Rugby World UK – July 2019

Samoa

Tries by Linda Fiafia, Soteria

Pulumu and Nina Foaese

helped Samoa lift the inaugural Asia

Pacific Women’s Championship title with

a 15-12 win over Fiji. They will now turn

their attentions to the Oceania Women’s

Championship in November, which

doubles as a 2021 World Cup qualifier.

Japan
After finishing 15th in
the final standings of
the Men’s World Sevens
Series, Japan lost their
place as a core team on the circuit and
will be replaced by Ireland in 2019-20.
Japan are assured of their place at the
2020 Olympics, however, as hosts.

Uganda
For the past decade, the
Bhubesi Pride Foundation
has helped to develop
rugby in Africa. Travelling to countries
like Uganda (below), Malawi, Botswana
and Mozambique, the charity introduces
children to rugby, supports local projects
and establishes coaching initiatives.

It is also constructing a sports and

education facility on a seven-acre

plot of land in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The charity is now looking to recruit

people to take part in its 2020 coaching

expedition, which runs across eight

countries from January to September.

Find out more about the expedition

and the foundation at rugbyinafrica.org

Brazil

The line-up for Tokyo 2020

will include Brazil’s women

after they won the Sudamericano

Femenino Sevens in Lima, Peru.

They topped Pool A with wins over

Venezuela, Guatemala, Paraguay and

Peru, saw off Argentina 36-14 in the

last four and beat Colombia 28-15 in

the final to qualify for the Olympics.

It caps a good few months for Brazil

as they qualified as a core team for

the Women’s World Series in April.

Colombia could still make it to

Tokyo as they will play in next year’s

Olympics repêchage tournament

that determines the final qualifier.

Algeria

Algeria have become an

associate member of World

Rugby. The federation was

formed in 2015 and won the

Africa Bronze Cup in 2017

and the Silver Cup in 2018.

Rugby will be introduced in

schools there in September.

Hong Kong

Ex-Scotland forward Andrew

Hall (above) is Hong Kong’s

new head coach. He’s been

part of the coaching team

since 2012 and takes the

reins from Leigh Jones, the

HKRU general manager

of performance rugby.

10 France

Bayonne (above) will play in

the Top 14 next season after

defeating Brive 21-19 in the

ProD2 final. Brive then beat

Grenoble in the promotion

play-off, so Grenoble join

Perpignan in being relegated.

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