Asia Rugby Men’s U19 Championship: Appointments of Match Officials Unveiled

Asia Rugby has officially announced the appointment of match officials for the Asia Rugby Men’s U19 Championship, to be played in Hong Kong China. The tournament kicks off on December 8th and promises to showcase the region’s upcoming rugby talent.

The tournament will feature, hosting and regaining Champions Hong Kong China, Korea and Chinese Taipei with the winner not only getting the prize of being crowned Asian U19 champions 2023 but will also qualify to play in the World Rugby U20 Trophy 2024

Match Schedule:

Hong Kong China vs Chinese Taipei – December 8th, 19:30 local time (Kings Park)

Leading the officiating team for the opening clash will be seasoned referee Ishanka Abeykoon from the Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR). Assisting Abeykoon on the field will be Leow Wei Liang from the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) as Assistant Referee 1 and Seo Insoo from the Korea Rugby Union (KRU) as Assistant Referee 2. Dewi Rowlands from the Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) takes on the role of Match Officials Performance Reviewer, ensuring the highest standards of officiating are maintained. Meanwhile, Jonathan Close and David Boyton have been appointed as Citing Commissioner and Judicial Officer, respectively.

Korea vs Chinese Taipei – December 12th, 14:00 local time (Kings Park)

The second fixture sees Leow Wei Liang taking charge as the main referee, supported by Ishanka Abeykoon as Assistant Referee 1 and Sunny Lee from HKCR as Assistant Referee 2. Akihisa Aso from the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) will be operating remotely as the Match Officials Performance Reviewer, while Russell Harding and Darren Foo will serve as Citing Commissioner and Judicial Officer, respectively.

Hong Kong China vs Korea – December 16th, 20:00 local time (Hong Kong Football Club)

The third and final match in the championship will witness Koki Yamauchi from the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) as the referee. Lin Weiming from the Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union (CTRFU) and Darroch Chua from SRU will join as Assistant Referee 1 and Assistant Referee 2, respectively. Anil Jayasinghe from SLR will be the remote Match Official’s Performance Reviewer. Tamas King and David Boyton from AR will serve as Citing Commissioner and Judicial Officer.

With these distinguished officials at the helm, the Asia Rugby Men’s U19 Championship promises to be a showcase of top-quality rugby.

Match officials have been carefully selected by Asia Rugby’s Selections and Appointments Panel and ratified by both the Asia Rugby Referees Committee and the Asia Rugby Chief Executive Officer.

Stay tuned for an exhilarating tournament, all matches will be live-streamed and accessible free-to-air on Asia Rugby’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Game 1 Link