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.
| Date | 18 April – 23 May |
|---|---|
| Countries |  Hong Kong Japan South Korea |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Japan (23rd title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Tries scored | 50 (8.33 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Ayumu Goromaru (38) Oh Youn-hyung (38) |
| Most tries | Jegal Bin (4) Karne Hesketh (4) Jang Seong Min (4) |
| Website | www |
← 2014 2016 → | |
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 edit
| Champions |
| Will play in the top 3 challenge |
| Position | Nation | Games | Points | Bonus points |
Total points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference | ||||
| 1 | Japan
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4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 163 | 40 | +123 | 3 | 21 |
| 2 | Hong Kong
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 64 | 111 | –47 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | South Korea
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 110 | 186 | –76 | 3 | 8 |
| 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:
- The final match saw the Japan v Hong Kong match abandoned due to adverse weather. It was agreed that Japan and Hong Kong would share the points, with each team receiving 3 points each.
Fixtures edit
Week 1 edit
| 18 April 2015 12:00 KST (UTC+09) |
| South Korea | 30–56 | 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) |
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Week 2 edit
| 25 April 2015 16:00 HKT (UTC+08) |
| Hong Kong | 26–33 | 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) |
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Week 3 edit
| 2 May 2015 14:00 JST (UTC+09) |
| Japan | 41–0 | 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) |
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Week 4 edit
| 9 May 2015 JST (UTC+09) |
| Japan | 66–10 | 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) |
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Week 5 edit
| 16 May 2015 12:00 KST (UTC+09) |
| South Korea | 37–38 | 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) |
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Week 6 edit
| 23 May 2015 16:00 HKT (UTC+08) |
| Hong Kong | 0–0 Match abandoned at 20' | Japan |
| Aberdeen Sports Ground, Hong Kong Referee: Chris Linwood (United Arab Emirates) |
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Top 3 Challenge edit
Due to financial reasons, the game was cancelled and South Korea remained in the Tri-nations division for 2016.
Squads edit
Summary edit
| Nation | Match venues | Head coach | Captain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | City | Capacity | |||
| Hong Kong
|
Aberdeen Sports Ground | Hong Kong | 9,000 |  Andrew Hall
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Nick Hewson |
| Hong Kong Football Club Stadium | Hong Kong | 2,800 | |||
| Japan
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Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium | Tokyo | 27,188 |  Eddie Jones
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Kensuke Hatakeyama |
| Level-5 Stadium | Fukuoka | 22,563 | |||
| South Korea
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Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium | Incheon | 7,000 | Chung Hyung Seok
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Kim Sung Soo |
Note: Ages, caps and domestic side are of 18 April 2015 – the starting date of the tournament.
Japan edit
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.
Hong Kong edit
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: Andrew Hall
South Korea edit
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.
- Head coach:
Chung Hyung Seok
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See also edit
References edit
- ^ Sallay, Alvin (5 December 2014). "ARFU's philosophical change a boon for Asia's big three". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Asia Rugby - The Regional Association of World Rugby". Asia Rugby. Archived from the original on 2015-05-21. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Jones announces 31-man Brave Blossoms squad for Asian Rugby Championship". 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via Japan Times Online.