The 2016 Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, was the second annual tri-nations series for top-level rugby union in Asia and the twenty-ninth continental championship for the Asia Rugby nations. The Asia Rugby Championship replaced the former Asian Five Nations in 2015, with only three nations competing in the top division instead of the previous five. The 2016 series included Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Other Asian nations competed in the lower division tournaments.
The format of the competition is a double round-robin where the top-three nations play each other twice on a home and away basis. The team finishing on top of the standings is declared the winner, and the bottom-placed team is subject to a promotion-relegation play-off against the winner of Division 1, although this opportunity to challenge is often declined.
Teams The teams involved, with their world rankings prior to the 2016 tournament in brackets: NationHome stadiumCityHead coachCaptain (10)Nippatsu Mitsuzawa StadiumChichibunomiya Rugby StadiumYokohamaTokyo Ryuji Nakatake Keisuke Uchida (23)Hong Kong Football Club StadiumHong Kong Leigh Jones Nick Hewson (29)Namdong Asiad Rugby StadiumIncheon John WaltersShin Dong Won
Standings ChampionsWill play in the top 3 challenge
PositionNationGamesPointsPointsPlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifferenceBP1BP2Total1440024223+21940202420295139-4420103400445220-175112Source: rugbyarchive.net Four points for a win, two for a draw, one bonus point for four tries or more (BP1) and one bonus point for losing by seven or less (BP2).
Fixtures
Week 1
FB 15Ryuji NoguchiRW 14Hajime Yamashita OC 13Takuya IshibashiIC 12Ryoto NakamuraLW 11Kentaro KodamaFH 10Ryohei Yamanaka SH 9 Keisuke Uchida (c) N8 8 Tevita TatafuOF 7 Taiyo Ando BF 6 Hiroki YamamotoRL 5 Kazuhiko UsamiLL 4 Kotaro Yatabe TP 3 Yu Chinen HK 2 Futoshi Mori LP 1 Kengo Kitagawa Replacements:PR 16Kanta Higashionna HK 17Atsushi Sakate PR 18Takayuki Watanabe LK 19Naohiro Kotaki N8 20Tsuyoshi Murata SH 21Daisuke Inoue CE 22Doga Maeda CE 23Ataata Moeakiola Coach: Ryuji Nakatake FB 15Nam Young SooRW 14Jang Seong Min OC 13Jegal Bin IC 12Lim Sang JinLW 11Kim Jin hyeokFH 10Oh Youn-hyung SH 9 Shin Ki CheolN8 8 Han Kun Kyu OF 7 Kim Hyun SooBF 6 Park Soon ChaiRL 5 Nam Jong Song LL 4 Youn Kwon Woo TP 3 Shin Dong Won (c) HK 2 Kim Min Kyu LP 1 Na Kwan YoungReplacements:HK 16Chong Kwi Hong PR 17Kang Tae Hyeon PR 18Kim Myeong Hwan FL 19Shin Dah Yeon N8 20Hwang In Jo SH 21Ahn Sang HoFB 22Oh Jim Yeong WG 23Kim Sung Soo Coach: John Walters
Week 2
FB 15Alexander McQueenRW 14Ryan Meacheam OC 13James Robinson IC 12Lee JonesLW 11Salom Yiu Kam ShingFH 10Benjamin RimeneSH 9 Jamie Hood N8 8 Daniel FalveyOF 7 Toby FennBF 6 Nick Hewson (c)RL 5 Paul DywerLL 4 Adrian Griffiths TP 3 Jack Parfitt HK 2 Jamie Tsang LP 1 Adam Fullgrabe Replacements:HK 16Lachlan Chubb PR 17Hon Wum Wei PR 18Alex Ng LK 19James Cunningham N8 20Jack DelaforceSH 21Eliesa Kaleca Rauca CE 22Cado Lee FH 23Niall Rowark Coach: Leigh Jones FB 15Ryuji NoguchiRW 14Hajime Yamashita OC 13Takuya Ishibashi IC 12Ryoto NakamuraLW 11Kentaro KodamaFH 10Ryohei YamanakaSH 9 Keisuke Uchida (c) N8 8 Tevita Tatafu OF 7 Shokei KinBF 6 Tsuyoshi MurataRL 5 Kazuhiko UsamiLL 4 Naohiro Kotaki TP 3 Yu Chinen HK 2 Futoshi Mori LP 1 Kanta Higashionna Replacements:PR 16Syogo Miura HK 17Atsushi Sakate PR 18Takayuki Watanabe LK 19Kotaro Yatabe FL 20Hiroki Yamamoto SH 21Daisuke Inoue CE 22Doga Maeda WG 23Ataata Moeakiola Coach: Ryuji Nakatake
Week 3
FB 15Lee Jae BokRW 14Jang Seong Min OC 13Kim Sung SooIC 12Kim Jin Hyeok LW 11Lee Soop YeongFH 10Oh Jim Yeong SH 9 Shin Ki CheolN8 8 Han Kun Kyu OF 7 Kim Hyun SooBF 6 Park Soon ChaiRL 5 Kim Sang JinLL 4 Youn Kwon Woo TP 3 Shin Dong Won (c)HK 2 Na Kwan Young LP 1 Chong Kwi HongCoach: John Walters FB 15Alexander McQueenRW 14Ryan Meacheam OC 13James RobinsonIC 12Lex KalecaLW 11Salom Yiu Kam ShingFH 10Benjamin RimeneSH 9 Jamie HoodN8 8 Daniel FalveyOF 7 Toby FennBF 6 Nick Hewson (c)RL 5 Paul DywerLL 4 Adrian GriffithsTP 3 Rohan CookHK 2 Jamie Tsang LP 1 Adam Fullgrabe Replacements:HK 16Lachlan Chubb PR 17Wei Hon Wum PR 18Alex Ng LK 19James CunninghamN8 20Jack DelaforceSH 21Lee JonesCE 22Cado Lee FH 23Niall RowarkCoach: Leigh Jones
Week 4
FB 15Lee Jae BokRW 14Nam Young SooOC 13Kim Sung Soo IC 12Kim Jin Hyeok LW 11Lee Soo PyeongFH 10Oh Jim Yeong SH 9 Shin Ki Cheol N8 8 Hwang In Jo OF 7 Kim Hyun Soo BF 6 Shin Da HyeonRL 5 Kim Sang Jin LL 4 Youn Kwon Woo TP 3 Shin Dong Won (c) HK 2 Na Kwan Young LP 1 Chong Kwi Hong Replacements: 16Kang Tae Hyeon 17Kim Min Kyo 18Kim Myeong Hwan 19Nam Jong Song 20Son Min Su 21Lee Sung Bae 22Oh Youn Hyung 23Kim In Kyu Coach: John Walters FB 15Ryohei Yamanaka RW 14Takuhei YasudaOC 13Doga MaedaIC 12Takuya IshibashiLW 11Kentaro Kodama FH 10Ryoto NakamuraSH 9 Keisuke Uchida (c) N8 8 Hiroki YamamotoOF 7 Shokei Kin BF 6 Masato FurukawaRL 5 Naohiro Kotaki LL 4 Kotaro YatabeTP 3 Takayuki Watanabe HK 2 Atsushi Sakate LP 1 Kanta Higashionna Replacements:PR 16Shogo Miura HK 17Daigo Hashimoto PR 18Kengo Kitagawa LK 19Kazuhiko Usami N8 20Faulua Makisi SH 21Daiki Nakajima CE 22Ryuji Noguchi FH 23Hajime Yamashita Coach: Ryuji Nakatake
Week 5
FB 15Ryuji NoguchiRW 14Ataata Moeakiola OC 13Doga MaedaIC 12Takuya IshibashiLW 11Kentaro KodamaFH 10Ryoto NakamuraSH 9 Keisuke Uchida (c) N8 8 Tevita Tatafu OF 7 Shokei KinBF 6 Hiroki Yamamoto RL 5 Kazuhiko UsamiLL 4 Naohiro Kotaki TP 3 Takayuki Watanebe HK 2 Atsushi Sakate LP 1 Kengo Kitagawa Replacements:PR 16Shogo Miura HK 17Diago Hashimoto PR 18Yu Chinen LK 19Kotaro Yatabe FL 20Faulua Makisi SH 21Daiki Nakajima CE 22Takuhei Yasuda WG 23Masato Furukawa Coach: Ryuji Nakatake FB 15Alexander McQueenRW 14Ryan MeacheamOC 13James RobinsonIC 12Tyler Spitz LW 11Rowan VartyFH 10Ben Rimene SH 9 Cado Lee Ka To N8 8 Daniel Falvey (c) OF 7 Matt LammingBF 6 James Cunningham RL 5 Adrian GriffithsLL 4 Jack Delaforce TP 3 Jack Parfitt HK 2 Lachlan Chubb LP 1 Ben Higgins Replacements:HK 16Jamie Tsang PR 17Adam Fullgrabe PR 18Alex Ng Wai-Shing LK 19Nick Hewson N8 20Tony Wong Ho Yeung SH 21Lee Jones CE 22Adam Rolston FH 23Niall Rowark Coach: Leigh Jones
Week 6
FB15Alexander McQueenRW14Ryan MeacheamOC13James RobinsonIC12Tyler SpitzLW11Salom Yiu Kam ShingFH10Benjamin RimeneSH9Jamie HoodN88Daniel FalveyOF7Toby FennBF6Nicholas Hewson (c)RL5Paul DywerLL4Adrian GriffithsTP3Jack ParfittHK2Lachlan ChubbLP1Benjamin HigginsReplacements:HK16Jamie TsangPR17Adam FullgradePR18Alex Ng Wai ShingLK19Finlay FieldN820James CunninghamSH21Cado Lee Ka-toCE22Lex KalecaFH23Niall RowarkCoach: Leigh Jones FB15Lee Jae BokRW14Lim Sang JinOC13Kim Seon GuIC12Kim Sung SooLW11Lee Soop YeongFH10Jung Bu HyonSH9Shin Ki CheolN88Son Min SuOF7Kim Hyun SooBF6Shin Da HyeonRL5Kim Sang JinLL4Youn Kwon WooTP3Shin Dong Won (c)HK2Kim Min KyuLP1Kang Tae HyeonCoach: John Walters
Top 3 Challenge Division 1 winners, Malaysia did not choose to participate in the promotion-relegation play-off. Meaning the composition of next series of the tournament remains the same.
See also 2016 Asia Rugby Championship division tournaments
References