Asian Five Nations
Encyclopedia
The Asian Five Nations, known as the HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to its sponsorship by HSBC
, is an annual international rugby union
competition held between the top five Asian national rugby sides. The teams play a round-robin competition held on five consecutive weekends throughout April and May.
The competition represents the highest tier of international rugby in Asia, and is the apex of a multi-divisional Asian international calendar (see below).
The first competition was held in 2008, and Japan
, Hong Kong
and Kazakhstan
have been selected for all the competitions until now.
(ARFU) tournament is the pinnacle of four newly formed tiers of elite competition across all 25 Asian rugby unions with promotion and relegation opportunities between divisions for all participating teams.
On 21 February 2008, the International Rugby Board
(IRB) confirmed the introduction of this major international tournament to the rugby calendar in April. The IRB-supported competition, which initially comprised Japan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Korea and the Arabian Gulf Rugby Team, kick-started the ongoing development of the game across the region.
The IRB is committed to increasing global playing standards and the tournament, which has received funding in the form of a US$500,000 IRB grant, represents the pinnacle of a complete restructuring of competition in Asia by the Region’s governing body, the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU).
The tournament is considered vital for the development and expansion of rugby throughout Asia and gives Asian elite players the chance to perform in front of a significantly expanded TV audience, whilst providing a platform for development at all other levels.
The last-placed team in the Asian Five Nations is relegated to the Division I competition in the next year and the top team in Division I gains promotion to the Asian Five Nations. The promotion and relegation policy is also in effect for the Division I and Division II competitions, guaranteeing an opportunity for all unions to advance on the world stage.
With the 2010 Asian Five Nations tournament serving as the qualifying tournament
for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
, the promotion and relegation system meant that the 2008 Division I and Division II seasons (along with the 2009 Division I season) was also be part of Rugby World Cup qualifying.
In 2008, Division I competition was played amongst China, Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The Division II competition was contested by India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand. Four regional competitions was also played. The first was played in Indonesia and featured Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos; the second tournament was held in Guam between Brunei, Guam and the Philippines; the third tournament was in Qatar, played between Qatar, Mongolia and Macau; Kyrgyzstan hosted the final regional competition with Iran, Uzbekistan and themselves in the frame.
for the tournament, which underlines the increasing appetite for the game in Asia. Enhanced television deals for the Asian market were a feature of record Rugby World Cup broadcast coverage and comprehensive coverage of the Asian Five Nations on television will ensure continued widespread exposure across Asia and into IRB targeted growth markets such as China and India.
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
, is an annual international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
competition held between the top five Asian national rugby sides. The teams play a round-robin competition held on five consecutive weekends throughout April and May.
The competition represents the highest tier of international rugby in Asia, and is the apex of a multi-divisional Asian international calendar (see below).
The first competition was held in 2008, and Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong national rugby union team
The Hong Kong national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side. Hong Kong first played in 1969 and since then have always been in the group of the best Asian teams. Their team is made mostly from British origin players, with some natives from Hong Kong. They have yet to qualify for the...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national rugby union team
The Kazakhstan national rugby union team represents Kazakhstan at international level of rugby union. The team are nicknamed "The Nomads" and are controlled by the Kazakhstan Rugby Union....
have been selected for all the competitions until now.
Background
The Asian Rugby Football UnionAsian Rugby Football Union
The Asian Rugby Football Union ' is the governing body of rugby union in Asia under the authority of the International Rugby Board.Founded in 1968 by eight charter nations, the Union today has 27 member unions in countries across Asia, stretching from Kazakhstan to Guam.The aim of ARFU is: "to...
(ARFU) tournament is the pinnacle of four newly formed tiers of elite competition across all 25 Asian rugby unions with promotion and relegation opportunities between divisions for all participating teams.
On 21 February 2008, the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) confirmed the introduction of this major international tournament to the rugby calendar in April. The IRB-supported competition, which initially comprised Japan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Korea and the Arabian Gulf Rugby Team, kick-started the ongoing development of the game across the region.
The IRB is committed to increasing global playing standards and the tournament, which has received funding in the form of a US$500,000 IRB grant, represents the pinnacle of a complete restructuring of competition in Asia by the Region’s governing body, the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU).
The tournament is considered vital for the development and expansion of rugby throughout Asia and gives Asian elite players the chance to perform in front of a significantly expanded TV audience, whilst providing a platform for development at all other levels.
The last-placed team in the Asian Five Nations is relegated to the Division I competition in the next year and the top team in Division I gains promotion to the Asian Five Nations. The promotion and relegation policy is also in effect for the Division I and Division II competitions, guaranteeing an opportunity for all unions to advance on the world stage.
With the 2010 Asian Five Nations tournament serving as the qualifying tournament
2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying
2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying began at the 2007 tournament in France, where twelve teams earned a place in the finals of the tournament, this automatically qualified them for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.After much speculation, it was confirmed on 30 November 2007 that 20 teams would...
for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, the promotion and relegation system meant that the 2008 Division I and Division II seasons (along with the 2009 Division I season) was also be part of Rugby World Cup qualifying.
In 2008, Division I competition was played amongst China, Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The Division II competition was contested by India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand. Four regional competitions was also played. The first was played in Indonesia and featured Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos; the second tournament was held in Guam between Brunei, Guam and the Philippines; the third tournament was in Qatar, played between Qatar, Mongolia and Macau; Kyrgyzstan hosted the final regional competition with Iran, Uzbekistan and themselves in the frame.
Top 5
| Year | Champions | Runners-Up | 3rd Place | 4th Place | Relegated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Arabian Gulf Arabian Gulf rugby union team The Arabian Gulf rugby union team was a combined team of players from Arab states of Persian Gulf — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that represented the Arabian Peninsula area in international rugby union competitions... |
||||
| 2009 | |||||
| 2010 | Arabian Gulf Arabian Gulf rugby union team The Arabian Gulf rugby union team was a combined team of players from Arab states of Persian Gulf — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that represented the Arabian Peninsula area in international rugby union competitions... |
||||
| 2011 2011 Asian Five Nations The 2011 Asian Five Nations, known as the 2011 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, was the 4th series of the Asian Five Nations rugby union tournament.The 2011 Asian 5 nations consisted of the best 5 teams in Asia... |
Divisions
| Year | Division I | Division II | Division III | Division IV | Division V | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Relegated | Winner | Relegated | Winner | Relegated | Winner | Relegated | Winner | Relegated | |
| 2008 | N/A | Not Played | Not Played | Not Played | ||||||
| 2009 | Arabian Gulf Arabian Gulf rugby union team The Arabian Gulf rugby union team was a combined team of players from Arab states of Persian Gulf — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that represented the Arabian Peninsula area in international rugby union competitions... |
N/A | Not Played | Not Played | ||||||
| 2010 | N/A | Not Played | ||||||||
| 2011 2011 Asian Five Nations division tournaments The 2011 Asian Five Nations division tournaments, known as the 2011 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, refer to the divisions played within the tournement. This was the 4th series of the Asian Five Nations.... |
N/A | |||||||||
Regional tournaments
| Year | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Winner | Winner | Winner | |
| 2008 | Cancelled | |||
| 2009 | Cancelled | N/A |
Sponsorship
The ARFU has secured a significant title sponsorship deal with HSBCHSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
for the tournament, which underlines the increasing appetite for the game in Asia. Enhanced television deals for the Asian market were a feature of record Rugby World Cup broadcast coverage and comprehensive coverage of the Asian Five Nations on television will ensure continued widespread exposure across Asia and into IRB targeted growth markets such as China and India.