The Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2024 is being held in Hong Kong from 22 May – 1 June 2024, and this year’s prize in addition to being Asian Champions, is qualification for Rugby World Cup 2025 and participating in WXV2. The runner-up secures a place in WXV3 and still a chance to head to England for RWC 2025.
Updated with results post-tournament
What Is At Stake – ARWC 2024
The 13th edition of the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2024 will see the same teams as recent years compete – with Japan, Hong Kong China, and Kazakhstan looking to be crowned Asian champions in 2024.
The ARWC is a direct qualifier for the Rugby World Cup 2025 for the winner, who will also earn the right to play in WXV2, while the runner-up will play in WXV3.
Final Standings – ARWC 2024
- Japan
- Hong Kong China
- Kazakhstan
- Japan – 11th
- Hong Kong China – 18th
- and Kazakhstan – 19th
Hong Kong China vs Japan – 22 May 2024 (result 12-19)
The ARMC 2024 gets underway with the hosts taking on the favourites, Japan. The two sides have just spent time together in Japan to prepare for the all-important Championship.
The match will be played at King’s Park Sports Ground, and there is free entry to fans attending with a local kick-off time of 18:30. Amazingly, this will be the first time these sides have faced each other since the Rugby World Cup in 2017.
HKCR will be captained by Pun Wai Yan (You can read more about our HKCR ARWC 2024 collaboration tournament piece here).
PY said, “World Cup qualification is definitely our goal. Having the Sevens girls involved in the campaign with us, especially some experienced World Cup players like Natasha Olson-Thorne & Ka Yan Chong gives the team lots of confidence and energy.”
The HKCR ladies had a preparation camp in ACT, Australia earlier in 2024, and a week before the ARWC, and spent time in Japan in a preparation camp in Fukuoka from 13-16 May.
The Japan Rugby Football Union announced a 26-member Sakura Fifteen for the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2024 and come into the tournament as favourites. They have also had a number of players compete in leagues in Australia, New Zealand, and England.
Japan Sakura Fifteen Head Coach, Lesley McKenzie said, “At this year’s championship we want to show that we’re a team that’s got plans for the World Cup next year.
This is our qualification for England 2025 and this year’s WXV Tier Two. We’ve got some unfinished business in terms of how we started and finished games last year and the main thing for us in this championship is to take every moment seriously and to put our stamp on each involvement. I’m really excited and looking forward to it,” added the Japan Sakura Coach.
The opening ARWC 2024 match will also be streamed for free by Asia Rugby.
You can also watch via RugbyPassTV.
- Venue: Kings Park Sports Ground
- Referee: Christabelle Lim (Singapore Rugby Union)
- Assistant Referee 1: James Perry (Singapore Rugby Union)
- Assistant Referee 2: Darroch Chua (Singapore Rugby Union)
- Television Match Official: Jaco De Wit (United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation)
- Match Result: Japan 29-12 HKCR
HKCR Squad vs Japan – ARWC 2024
Japan Sakura Squad vs HKCR – ARWC 2024
Sachiko Kato (Exeter Chiefs), Mana Furuta (Brumbies in Australia’s Super W competition), and Nijiho Nagata (The Blues, NZ) have all come off seasons playing overseas. Iroha Nagata captains the side against the hosts.
Japan vs Kazakhstan – 27 May 2024 (result 64-0)
Fans can attend the match at King’s Park Sports Ground between Japan versus Kazakhstan on 27 May without charge (no ticket is required) and the game starts at 7 PM local time.
The last time these two teams met in Almaty in the final of the ARWC it was a very one-sided affair with Japan claiming the championship with a 72–0 victory over Kazakhstan at the Almaty Sports Training Complex, but the Kazakhs will hope that the experience gained in playing the WXV 3 last year will have prepared them for the Sakura XVs this time around.
With Japan having won the opening match against HKCR 29-12, they know a win against Kazakhstan will secure another ARWC, a place in RWC 2025 and WXV 2.
- Venue: Kings Park Sports Ground
- Referee: Sunny Lee (Hong Kong China Rugby)
- Assistant Referee 1: Morgan White (Hong Kong China Rugby)
- Assistant Referee 2: Aggie Poon (Hong Kong China Rugby)
- Television Match Official: Stephen Copeman (Hong Kong China Rugby)
- Match Result: Japan 64-0 Kazakhstan
Japan Sakura Squad vs Kazkahstan – ARWC 2024
Kazakhstan Squad vs Japan – ARWC 2024
- NATALYA KAMENDROVSKAYA (C)
- XENIYA KIM
- TATYANA DADAJANOVA
- SYMBAT ZHAMANKULOVA
- DAIANA KAZIBEKOVA
- MARIYA GRISHINA
- VERONIKA STEPANYUGA
- ANZHELIKA PICHUGINA
- YEKATERINA SAVINA
- DIANA ABISHEVA
- ALYONA MELNIKOVA
- ANNA MELNIKOVA
- YEVA BEKKER
- AMINA TULEGENOVA
- GALINA KRASSAVINA
- SVETLANA MALEZHINA
- DARYA TKACHYOVA
- DARYA SIMAKOVA
- BALZHAN AKHBAYEVA
- ALYONA DROBOVSKAYA
- LYUDMILA IVANOVA
- KUNDYZAY BAKTYBAYEVA
- YULIYA OLEINIKOVA
Hong Kong China vs Kazakhstan – 1 June 2024
Both sides lost to Japan in the ARWC 2024 so will be playing for the runner-up spot which is still vital.
Hong Kong China beat Kazakhstan at home in December 2022 twice in a nailbiting series, and then Kazakhstan got their revenge by narrowly beating HKCR 27-23 in the ARWC 2023 in Almaty.
Both teams are finely poised and come into the fixture with contrasting styles, the Kazakhs will be looking to batter the home team up front and dominate the set piece, but they have dangerous powerful runners in their backs too – some familiar faces as many from from the Kazakh Nomads 7s program.
Hong Kong China believes lessons have been learned and they will try and counter with their own fast-paced attacking rugby, while the forwards will have to cope with the pressure at the set piece to let their lethal outside backs do their damage. HKCR gambled by including a number of Sevens regular prepare for the ARWC due to the high-stakes nature of the tournament in 2024 and will be desperate to reach their first WXV and possibly a return to a Rugby World Cup.
There is an $80 HK$ early bird ticket offer running for the doubleheader at Hong Kong Football Club (tickets $100 after 24 May) from the Hong Kong China Rugby, as the men will get their ARMC campaign underway against UAE before the women play Kazakhstan in what will be a vital match for the ARWC 2024.
Livestream Link & RugbyPassTV Link
- Venue: Hong Kong Football Club
- Referee: Tasuku Kawahara (Japan Rugby Football Union)
- Assistant Referee 1: Koki Yamauchi (Japan Rugby Football Union)
- Assistant Referee 2: Tetsuya Hirakawa (Japan Rugby Football Union)
- Television Match Official: Just Wang (Singapore Rugby Union
- Match Result: Kazakhstan 0-22 HKCR
Kazakhstan Squad vs Hong Kong China – ARWC 2024
TBC
Hong Kong China Squad vs Kazakhstan – ARWC 2024
WXV 2024 And RWC 2025 Qualification
As mentioned earlier, the winner of the ARWC 2024 directly qualifies for RWC 2025 and WXV2, while the runner-up heads to WXV3.
The top five non-qualified teams at the end of WXV 2024, who have not yet qualified through RWC 2021 and the regional tournaments, will also qualify for RWC 2025.
Asian Women’s Rugby News 2024
- Guide To The Asia Rugby 2024 International Tournaments.
- WXV 2024 Details Confirmed.
- Japanese Sakura XV Players Playing Overseas In 2024.
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