Philippines
Asian Women’s Championship
Division One marked China’s
return to Test rugby after an eight-year
absence and they lifted the title with a
68-0 final win over hosts the Philippines.
India also made history at the
tournament with their first-ever Test
victory, beating Singapore 21-19.Portugal
Portugal will play in next
season’s Rugby Europe
Championship after
beating Germany 37-
in a promotion-relegation play-off in
Frankfurt. Germany drop down to the
Trophy while Portugal return to the top
division for the first time in three years.
Argentina
France won back-to-back
U20 World Championship
titles, pipping Australia 24-
in a pulsating final in Rosario. Meet two
of the tournament’s stars on P18-19.
South Africa came third after beating
hosts Argentina 41-16, but Scotland will
drop down to the U20 World Trophy
next year after losing 59-34 to Fiji in the
relegation play-off. Coach Carl Hogg
described the defeat as “devastating”.
England had made the final for the last
six years but this time failed to reach the
semi-finals and eventually finished fifth
with a 45-26 win against Wales.
Grand Slam champions Ireland came
eighth after a 40-17 loss to New Zealand.Samoa
Apia hosts the first match
of this year’s Pacific Nations
Cup when Samoa (left) take on
Tonga on Saturday 27 July. The
other matches taking place that
day are Japan v Fiji in Kamaishi
and USA v Canada in Colorado.
There are two more rounds of
fixtures in the tournament that is a
key part of the six countries’ World
Cup build-up. It’s USA v Samoa and
Fiji v Canada in Suva on 3 August, the
same day that Japan host Tonga in
Osaka. Then on 9 August it’s Canada
v Tonga in Lautoka, with Japan v USA
and Fiji v Samoa in Suva the next day.Australia
Former Wallaby fly-half and
coach Stephen Larkham
(above) has joined Munster’s
back-room team. The
45-year-old will be a senior
coach under Johann van
Graan, who has also brought
in Graham Rowntree.Ivory Coast
The Rugby Africa Cup – a
new 16-team competition
that will act as the qualifying
tournament for RWC 2023- kicks off on 23 November
when Ivory Coast (above)
play Rwanda in Abidjan
and Ghana host Botswana.
New Zealand
The Crusaders will keep their
name for Super Rugby next
year but will change their
logo, which features a knight
and sword. The decision is
a result of a branding review
that followed the mosque
attacks in Christchurch.8
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