Japan gets Junior RWC

Thursday 08th May 2008

The IRB has announced that Japan will host the IRB Junior World Championship in 2009. The awarding of the Tournament, which will bring together the world's best U20 teams, is a significant boost to the continued development of Rugby in Asia.

Japanese rugby is currently undergoing significant strengthening, with several big names such as Caleb Ralph joining Japanese clubs, and this announcement is sure to boost the country's profile ahead of the bidding process for the hosting rights of the 2015 rugby World Cup.

"The IRB is delighted that the IRB Junior World Championship 2009 will be played in Asia and awarding it to Japan is a very exciting development in the evolution of the competition," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"The Championship is hugely important to the IRB in terms of providing a platform for the next generation of international Rugby stars to showcase their skills on the international stage and develop into truly elite athletes.

"Japan has all the facilities and infrastructure to ensure that the Tournament will be organised to a very high standard which is vital for its success.

"Rugby in Japan continues to grow in popularity which is reflected in the increasing number of spectators supporting the annual Top League company championship.

"In addition, Japan has a very strong tradition in University Rugby so there is no doubt that the Japanese public will welcome the opportunity to see the best U20 players in the world compete in a competition that is second only to the Rugby World Cup itself in terms of scale and importance in the IRB competition structures."

Mark Egan, IRB Head of Game Development and Performance, believes this is a big step forward for Rugby in Asia.

"Japan is the heartbeat of Asia's growing Rugby market and is a strategically important Union for the IRB," he said.

"There are now over 125,000 registered players in the country and we believe that the Tournament, through a strong commercial, media and broadcast platform will provide the opportunity for a comprehensive development and legacy programme that will enhance the profile of the Game in Japan."

While the competition schedule and match venues are still to be confirmed, the Japan Rugby Football Union is looking forward to hosting what promises to be a memorable Tournament and welcoming over 700 players, coaches and support staff along with many travelling fans from the 16 participating countries.

"This is an extremely exciting development for the Game in Japan and also Asia," said Japan Rugby Football Union Chairman Nobby Mashimo.

"The Japan Rugby Football Union is confident that we will be able to deliver a very successful Tournament that will foster the growth of Rugby within the Asian Rugby Community.

"In addition to bringing international class Rugby to Japan, the Tournament will give the Union invaluable experience of hosting a major IRB international Rugby event which we believe will give a significant boost to our bid to host a future Rugby World Cup."