Big Moment for Women’s Rugby in Asia

from ScrumQueens:

The national women’s rugby teams of Japan and Hong Kong will curtain raise an Asian 5 Nations game for the first time this year when the two sides do battle on May 22.

The game, to be played in Japan, marks a big moment for women’s rugby in Asia, which will receive a big exposure boost as the match is likely to take place in front of a large crowd.

The Asian Five Nations (A5N) is a competition which started in 2008 between the men’s teams from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and the Arabian Gulf. With this year’s competition serving as a qualification route for the 2011 World Cup, a big interest in the games is expected.

With neither women’s teams from Hong Kong or Japan qualifying for this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the game marks the main 15 aside fixture so far on both nation’s calenders.

It also continues on the growing trend of women’s internationals acting as curtain raisers to major men’s test matches with England and the Black Ferns curtain raising at Twickenham last year and with France and Canda doing likewise at the Stade de France.

Both Hong Kong and Japan took part in the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers last year with Japan reaching the final but losing out to Kazakhstan who grabbed the last spot.

Hong Kong finished behind Japan in third spot in the competition with a final day win over Singapore.

Asian women’s rugby suffer from a lack of a mainstream 15 aside competition, with teams forced to play each other sporadically which leaves them ill prepared for World Cup Qualifiers every four years so game so of this nature are significant.

Meanwhile the Hong Kong 7s taking place in March is due to announce the participating women’s teams this week.