World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2019

The World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2019 kicked off today, March 8th, 2019, with Junior Japan the sole Asian representation in the annual tournament. The Japanese team managed to secure a win over Samoa A 31-21.

According to Wikipedia, the tournament sees national ‘A’ teams (formed from the best locally-based players, with most not already on their nations’ senior rugby team) from the Asia-Pacific region”. World Rugby finances the tournament and has said the “tournament is a proven player development platform in the Pacific Islands and Asia, delivering a high-performance pathway for a core group of under-23 players from domestic to international rugby.”

Fiji Warriors are the heavy favorites having won competition for the past 3 years. The tournament runs from 8th-16th March in the Fijian capital of Suva. The rugby games are being streamed live on the World Rugby Youtube channel and the Junior Japan victory over Samoa A can be seen here.

2019 World Rugby Pacific Challenge teams

Four teams are participating in the 2019 World Rugby Pacific Challenge.

• Fiji Warriors
• Junior Japan
• Samoa A
• Tonga A

Junior Japan World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2019 fixtures

• Friday, March 8th, 2019: Junior Japan 31 -21 Samoa A
• Tuesday 12th March 2019: Junior Japan vs Fiji Warriors
• Saturday 16th March 2019: Junior Japan vs Tonga A

The World Rugby U20 Championship takes place in Argentina in June of 2019, and some players will be looking to use the World Rugby Pacific Challenge to secure a place in the U20 Championship.