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.
“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. 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,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
“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 Under 20 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. 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 sixteen participating countries.
“This is an extremely exciting development for the Game in Japan and also Asia,” said Japan Rugby Football Union Chairman Nobby Mas. “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.”
The IRB Junior World Championship will make its debut in Wales in June this year after a comprehensive strategic review of international Age Grade Rugby. The Championship amalgamates the former U19 and U21 Championships into one prestigious annual Age Grade Tournament. Below the Championship sits the eight-team IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy for developing Unions that further provides a defined competition and development pathway for the IRB’s Member Unions at U20 level. The inaugural IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy was held in Chile in April and was won by Uruguay U20.
