2024 Asia Rugby Championship

2024 Asia Rugby Championship
Date	1 June – 22 June
Countries	Hong Kong; Malaysia; South Korea; United Arab Emirates
Website	www.asiarugby.com
	← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 Asia Rugby Championship is the eighth annual rugby union series for the top-level Asia Rugby nations. Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates shall compete in the 2024 series. Other Asian nations played in the lower division tournaments.^[1]

The format of the series is a single round-robin where the four teams play each other once. The team finishing on top of the standings at the end of the series is declared the winner. The team finishing at the bottom of the standing are relegated to the 2025 Asia Rugby Division 1.^[2] The competition will begin on 1 June 2024 and will conclude on 22 June 2024.^[3]^[4]

Hong Kong entered the competition as reigning champions, having won the competition for the fourth time in 2023. The United Arab Emirates were promoted from the 2023 Asia Rugby Division 1.^[5]

Teams[edit]

The teams involved,

Team	Stadia			Coach	Captain	World Rugby Ranking
Team	Home stadium	Capacity	Location	Coach	Captain	Start	End
Hong Kong	Hong Kong Football Club Stadium	2,750	Hong Kong	Andrew Douglas	Joshua Hrstich^[6]	24th
South Korea	Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field	4,968	Incheon	Lee Myung Geun	Lee Jin Kyu	30th
Malaysia	UPM Stadium^[7]	3,000	Serdang	Farid Syazwan Abu Bakar	Syarif Nurhidayat	50th
United Arab Emirates	The Sevens Stadium	44,000	Dubai	Jacques Benade	Matthew Mills	61st

Squads[edit]

Malaysia squad
Name	Position	Caps	Club
Azam Fakhrullah Bin Abd Razak	Loosehead Prop		Terengganu
Muhammad Abrar Bin Zanuddin	Loosehead Prop
Amirul Mukminin Bin Amizan	Hooker		New Perlis
Nabil Ikhwan			Putrajaya
Mohd Nurazman Ramli			PDRM
Mohammad Azri Mohd Kamal Rosnan	Tighthead Prop		MSS Kelantan
Amierul Harith			Putrajaya
Aiman Hakeem			Johor
Harith El Iskander Shah Mohd Shukri	Lock		Putrajaya
Suhalkal Suhaimi			NS Wanderers RC
Muhammad Sameer Muhammad Sani Surinder			Terengganu
Mohad Shobrey Bin Amok			Sabah
Mohamad Syahmi Afiq Bin Edan			PDRM
Syarif Nurhidayat Muzhaimey	Flanker		Putrajaya
Samuel Rentap Meran			Terengganu
Shah Izwan			MSS Kelantan
Amin Jamaluddin	Number 8		New Perlis
Amirul Aiman Ihsan Abas	Number 8		Sabah
Razali Ramlan	Scrumhalf		Putrajaya
Mohamad Nasharuddin Isamil	Scrumhalf		Terengganu
Lee James Chapman	Flyhalf		PDRM
Mohd Fairuz Ab Rahman			Sabah
Nareen Fitri			Terengganu
Muhammad Zharif Affandi Mohamed Zahib	Center		Terengganu
Hakim Abu Hassan			Putrajaya
Zulkiflee Bin Azmi			PDRM
Kamal Hamidi			Malaysia Sevens
Azwan Zuwairi			PDRM
Mohd Daim Bin Zainudin	Outside Back		New Perlis
Adam Ariff			MSS Kelantan
Ahmad Zulhilmi Azizad			Johor
Harith lqbal			Terengganu
Harry Preston			Leicester Lions RFC
Anwarul Hafiz Bin Ahmad			PDRM

South Korean Squad^[8]
Name	Position	Caps	Club
Yang Keun Seob	Loosehead Prop	0	Hyundai Glovis
Shin Ji Min		0	OK Financial Group Okman
Kim Tae Woo		0	Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps
Choi Ho Young	Hooker	4	Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps
Lee Seung Eun		0	Hyundai Glovis
Park Gun Woo		0	OK Financial Group Okman
Park Ye Chan	Tighthead Prop	3	Hyundai Glovis
Won Jung Ho		2	Hyundai Glovis
Seo Tae Pung		0	Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps
Kim Sang Jin	Lock	5	OK Financial Group Okman
Park Joon Beom		2	Hyundai Glovis
Lee Hyeon Je		0	Hyundai Glovis
Seo Jong Soo		0	Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps
Yoo Jae Hoon	Back row	9	OK Financial Group Okman
Kim Yo Han		4	Hyundai Glovis
Hwang Jeong Wook		1	Hyundai Glovis
Kim Chan Ju		0	Hyundai Glovis
Yoo Gi Jung		0	OK Financial Group Okman
Heo Jae Jun	Scrumhalf	0	Hyundai Glovis
Kang Min Jun	Scrumhalf	0	OK Financial Group Okman
Jung Bu Hyon	Flyhalf	1	Hyundai Glovis
Ko Seung Jae	Flyhalf	0	OK Financial Group Okman
Mun Jeong Ho	Center	6	Hyundai Glovis
Lee Jin Kyu		0	Hyundai Glovis
Lee Yong Un		0	OK Financial Group Okman
Jeong Yeon Sik	Outside Back	15	Hyundai Glovis
Shin Min Su		1	Hyundai Glovis
Kim Chan Deul		0	OK Financial Group Okman
Baek Jong Eun		1	Hyundai Glovis

United Arab Emirates Squad^[9]
Name	Position	Caps	Club
Lukas Waddington	Prop	4	Dubai Exiles RFC
Pieter Killian		2	Dubai Exiles RFC
Riaan Barnard		2	Barrelhouse RC
Sunia Laladidi		0	Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Moeneeb Galant	Hooker	2	Dubai Exiles RFC
David Gairn	Hooker	2	Dubai Exiles RFC
Esekaia Dranibota	Lock	2	Dubai Tigers RFC
Jonathan Harris	Lock	2	Jebel Ali Dragons
Jaen Botes	Back row	10	Dubai Exiles RFC
Matthew Mills (c)		4	Dubai Exiles RFC
Epeli Davetawalu		2	Dubai Exiles RFC
Marcus Guerin		0	Dubai Tigers RFC
Ian Surtees		0	Jebel Ali Dragons
Chris McKee		0	Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Carel Thomas	Scrumhalf	2	Dubai Exiles RFC
Andrew Semple	Scrumhalf	0	Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Jamie Gavin	Flyhalf	0	Jebel Ali Dragons
Handre Snetler	Flyhalf	0	Dubai Exiles RFC
Sakiusa Naisau	Center	4	Dubai Tigers RFC
Rory Arthur	Center	0	Dubai Exiles RFC
Liam Caldwell	Outside Back	0	Dubai Tigers RFC
Justin Walsh		0	Dubai Exiles RFC
Emosi Vecenaua		0	Dubai Tigers RFC
Matt Richards		0	Jebel Ali Dragons
Connor Kennedy		0	Dubai Exiles RFC

Preparation[edit]

Hong Kong China[edit]

Hong Kong China spent the 22–28 April in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in preparation for the 2024 Asia Rugby Championship and to help create a professional environment for the group. They ended the tour with a match against the ACT Brumbies Runners as a curtain raiser for the 2024 Super Rugby matchup between ACT Brumbies and Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium in Canberra.^[10]

27 April 2024
11:55 AEST (UTC+10)

ACT Brumbies Runners	65–0	Hong Kong China XV
	Report

GIO Stadium, Canberra

Team details^[11]^[12]


FB	15	Nate Carroll
RW	14	Matias Jensen
OC	13	Hudson Creighton
IC	12	Austin Anderson
LW	11	Ben O’Donnell
FH	10	Declan Meredith
SH	9	Klayton Thorn
N8	8	Baden Godfrey
OF	7	Luke Reimer
BF	6	Ed Kennedy
RL	5	Nick Frost
LL	4	Lachlan Shaw
TP	3	Rhys van Nek
HK	2	Liam Bowron
LP	1	Harry Vella
Replacements:
	16	Davea Teoteo
	17	Sam Sahyoun
	18	Sila Titiuti
	19	Will Sankey
	20	Deveraux Tapelu
	21	Alex Smit
	22	Wally Wentzel
	23	Clay Uyen
	24	Sam McLachlan
	25	Silas Pilot
	26	Alex Kerr
Coach:
Dan Hooper


FB	15	Dylan White
RW	14	Alex Moses
OC	13	Jack Morris
IC	12	Tom Hill
LW	11	Will Panday
FH	10	Matteo Avitabile
SH	9	Pat Joe Laidler
N8	8	Joshua Hrstich (c)
OF	7	Hugh McCormick-Houston
BF	6	Tyler McNutt
RL	5	Jamie Pincott
LL	4	Jonnathan Kenny
TP	3	Zac Cinnamond
HK	2	John McCormick-Houston
LP	1	James Holmes
Replacements:
PR	16	Rory Cinnamond
PR	17	Sunia Fameitau
PR	18	Faizal Solomone Penesa
LK	19	Dana Fourie
BR	20	Dean Rossouw
FH	21	Nathan De Thierry
FB	22	Dylan McCann
CE	23	Benjamin Axten-Burrett
BR	24	Luke Van der Smit
PR	25	Ben Higgins
HK	26	Jude Harding
WG	27	Murray Brechin
CE	28	Jack Abbott
FB	29	Shiven Dukhande
Coach:
Andrew Douglas

Malaysia[edit]

Malaysia played a practice match against local side Tueto Wear Selection Team, and played a cross border friendly match against Singapore on 11 May.^[13]^[14]^[15] The game was uncapped.^[16]

11 May 2024
14:00

Malaysia XV	46 – 7	Singapore XV

Johor Rugby Stadium, Johor

Standings[edit]

2024 Asia Rugby Championship Champions
Relegation to 2025 Asia Rugby Division 1

Pos.	Team	Matches				Points			Bonus points	Total points
Pos.	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	For	Against	Diff.	Bonus points	Total points
1	South Korea	1	1	0	0	55	5	50	1	5
2	Hong Kong	1	1	0	0	52	5	47	1	5
3	United Arab Emirates	1	0	1	0	5	52	0	0	0
4	Malaysia	1	0	1	0	5	55	50	0	0
Points were awarded to the teams as follows: Win — 4 points Draw — 2 points 4 or more tries — 1 point Loss within 7 points — 1 point Loss greater than 7 points — 0 points

Fixtures[edit]

Week 1[edit]

1 June 2024
15:30 HKT (UTC+8)

Hong Kong	52 – 5	United Arab Emirates
Try: McCormick-Houston 16' c, Laidler 19' c 24' m, Hill 34' c 45' c, Altier 48' c, Post 75' c, Higson Smith 78' m Con: Hill 18' 20' 35' 46' 50' 77' (6/8) Cards: McCormick-Houston 51' to 61'	Report	Try: Vecenaua 6' m

Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong China
Attendance: 1,000


FB	15	Paul Altier
RW	14	Sebastian Brien
OC	13	Benjamin Axten-Burrett
IC	12	Tom Hill
LW	11	Charles Higson-Smith
FH	10	Matteo Avitabile
SH	9	Pat Joe Laidler
N8	8	Luke van der Smit
OF	7	James Sawyer
BF	6	Joshua Hrstich (c)
RL	5	Kyle Sullivan
LL	4	Jamie Pincott
TP	3	Zac Cinnamond
HK	2	John McCormick-Houston
LP	1	Rory Cinnamond
Replacements:
	16	Alexander Post
	17	Chukwudi Edison
	18	Faizal Solomona Penesa
	19	Callum McCullough
	20	Tyler McNutt
	21	Camill Cheung
	22	Jack Neville
	23	Harry Sayers
Coach:
Andrew Douglas


FB	15	Matt Richards
RW	14	Emosi Vecenaua
OC	13	Rory Arthur
IC	12	Justin Walsh
LW	11	Sakiusa Naisau
FH	10	Jamie Gavin
SH	9	Andrew Semple
N8	8	Jaen Botes
OF	7	Matthew Mills (c)
BF	6	Epeli Davetawalu
RL	5	Marcus Guerin
LL	4	Esekaia Dranibota
TP	3	Riaan Barnard
HK	2	David Gairn
LP	1	Pieter Killian
Replacements:
	16	Sunia Laladidi
	17	Lukas Waddington
	18	Moeneeb Galant
	19	Chris McKee
	20	Liam Caldwell
	21	Connor Kennedy
	22	Carel Thomas
	23	Jonathan Harris
Coach:
Jacques Benade

2 June 2024
14:00 KST (UTC+9)

South Korea	55 – 5	Malaysia
Try: Jin Kyu 7' m 71' c, Hyeon Je 14 c, Jeong Wook 24' c 30' m 39' c, Yong Un 26' c, Chan Ju 45', Yeon Sik 66' m Con: Seung Jae 15' 25' 27' 40' 72' (5/9)	Report	Try: Amok 49' m

Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, South Korea
Attendance: 1,000


FB	15	Baek Jong Eun
RW	14	Jeong Yeon Sik
OC	13	Mun Jeong Ho
IC	12	Lee Jin Kyu (c)
LW	11	Lee Yong Un
FH	10	Jung Bu Hyon
SH	9	Kang Min Jun
N8	8	Hwang Jeong Wook
OF	7	Kim Chan Ju
BF	6	Kim Yo Han
RL	5	Lee Hyeon Je
LL	4	Seo Jong Soo
TP	3	Won Jung Ho
HK	2	Choi Ho Young
LP	1	Kim Tae Woo
Replacements:
LH	16	Shin Ji Min
HK	17	Park Gun Woo
TH	18	Seo Tae Pung
	19	Kim Sang Jin
	20	Yoo Jae Hoon
	21	Heo Jae Jun
	22	Kim Chan Deul
	23	Ko Seung Jae
Coach:
Lee Myung Geun


FB	15	Anwarul Hafiz Bin Ahmad
RW	14	Ahmad Zulhilmi Azizad
OC	13	Zulkiflee Bin Azmi
IC	12	Muhammad Zharif Affandi Mohamed Zahib
LW	11	Mohd Daim Bin Zainudin
FH	10	Lee James Chapman
SH	9	Razali Ramlan
N8	8	Amirul Aiman Ihsan Abas
OF	7	Samuel Rentap Meran
BF	6	Syarif Nurhidayat Muzhaimey (c)
RL	5	Harith El Iskander Shah Mohd Shukri
LL	4	Muhammad Sameer Muhammad Sani Surinder
TP	3	Mohamad Syahmi Afiq Bin Edan
HK	2	Amirul Mukminin Bin Amizan
LP	1	Mohammad Azri Mohd Kamal Rosnan
Replacements:
	16	Mohd Nurazman Ramli
	17	Azam Fakhrullah Bin Abd Razak
	18	Muhammad Abrar Bin Zanuddin
	19	Mohad Shobrey Bin Amok
	20	Suhalkal Suhaimi
	21	Mohamad Nasharuddin Isamil
	22	Mohd Fairuz Ab Rahman
	23	Ahmad Azhad Rifqi Redzuan
Coach:
Farid Syazwan Abu Bakar

Week 2[edit]

8 June 2024
14:00 MST (UTC+8)

Malaysia	v	Hong Kong

UPM Stadium, Serdang


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Farid Syazwan Abu Bakar


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Andrew Douglas

9 June 2024
19:30 GST (UTC+04)

United Arab Emirates	v	South Korea

The Sevens Stadium, Dubai


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Jacques Benade


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Lee Myung Geun

Week 3[edit]

21 June 2024
19:30 GST (UTC+04)

United Arab Emirates	v	Malaysia

The Sevens Stadium, Dubai


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Jacques Benade


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Farid Syazwan Abu Bakar

22 June 2024
16:30 HKT (UTC+8)

Hong Kong	v	South Korea

Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong China


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Andrew Douglas


FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
OF	7
BF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Replacements:
	16
	17
	18
	19
	20
	21
	22
	23
Coach:
Lee Myung Geun

References[edit]

^ rugbyasia247 (2024-03-24). "Guide To The Asia Rugby 2024 International Tournaments". RugbyAsia247. Retrieved 2024-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Hinato (2024-02-23). "Asia Rugby: Le calendrier 2024 connu!". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-08.
^ Rugby, Asia (2024-02-23). "Asia Rugby Unveils 2024 Competitions Calendar". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
^ "Asia Rugby Calendar 2024 - Competitions". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
^ Ishak, Fadhli (2024-01-03). "ARC top flight expanded, UAE get the nod | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
^ Rugby, Hong Kong China (2024-04-26). "Hong Kong China Men's XV Team Confirmed Ahead…". Hong Kong China Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
^ Ishak, Fadhli (2024-04-24). "Malaysia-Hong Kong rugby clash to be played at UPM Stadium | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
^ Hinato (2024-05-14). "Le groupe sud-coréen pour l'Asia Rugby Championship 2024". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-21.
^ Hinato (2024-05-21). "Le groupe émirati pour le déplacement à Hong Kong". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-21.
^ Rugby, Hong Kong China (2024-04-29). "Hong Kong China Rugby Announces 29-Man Squad…". Hong Kong China Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ "ACT Brumbies Runners Team List: Game 4 v Hong Kong China". brumbies.rugby. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ Rugby, Hong Kong China (2024-04-29). "Hong Kong China Men's XV Brumbies Tour…". Hong Kong China Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ Hinato (2024-03-29). "Le retour 5 ans après de Singapour avec son équipe nationale de rugby à XV". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ Hinato (2024-04-05). "Singapour, Taïwan et la Thaïlande vont participer au Tri Union Series 2024". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
^ Zamri, Adam (2024-05-09). "Test match or friendly? Uncertainties loom over Malaysia v S'pore rugby clash". Scoop. Retrieved 2024-05-11.

[1] rugbyasia247 (2024-03-24). "Guide To The Asia Rugby 2024 International Tournaments". RugbyAsia247. Retrieved 2024-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[2] Hinato (2024-02-23). "Asia Rugby: Le calendrier 2024 connu!". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-08.

[3] Rugby, Asia (2024-02-23). "Asia Rugby Unveils 2024 Competitions Calendar". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-08.

[4] "Asia Rugby Calendar 2024 - Competitions". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-08.

[5] Ishak, Fadhli (2024-01-03). "ARC top flight expanded, UAE get the nod | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2024-04-08.

[6] Rugby, Hong Kong China (2024-04-26). "Hong Kong China Men's XV Team Confirmed Ahead…". Hong Kong China Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-26.

[7] Ishak, Fadhli (2024-04-24). "Malaysia-Hong Kong rugby clash to be played at UPM Stadium | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2024-04-26.

[8] Hinato (2024-05-14). "Le groupe sud-coréen pour l'Asia Rugby Championship 2024". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-21.

[9] Hinato (2024-05-21). "Le groupe émirati pour le déplacement à Hong Kong". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-21.

[10] Rugby, Hong Kong China (2024-04-29). "Hong Kong China Rugby Announces 29-Man Squad…". Hong Kong China Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-29.

[11] "ACT Brumbies Runners Team List: Game 4 v Hong Kong China". brumbies.rugby. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-04-29.

[12] Rugby, Hong Kong China (2024-04-29). "Hong Kong China Men's XV Brumbies Tour…". Hong Kong China Rugby. Retrieved 2024-04-29.

[13] Hinato (2024-03-29). "Le retour 5 ans après de Singapour avec son équipe nationale de rugby à XV". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-29.

[14] Hinato (2024-04-05). "Singapour, Taïwan et la Thaïlande vont participer au Tri Union Series 2024". Asierugby (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-29.

[15] "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-04-29.

[16] Zamri, Adam (2024-05-09). "Test match or friendly? Uncertainties loom over Malaysia v S'pore rugby clash". Scoop. Retrieved 2024-05-11.

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