 November 1994 (aged 20)0 Flag of Japan.svg Doshisha University
Akihito Yamada Wing (1985-07-26)26 July 1985 (aged 29)10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Western Force
Ayumu Goromaru Fullback (1986-03-01)1 March 1986 (aged 29)43 Flag of Japan.svg Yamaha Júbilo

Hong Kong

Hong Kong's squad for the 2015 Asian Rugby Championship.

Adrian Griffiths was added to the squad for the Round 5 game with South Korea.

Head Coach: Flag of Scotland.svg Andrew Hall

South Korea

South Korea 31-man squad for the 2015 Asian Rugby Championship.

Andre Coquillard and Park Hwan were added to the squad for the Round 5 game with Hong Kong.

See also

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The 2011 Asian Five Nations, known as the 2011 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, was the 4th series of the Asian Five Nations rugby union tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia Rugby Sevens Series</span>

The Asia Rugby Sevens Series is an annual series of regional rugby sevens tournaments run by Asia Rugby featuring national sevens teams. It has been held regularly since 2009 to determine Asia's best men's national team in the sport of rugby sevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Asian Five Nations</span> Rugby union tournament

The 2014 Asian Five Nations, known as the 2014 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, was the 7th and final series of the Asian Five Nations rugby union tournament, before it shrinks to only include the top 3 Asian teams from 2015.

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This edition, originally scheduled in November 2006 in Sri Lanka was cancelled due to the political situation in the host country. The tournament for title, originally must also valid as final pool for 2007 Rugby World Cup – Asia qualification was transferred by International Rugby Board in Hong Kong. The rest of the tournament ("Plate" and "Shield" was played one year after in Sri Lanka.

The 2015 Asian Rugby Championship division tournaments refers to the divisions played within the annual Asian Rugby Championship rugby union tournament. The Asian Rugby Championship replaced the Asian Five Nations tournament. The main tournament is now participated by the top three teams in Asia, less teams competing at the 2014 Asian Five Nations, which saw the top five teams in Asia participate. In this edition, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea participated at the main tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Asia Rugby Championship</span> Rugby union tournament

The 2016 Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, was the second annual tri-nations series for top-level rugby union in Asia and the twenty-ninth continental championship for the Asia Rugby nations. The Asia Rugby Championship replaced the former Asian Five Nations in 2015, with only three nations competing in the top division instead of the previous five. The 2016 series included Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Other Asian nations competed in the lower division tournaments.

Qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup for Asia Rugby began in May 2016 and ended in early June 2018, where the winner of the qualification process advanced to a cross-regional play-off series against the winner of Round 2 of the Oceania qualification process in June 2018.

The 2017 Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, was the third annual tri-nations series for top-level rugby union in Asia and the thirtieth continental championship for the Asia Rugby nations. The Asia Rugby Championship replaced the former Asian Five Nations in 2015, with only three nations competing in the top division instead of the previous five. The 2016 series included Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Other Asian nations competed in the lower division tournaments.

The 2018 Asia Rugby Championship was the fourth annual rugby union series for the top-level Asia Rugby nations. The Asia Rugby Championship in 2018 formed part of the World Cup qualifying process and, as such, did not include Japan who had already qualified as the 2019 Rugby World Cup host. Hong Kong and South Korea were joined by Malaysia, promoted from Division 1, to compete in the 2018 series. Other Asian nations played in the lower division tournaments.

The 2019 Asia Rugby Championship is the fifth annual rugby union series for the top-level Asia Rugby nations. Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia shall compete in the 2019 series. The Asia Rugby Championship in 2019 does not include Japan who is hosting the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Other Asian nations played in the lower division tournaments.

References

  1. ↑ Sallay, Alvin (5 December 2014). "ARFU's philosophical change a boon for Asia's big three". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 2015-05-21. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Jones announces 31-man Brave Blossoms squad for Asian Rugby Championship". 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017– via Japan Times Online.
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