Thursday, September 24, 2009
All set for ITS 2009, Koreas showcase Touch tournament
Touch teams from around the peninsula and overseas are already gathering for Seoul's "big one" and judging by the noise on facebook etc, this will be a big event. Conditions look to be set fair overhead (the forecast is kind, so far!) and underfoot (the tournament will be held on all grass pitches for the first time ever). Meanwhile, competition looks hot. At least five contenders in the men's tournament and the mixed is wide open. Sadly, it seems that this year there will be no juniors or womens events, which may have a dampening effect on the crowd. Otherwise, the tournament will deliver on all its signature promises....good Touch, great atmosphere, wonderful gifts for the players and a superb chance for all to enjoy sport, good company and quite a party. All info can be found on www.koreatouch.com
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Seoul Colts grow and learn
Since their formation earlier this year, Seoul Colts have grown in every way...more players, more fixtures and of course, the lads have grown some too! The attached link to "Rugby in Asia" shows some action from recent matches and shows that the expat and Korean communities can come together through rugby http://www.rugbyinasia.com/korea/478-22/ss-colts-rfc
Earlier this year, the Colts played the curtain raiser before the England Counties match. It was a tens game against YangJung High School who are one of the top rugby schools in Korea. The Colts unsurprisingly were beaten but the crowd recognised their commitment and raw skill and could see the progress wrought by coach Dan Grover.
Another neat thing about this team is that players come from several different international schools; the Lycee Seoul, Seoul Foreign School, KIS, YISS and Taejon Christian International all have an interest. This shows how far rugby has come for kids in Korea in the last few years and the Colts now offer kids who have graduated through the Han River Pirates the chance to play some decent quality contact rugby while they stay in Korea!
Earlier this year, the Colts played the curtain raiser before the England Counties match. It was a tens game against YangJung High School who are one of the top rugby schools in Korea. The Colts unsurprisingly were beaten but the crowd recognised their commitment and raw skill and could see the progress wrought by coach Dan Grover.
Another neat thing about this team is that players come from several different international schools; the Lycee Seoul, Seoul Foreign School, KIS, YISS and Taejon Christian International all have an interest. This shows how far rugby has come for kids in Korea in the last few years and the Colts now offer kids who have graduated through the Han River Pirates the chance to play some decent quality contact rugby while they stay in Korea!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Kim Won Yong leads Korea to victory in IRB Asia Sevens inaugural tournament
Korea took Shanghai by storm over the weekend and despite some hiccups in the opening round against Hong Kong and despite a close run semi-final against Chinese Taipei, they did the double on Japan, beating them in the group stages and then blitzing them 40-19 in the final.
ARFU and KRU President Choi, Won-tae was on hand to see his team clean up and looked thrilled with the result.Skipper Kim Yong Won was a constant buzzing threat throughout and key to Korea's superb strategy of keeping the ball alive continuously...almost to a fault as they spurned what seemed certain scoring chances rather than risk losing posession. Kim's leadership and all round attacking and defensive performance was recognised as he was awarded "Player of the Tournament" by Jarrad Gallacher, IRB Asia's Development Officer.
The crowd was steady and largely made up of expats, something that the organisers will look to next year but they must have been pleased with the overall result and look back on a job well done with entertainment and facilities holding up well.
Well done Korea and hope they carry it through this series!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Korea Touch all set for ITS 2009...
....but teams still have openings for players if you are keen. Visit http://www.koreatouch.com/ and email koreatouch@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Referee clinic in Korea Sept 19?
Sounds like London Society referee Darryl Chapman will be visiting Seoul on Sept 19th and has offered an impromptu clinic for referees at Jamwon. Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Kurt at the Seoul Survivors www.survivorsrfc.com
Korea U-20 rugby crashes out
Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei through to Final of Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championship
Sun Hsin-Chien is hat-trick hero for Chinese Taipei[Hong Kong, 9 September 2009]:
Hong Kong and surprise finalists Chinese Taipei are into the final of the Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championships. The final will be played at 17.30 on Saturday, 12 September, 2009 at the Hong Kong Football Club.
Hong Kong cruised past Sri Lanka 51-10, while Chinese Taipei and Korea played the match of the tournament before Chinese Taipei came up with the dramatic finish, 34-29. Chinese Taipei (tournament 5th seeds) continued their run on the formbook as they upset defending Asian Junior Rugby champions Korea, top seeds in the tournament.
The upset comes after a less dramatic reversal of fourth seeds Thailand in Chinese Taipei’s opening match. Today’s encounter was evenly paced throughout with Korea entering the sheds up 14-12 at halftime through tries to hooker Lee, Tae Hyun and fullback Yang, Hee Chan.
Yang converted his own conversion while outside centre Yun, Su Woong tallied the other. Chinese Taipei’s opening stanza points came through a try to prop Chuan Wan Hao and reserve flanker Sun Hsin–Chien. Sun’s substition was fortuitous as he scored his first of three of tries five minutes after he entered the field.
In the second half, Korea extended its lead to 22-12 before Chinese Taipei began their bravest fightback of the tournament to date. Again it was super sub Sun Hsin-Chien who started Chinese Taipei on the road to recovery scoring his second try at the 25 minute marker; the conversion by fly half Liu Chung-Hao brought the score to 22-19 Korea.
Shortly thereafter another Chinese Taipei substitute made his mark as substitute lock Chen Yu-Hui’s try put Chinese Taipei ahead 24-22. No. 8 Wang, Yu-Hsian capped Chinese Taipei’s scoring run with a beautiful solo effort as he swerved past a few defenders and crashed through a couple of more to bring his side ahead 29-22.As soon as they had secured the lead, the plucky Taiwanese gave it up again after Korean centre Young Soo Nam replied with a fine run to bring Korea back to 27-29.
Centre Yun Su Woong’s conversion drew the scores level in the 36th minute. Neither side could break the deadlock before half-time triggering a ten-minute period of extra time. The golden point impasse was broken by Sun Hsin-Chien as he completed his hat trick in sensational fashion in the sixth minute to put Chinese Taipei through to the final 34-29.
In today’s second match, Sri Lanka held Hong Kong tight until the second half when the hosts surged ahead to jump to a 51-10. In today’s bowl semi-final, Malaysia found another gear to pass Singapore 46-10.
Malaysian captain flanker Az-Zuhran Zainal’s brace of tries in the second quarter of the first half helped open the floodgates and sent Malaysia through to the Bowl final against Thailand (the losers to Chinese Taipei last Saturday.
Singapore’s second loss eliminated them from the tournament.The Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championship concludes this Saturday at the Hong Kong Football Club. Match times are 13.30 for the 5th place decider between Thailand and Malaysia, 15.30 for the 3rd place decider between Korea and Sri Lanka and 17.30 for the Hong Kong – Chinese Taipei final.
Sun Hsin-Chien is hat-trick hero for Chinese Taipei[Hong Kong, 9 September 2009]:
Hong Kong and surprise finalists Chinese Taipei are into the final of the Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championships. The final will be played at 17.30 on Saturday, 12 September, 2009 at the Hong Kong Football Club.
Hong Kong cruised past Sri Lanka 51-10, while Chinese Taipei and Korea played the match of the tournament before Chinese Taipei came up with the dramatic finish, 34-29. Chinese Taipei (tournament 5th seeds) continued their run on the formbook as they upset defending Asian Junior Rugby champions Korea, top seeds in the tournament.
The upset comes after a less dramatic reversal of fourth seeds Thailand in Chinese Taipei’s opening match. Today’s encounter was evenly paced throughout with Korea entering the sheds up 14-12 at halftime through tries to hooker Lee, Tae Hyun and fullback Yang, Hee Chan.
Yang converted his own conversion while outside centre Yun, Su Woong tallied the other. Chinese Taipei’s opening stanza points came through a try to prop Chuan Wan Hao and reserve flanker Sun Hsin–Chien. Sun’s substition was fortuitous as he scored his first of three of tries five minutes after he entered the field.
In the second half, Korea extended its lead to 22-12 before Chinese Taipei began their bravest fightback of the tournament to date. Again it was super sub Sun Hsin-Chien who started Chinese Taipei on the road to recovery scoring his second try at the 25 minute marker; the conversion by fly half Liu Chung-Hao brought the score to 22-19 Korea.
Shortly thereafter another Chinese Taipei substitute made his mark as substitute lock Chen Yu-Hui’s try put Chinese Taipei ahead 24-22. No. 8 Wang, Yu-Hsian capped Chinese Taipei’s scoring run with a beautiful solo effort as he swerved past a few defenders and crashed through a couple of more to bring his side ahead 29-22.As soon as they had secured the lead, the plucky Taiwanese gave it up again after Korean centre Young Soo Nam replied with a fine run to bring Korea back to 27-29.
Centre Yun Su Woong’s conversion drew the scores level in the 36th minute. Neither side could break the deadlock before half-time triggering a ten-minute period of extra time. The golden point impasse was broken by Sun Hsin-Chien as he completed his hat trick in sensational fashion in the sixth minute to put Chinese Taipei through to the final 34-29.
In today’s second match, Sri Lanka held Hong Kong tight until the second half when the hosts surged ahead to jump to a 51-10. In today’s bowl semi-final, Malaysia found another gear to pass Singapore 46-10.
Malaysian captain flanker Az-Zuhran Zainal’s brace of tries in the second quarter of the first half helped open the floodgates and sent Malaysia through to the Bowl final against Thailand (the losers to Chinese Taipei last Saturday.
Singapore’s second loss eliminated them from the tournament.The Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championship concludes this Saturday at the Hong Kong Football Club. Match times are 13.30 for the 5th place decider between Thailand and Malaysia, 15.30 for the 3rd place decider between Korea and Sri Lanka and 17.30 for the Hong Kong – Chinese Taipei final.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei advance on first day of Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championships
Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei advance on first day of Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championships
[Hong Kong, 5 September 2009]: Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei emerged victorious from the first day’s match action in the Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championship held today at the Hong Kong Football Club, Hong Kong.
Today’s results saw fifth seeds Chinese Taipei upend fourth seeds Thailand, 28-23; third seed Sri Lanka run rampant over sixth seeds Singapore 65-0; and Hong Kong upend Malaysia, 69 - 9.
Today’s opening match was a thrilling affair between Thailand and Chinese Taipei that saw six lead changes overall. In a game played in searing conditions both teams put on an excellent display of skills and free-flowing rugby.
At halftime Thailand led 20-14, but in the second interval Chinese Taipei came out roaring and ready to play getting first on the board with a try in the 47th minute to bring the score to 21-20 Chinese Taipei after the conversion. The Thais responded with a penalty to make it 23-21. The score remained 23-21 until the 38th minute when Chinese Taipei flanker Chen Kuo Lun broke away with an intercept pass from the halfway marker to bring Chinese Taipei out front for good at 28-23.
In the day’s second match, tournament third seeds Sri Lanka cruised to an early lead over six seeds Singapore, scoring their first try in just the 3rd minute. The Sri Lankans never looked back after that running away with an easy victory that should put them in good stead for their upcoming matches.
In today’s final match, Hong Kong ran in an impressive 11 tries to advance past seventh seeds Malaysia 69-9. Fly-half Niall Rowark accounted for 17 points through a try, two penalties and two conversions.
After today’s results, top seeds Korea, who had a bye entry to the Semi Finals, will make their debut in the Asian Junior Rugby Championships on Wednesday (September 9) against Chinese Taipei. Thailand will automatically advance to the 5th/6th place playoff on next Saturday (September 13) against the winner of Wednesday’s match between Singapore and Malaysia.
Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championships match action resumes on Wednesday, September 9, at the Hong Kong Football Club. Match 1 sees Korea take on Chinese Taipei at 10.00am, Match 2 pits Hong Kong against Sri Lanka at 11.45 and the final match sees Singapore take on Malaysia at 13.30.
[Hong Kong, 5 September 2009]: Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei emerged victorious from the first day’s match action in the Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championship held today at the Hong Kong Football Club, Hong Kong.
Today’s results saw fifth seeds Chinese Taipei upend fourth seeds Thailand, 28-23; third seed Sri Lanka run rampant over sixth seeds Singapore 65-0; and Hong Kong upend Malaysia, 69 - 9.
Today’s opening match was a thrilling affair between Thailand and Chinese Taipei that saw six lead changes overall. In a game played in searing conditions both teams put on an excellent display of skills and free-flowing rugby.
At halftime Thailand led 20-14, but in the second interval Chinese Taipei came out roaring and ready to play getting first on the board with a try in the 47th minute to bring the score to 21-20 Chinese Taipei after the conversion. The Thais responded with a penalty to make it 23-21. The score remained 23-21 until the 38th minute when Chinese Taipei flanker Chen Kuo Lun broke away with an intercept pass from the halfway marker to bring Chinese Taipei out front for good at 28-23.
In the day’s second match, tournament third seeds Sri Lanka cruised to an early lead over six seeds Singapore, scoring their first try in just the 3rd minute. The Sri Lankans never looked back after that running away with an easy victory that should put them in good stead for their upcoming matches.
In today’s final match, Hong Kong ran in an impressive 11 tries to advance past seventh seeds Malaysia 69-9. Fly-half Niall Rowark accounted for 17 points through a try, two penalties and two conversions.
After today’s results, top seeds Korea, who had a bye entry to the Semi Finals, will make their debut in the Asian Junior Rugby Championships on Wednesday (September 9) against Chinese Taipei. Thailand will automatically advance to the 5th/6th place playoff on next Saturday (September 13) against the winner of Wednesday’s match between Singapore and Malaysia.
Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championships match action resumes on Wednesday, September 9, at the Hong Kong Football Club. Match 1 sees Korea take on Chinese Taipei at 10.00am, Match 2 pits Hong Kong against Sri Lanka at 11.45 and the final match sees Singapore take on Malaysia at 13.30.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Asian U-20 rugby schedule
OLYMPUS CAPITAL ASIAN RUGBY JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 2009
亞洲青少年欖球錦標賽2009
Tournament Schedule 賽程
Seedings參賽球隊種籽排名
1. Korea韓國 2. Hong Kong香港 3. Sri Lanka斯里蘭卡 4 Thailand泰國
5. Chinese Taipei中華台北 6. Singapore新加坡 7. Malaysia馬來西亞
Venue: Hong Kong Football Club 香港足球會 Entry Fee: Free Admission 免費入場
First Round 第一輪賽事 (5/9/2009 , Saturday,星期六)
* Korea (1) – bye, direct entry to SF1 *韓國 (直接晉身四強賽事)
Match
賽事
Team 1
隊伍 1
Team 2
隊伍 2
Kick off Time
開賽時間
1
Thailand 泰國
Chinese Taipei 中華台北
1330
2
Sri Lanka 斯里蘭卡
Singapore 新加坡
1505
3
Hong Kong 香港
Malaysia 馬來西亞
1640
Second Round 第一輪賽事 (9/9/2009 , Wednesday,星期三)
*Loser Match 1 receives bye, direct entry to 5th place playoff *賽事一負方直接進入第五名名次賽
Match
賽事
Team 1
隊伍 1
Team 2
隊伍 2
Kick off Time
開賽時間
Semi Final 1 四強賽事一
Korea 韓國
Winner Match 1 賽事一勝方
1000
Semi Final 2 四強賽事二
Winner Match 2 賽事二勝方
Winner Match 3 賽事三勝方
1145
Semi Final 3 四強賽事三
Loser Match 2 賽事二負方
Loser Match 3 賽事三負方
1330
Finals決賽日 (12/9/2009 ,Saturday,星期六)
Match
賽事
Team 1
隊伍 1
Team 2
隊伍 2
Kick off Time
開賽時間
7th Place 第七名名次賽
Loser SF 3 四強賽事三負方
Invitational XV 十五人邀請隊
1330 (TBC)
5th Place 第五名名次賽
Winner SF3 四強賽事三勝方
Loser Match 1 賽事一負方
1505
3rd Place 第三名名次賽
Loser SF1 四強賽事一負方
Loser SF2 四強賽事二負方
1640
Final 冠軍戰
Winner SF1 四強賽事一勝方
Winner SF2 四強賽事二勝方
1815
亞洲青少年欖球錦標賽2009
Tournament Schedule 賽程
Seedings參賽球隊種籽排名
1. Korea韓國 2. Hong Kong香港 3. Sri Lanka斯里蘭卡 4 Thailand泰國
5. Chinese Taipei中華台北 6. Singapore新加坡 7. Malaysia馬來西亞
Venue: Hong Kong Football Club 香港足球會 Entry Fee: Free Admission 免費入場
First Round 第一輪賽事 (5/9/2009 , Saturday,星期六)
* Korea (1) – bye, direct entry to SF1 *韓國 (直接晉身四強賽事)
Match
賽事
Team 1
隊伍 1
Team 2
隊伍 2
Kick off Time
開賽時間
1
Thailand 泰國
Chinese Taipei 中華台北
1330
2
Sri Lanka 斯里蘭卡
Singapore 新加坡
1505
3
Hong Kong 香港
Malaysia 馬來西亞
1640
Second Round 第一輪賽事 (9/9/2009 , Wednesday,星期三)
*Loser Match 1 receives bye, direct entry to 5th place playoff *賽事一負方直接進入第五名名次賽
Match
賽事
Team 1
隊伍 1
Team 2
隊伍 2
Kick off Time
開賽時間
Semi Final 1 四強賽事一
Korea 韓國
Winner Match 1 賽事一勝方
1000
Semi Final 2 四強賽事二
Winner Match 2 賽事二勝方
Winner Match 3 賽事三勝方
1145
Semi Final 3 四強賽事三
Loser Match 2 賽事二負方
Loser Match 3 賽事三負方
1330
Finals決賽日 (12/9/2009 ,Saturday,星期六)
Match
賽事
Team 1
隊伍 1
Team 2
隊伍 2
Kick off Time
開賽時間
7th Place 第七名名次賽
Loser SF 3 四強賽事三負方
Invitational XV 十五人邀請隊
1330 (TBC)
5th Place 第五名名次賽
Winner SF3 四強賽事三勝方
Loser Match 1 賽事一負方
1505
3rd Place 第三名名次賽
Loser SF1 四強賽事一負方
Loser SF2 四強賽事二負方
1640
Final 冠軍戰
Winner SF1 四強賽事一勝方
Winner SF2 四強賽事二勝方
1815
Korea rugby defends its Asian U-20 Championship title in Hong Kong this weekend
HONG KONG READY FOR REGIONAL CHALLENGERS IN OLYMPUS CAPITAL ASIAN RUGBY JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
[3 September, Hong Kong]: The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union’s Under 20 men’s team will join six of Asia’s premier Under 20 sides in the upcoming Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championship. The Tournament will be held over three match days on Saturday, September 5; Wednesday, September 9; and Saturday, September 13, 2009. All matches will be played at the Hong Kong Football Club.
Alongside the hosts, the participating teams include defending Asian Junior Rugby champions South Korea, as well as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Malaysia.
Mr Ross Mitchell, Honorary Secretary General of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) commented on the upcoming competition saying:
“ARFU is delighted to be returning to Hong Kong for the hosting of the U20 Asian Junior Rugby Championship. This competition is a showcase for the future stars of Asian rugby and we know that the crowds will strongly support the event. On behalf of all of our participating Unions, I would like to thank the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union for their efforts in hosting another successful Asian Rugby event.”
“In the past year, we have been greatly encouraged at the noticeable increase in Asian Rugby Unions wanting to participate at U20 level. As a result, we shall once again be holding two divisional championships this year, with a further 8 teams expressing their desire to play in the Division 2 tournament in Manila this November. Our long-term goal is to institute a promotion and relegation mechanism between the two Divisions in Asia, providing even further competition at this level,” added Mitchell.
South Korea, winners of the 2008 Under 20 championship held in Buan, Korea, are ranked first seeds overall and have an opening round bye to the semi finals. South Korea will make its tournament debut on Wednesday against the winners of Saturday’s Thailand v Chinese Taipei match.
In 2008, Hong Kong’s Under 20 team reached the final before losing to Korea 11-19. This year, Hong Kong will be out for revenge in front of its home crowds. Based on their runners-up finish in Buan, Hong Kong is seeded second in this year’s championship.
Sri Lanka finished third in the 2008 championship beating Thailand in a nail-biting 3rd/4th place playoff match that saw nine tries scored and the lead change hands three times in the second half before Sri Lanka emerged victorious 35-33. Based on these results, Sri Lanka is the third seed for the Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championship, followed by Thailand as the 4th seed. Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Malaysia are the 5th, 6th and 7th seeds respectively.
Asia’s other premier Under 20 side, Japan, has been given direct entry to the IRB’s Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010 by virtue of their participation in the Junior World Championships, which were hosted in Japan earlier this year.
The field for next year’s Junior World Championships has been cut from 16 to 12 teams so Japan must win the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010 outright to earn automatic promotion to the Junior World Championships. If they fail to win, Japan will have to compete alongside the other Division I Asian Teams for the chance of promotion to the Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2011.
Hong Kong’s opening competition in the Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championship is against the seventh seeded Malaysian team on September 5 at 16.40pm. Other Round 1 match-ups on September 5th include Thailand versus Chinese Taipei (kick-off at 13.30) and Sri Lanka versus Singapore (kick-off at 15.05).
The 24-man Hong Kong squad has been in training thrice weekly for two months and has played two warm-up matches to date against the Hong Kong Tertiary XV and last Sunday (August 30) against the touring Thailand Navy team, Thailand’s senior rugby domestic champions. The Under 20s won both matches including a 45-0 rout of the Thai Navy.
The team is being captained by experienced centre Ed Rolston of Valley RFC. Ed made his debut at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2009 and was also capped in Hong Kong’s senior XV for the Asian Five Nations 2009.
[3 September, Hong Kong]: The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union’s Under 20 men’s team will join six of Asia’s premier Under 20 sides in the upcoming Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championship. The Tournament will be held over three match days on Saturday, September 5; Wednesday, September 9; and Saturday, September 13, 2009. All matches will be played at the Hong Kong Football Club.
Alongside the hosts, the participating teams include defending Asian Junior Rugby champions South Korea, as well as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Malaysia.
Mr Ross Mitchell, Honorary Secretary General of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) commented on the upcoming competition saying:
“ARFU is delighted to be returning to Hong Kong for the hosting of the U20 Asian Junior Rugby Championship. This competition is a showcase for the future stars of Asian rugby and we know that the crowds will strongly support the event. On behalf of all of our participating Unions, I would like to thank the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union for their efforts in hosting another successful Asian Rugby event.”
“In the past year, we have been greatly encouraged at the noticeable increase in Asian Rugby Unions wanting to participate at U20 level. As a result, we shall once again be holding two divisional championships this year, with a further 8 teams expressing their desire to play in the Division 2 tournament in Manila this November. Our long-term goal is to institute a promotion and relegation mechanism between the two Divisions in Asia, providing even further competition at this level,” added Mitchell.
South Korea, winners of the 2008 Under 20 championship held in Buan, Korea, are ranked first seeds overall and have an opening round bye to the semi finals. South Korea will make its tournament debut on Wednesday against the winners of Saturday’s Thailand v Chinese Taipei match.
In 2008, Hong Kong’s Under 20 team reached the final before losing to Korea 11-19. This year, Hong Kong will be out for revenge in front of its home crowds. Based on their runners-up finish in Buan, Hong Kong is seeded second in this year’s championship.
Sri Lanka finished third in the 2008 championship beating Thailand in a nail-biting 3rd/4th place playoff match that saw nine tries scored and the lead change hands three times in the second half before Sri Lanka emerged victorious 35-33. Based on these results, Sri Lanka is the third seed for the Olympus Capital Asian Junior Rugby Championship, followed by Thailand as the 4th seed. Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Malaysia are the 5th, 6th and 7th seeds respectively.
Asia’s other premier Under 20 side, Japan, has been given direct entry to the IRB’s Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010 by virtue of their participation in the Junior World Championships, which were hosted in Japan earlier this year.
The field for next year’s Junior World Championships has been cut from 16 to 12 teams so Japan must win the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2010 outright to earn automatic promotion to the Junior World Championships. If they fail to win, Japan will have to compete alongside the other Division I Asian Teams for the chance of promotion to the Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2011.
Hong Kong’s opening competition in the Olympus Capital Asian Rugby Junior Championship is against the seventh seeded Malaysian team on September 5 at 16.40pm. Other Round 1 match-ups on September 5th include Thailand versus Chinese Taipei (kick-off at 13.30) and Sri Lanka versus Singapore (kick-off at 15.05).
The 24-man Hong Kong squad has been in training thrice weekly for two months and has played two warm-up matches to date against the Hong Kong Tertiary XV and last Sunday (August 30) against the touring Thailand Navy team, Thailand’s senior rugby domestic champions. The Under 20s won both matches including a 45-0 rout of the Thai Navy.
The team is being captained by experienced centre Ed Rolston of Valley RFC. Ed made his debut at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2009 and was also capped in Hong Kong’s senior XV for the Asian Five Nations 2009.
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