Hong Kong to Host First Ever IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy Held in Asia

The future stars of world Rugby from eight international unions: Canada, Georgia, Hong Kong, Japan, Namibia, Tonga, United States and Uruguay, will come together in Hong Kong from 7-19 April 2014 for the seventh playing of the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2014 (IRB JWRT) and the first time it has been staged in Asia.

North American teams USA and Canada are the top seeds in the tournament and head Pools A and B, respectively. Fourth seeds Tonga, fifth seeds Georgia and hosts Hong Kong (eighth seeds) round out Pool A while Pool B sees third seeds Japan, sixth seeds Uruguay and seventh seeds Namibia join the Canadians.

The seventh edition of the Under 20 tournament will see 16 matches played with the pool stages held on April 7, 11 and 15. The finals will be held on April 19, 2014. The last playing of the tournament was in June, 2013 in Chile.

Hong Kong to Host First Ever IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy Held in Asia. Click to Enlarge.

As the champions of the 2012 edition, USA were promoted to the IRB Junior World Championship in 2013 but were relegated after finishing at the bottom of the log earlier this year in France. Their status as the last participating team in the JWC sees them enter the trophy as the top seeds. Once again the winners of this year’s tournament will be promoted to the JWC 2015.

In June, Canada lost to Italy 23-45 in the final of the IRB JWRT giving them their Pool B top seed in Hong Kong. While not quite reaching their goal of promotion to the JWC, the Canadians were satisfied with a result that saw them move from sixth placed finishers in 2012 to runners-up in 2013.

Tournament third seeds Japan are among the most accomplished teams in IRB JWRT history, playing in their fifth JWRT event and holding the all-time record for team points with 505 ahead of fellow 2014 participants Canada (485), Georgia (444), Uruguay (442) and USA (369).

Japan qualified after an emphatic win at the regional (ARFU) Under 19s Championship in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. In Kaohsiung, the team scored an impressive 216 points, while conceding just 14.

Uruguay will fly the flag for South America in Hong Kong after beating Chile 25-7 in the decisive match of the regional (CONSUR) Junior A Championship in September. Namibia’s route to Hong Kong came after beating Kenya 51-8 in the final of the CAR Championship in South Africa in September. Georgia claimed the eighth and final place in Hong Kong after beating Belgium 32-6 in the European Under 19 championship final in early November.

Although they automatically qualified as hosts, Hong Kong finished second in Asia behind Japan having beaten Chinese Taipei 34-31 to edge South Korea into third.

The IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy has gone from strength to strength since its introduction in 2008 with 35,000 spectators attending the matches last year in Temuco, Southern Chile – a new record for the tournament. The Hong Kong RFU will be looking to replicate that electric atmosphere in 2014.

“We are incredibly proud to play host to the up-and-coming stars of the rugby world at the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2014. We will also be marking the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s first appearance in a global junior tournament in 2003 in France. That tournament was later subsumed into the IRB’s Junior World Rugby Trophy and Junior World Championship events,” said HKRFU Chief Executive, Vern Reid. “With the HKRFU hosting the world famous Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens for more 35 years and marking many 15-a-side milestones including the first Bledisloe Cup played on neutral territory in 2008 and the opening match of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia in 2013, we are well prepared to host these eight premier international teams ... With the Rugby World Cup coming to Asia for the first time in 2019, the region is becoming a focal point for growth in the game. Hong Kong has always played a role in building the legacy of the game in the region and we are excited to add another chapter in our prestigious history.”

Admission to all games at the Hong Kong Football Club will be free.