The Asia Rugby Championship for women's national fifteen-a-side teams is a rugby union tournament that has been contested since 2006. Organised by Asia Rugby, there are currently two competition divisions — the Championship, and Division 1. The championship is also the continental qualifying tournament for Asian women's teams in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup, and the WXV.
History The Asia Rugby Women's Championship began in 2006, the first tournament was hosted by China in Kunming. Hosts, China, won the inaugural tournament and since then, Japan has won seven times, Kazakhstan five times, with China and Hong Kong winning one each.
Japan won their seventh Championship title in 2025.
Format The international test calendar was restructured to accommodate the upcoming WXV tournament. Asia Rugby announced that the Asia Rugby Women's Championship would now be played in two tiers as a pathway to the WXV tournament.
The top team in the Championship division will compete in WXV 2 as Asia 1, and the runner-up in WXV 3.
Previous winners
All-time summary Up to and including the 2024 edition, the following women's teams' Championship division top-3 finishes in tournaments:
Asia Rugby Championship Year Host Final placings Asian Rugby Championship Winner Runner-up Third Fourth 2006 Kunming 4 2007 Kunming 4 2008 Taraz 6 2010 Tokyo 2 Asian 4 Nations Winner Runner-up Third Fourth 2012 Kunshan 4 2013 Almaty 4 2014 4 Asia Rugby Championship Winner Runner-up Third Fourth 2015 round-robinhomeoraway 3 rowspan=3 2016 3 2017 2 2021Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia 2022 2 2023 Almaty 3 2024 3 2025 3 2026 3
Division tournaments Year Host Teams Final placings ARC Divisions Winner Runner-up Third Fourth2010 2Sikuet 3 2011 2Vientiane 4 2012 2Manila 4 ARC Div 1 Winner Runner-up Third Fourth 2018 1Singapore 3 2019 1Calamba 4
Notes:
Some sources suggest that the match in Tokyo was for the 2010 ARFU Division 1 XV Championship.http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3671&p=39686#p39686
Relegated to the division below.
Able to be challenged by the winner of the division below to play in a promotion-relegation play-off.
Won promotion, or the right to a challenge play-off for promotion, to the division above.
Development tournament organised by ARFU in 2010. The games were 40 minutes long and were not test matches.
Asia Pacific Championship Year Host Teams Final placingsWinnerRunner-upThird 2016 3 2019Lautoka, Fiji 3
See also Women's international rugby union Asia Rugby Championship (for men)
References