Funding boost for Asian Five Nations

Series set to change face of game in Asia

Asia received a double boost yesterday with the International Rugby Board (IRB) and a major bank joining hands to pump in more than US$1 million every year for the Asian Five Nations and its related divisional tournaments.

At the launch, attended by Japanese winger Daisuke Ohata, the top try-scorer in international rugby, it was announced that the IRB will give an annual grant of US$500,000 to promote the game regionally and help develop the top tier Asian Five Nations (A5N) championship on the lines of the European Six Nations.

While organisers stayed mum on the financial input from HSBC - which has signed a three-year sponsorship deal - it is reliably learned that they will better the IRB grant every year.

This is the first time HSBC have become involved in local and Asian rugby since they stepped down as title sponsors of the Hong Kong Sevens back in 1997.

'The HSBC Asian Five Nations will be the flagship tournament for Asia, serving to promote and raise awareness of the game in the region at all levels,' said Mark Egan, IRB's head of rugby services. 'This new competition is an exciting development for the game in a region that offers significant potential for growth.' The inaugural A5N will involve Asian champs Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, the Arabian Gulf and Kazakhstan in a single round robin competition in April-May. Twenty other countries will be involved in the lower tiers with promotion and relegation opportunities for all teams.