The Asia Rugby Emirates U20 S
Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai said, “We are thrilled to bring this key age‑grade event to the City of Kings. Hosting the U20s Sevens in the State of Bihar is not only a celebration of youth rugby, but also a powerful testament to the sport’s growth and inclusivity across every corner of Asia.”
Rahul Bose, President, Rugby India, added, “It is a matter of great pride that India will host the Asia Rugby Emirates U20s Sevens for the very first time – and that it will take place in Rajgir, Bihar.
Bihar has rapidly emerged as one of the most promising states for rugby development in India, and it is only fitting that this historic event is held in a region that reflects the sport’s growing reach and enthusiasm.”
There was no U20 Sevens tournament in Asia in 2024, as India was due to host the tournament in Ahmedabad. However, after a late withdrawal, the governing body was unable to secure a new host, and the competition was cancelled.
Asia Rugby has not announced if the winners of the tournament would be the region’s representative if there is a World Rugby Trophy U20 tournament in 2026. Chile is due to host a 2026 World Rugby U20 Challenger Cup, which will see the interregional competition featuring at least six teams.
The details regarding promotion and relegation for the 2027 World Rugby U20 Championship will be confirmed by World Rugby in due course.
Photo Credit: HKCR
Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens 2025 Championship Format, Teams & Pools
The 8 women’s and 8 men’s teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the Cup semi-finals. The remaining teams will compete for the Plate.
In May 2025, it was confirmed that the tournament would trial a new rugby sevens law variation to award 7 points in rugby sevens for a try scored directly between the posts, with no conversion kick.
National youth teams from the following will be competing in India for U20 honours. At the time of publishing, the pools have not been confirmed.
Women U20 7s
- China
- Hong Kong China
- India
- Kazakhstan
- Sri Lanka
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Nepal
Pool C*
- China
- Sri Lanka
- Uzbekistan
- Nepal
Pool D
- Hong Kong China
- India
- Kazakhstan
- UAE
*By the time of publishing, the pools had not been updated on the Asia Rugby website, but we have updated the pools based on announcements made by the unions.
Men U20 7s
- China
- Hong Kong China
- India
- Kazakhstan
- Sri Lanka
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Malaysia
Pool A*
- Hong Kong China
- Sri Lanka
- UAE
- India
Pool B
- China
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- Malaysia
*By the time of publishing, the pools had not been updated on the Asia Rugby website, but we have updated the pools based on announcements made by the unions.
When the tournament was last held in 2023 in Nepal, the competing Women’s teams were Nepal, Hong Kong China Rugby, Malaysia, and Thailand. The men were from Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, India, and Hong Kong China.
- Hong Kong China Women U20 won, with Malaysia as the runner-up, and Thailand in third.
- Hong Kong China Men won, with Malaysia the runner-up and Chinese Taipei third.
How To Watch the Asia Rugby Emirates U20 7s Championship 2025
The U20 7s tournament will be streamed live on Asia Rugby digital platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.
Asia Rugby Emirates U20 S
We will update this if and when more teams confirm their squads.
Women’s Teams – U20s 7s 2025 Squads
Hong Kong China Women U20s 2025 Squad
The Hong Kong China U20 Women’s squad feature some exceptional emerging talent, including Haruka Uematsu, said HKCR. Other players to keep an eye on are Emily Fisher and Elsie Hulme, both of whom made their debuts in the Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Women’s Premiership last season.
Former GB and Scotland player Robbie Fergusson, who has been with the HKCR senior 7s sides the past year, will be the U20 Women’s Head Coach.
1. Sophie ARANHA
2. CHAN Sze Hang Sheryn
3. Emily FISHER
4. Sara HARRIES
5. Elsie HULME
6. Beca JOHN
7. LEE Pui Yee
8. Saidhb MARTIN
9. Elizabeth STANTON
10. TSE Lok Lam
11. Ella LYNAM
12. Haruka UEMATSU
India Women U20s 2025 Squad
The final team was selected following a national coaching camp that began on July 3 at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre in Kolkata. Bhumika Shukla from Rajasthan captains the side, and Tanushree Bhosale from Maharashtra is Vice-Captain.
The Indian U20 Women’s team is coached by Kiano Fourie, with Tilak Raj as his assistant. Fourie is also the coach of the India U18 Girls team.
- Players: Bhumika Shukla (C), Tanushree Bhosale (VC), Aarti Kumari, Akshaya NS, Alpana Kumari, Anshu Kumari, Guriya Kumari, Kyra Vincent, Mahak, Mamali Singh, Muskan Piploda, Ritu Majhi
Photo Credit – Rugby India
Nepal Women U20s 2025 Squad
Sri Lanka Women U20s 2025 Squad
Photo Credit – SLRU
UAE Women U20s 2025 Squad
Image Credit – UAERF
Uzbekistan Women U20s 2025 Squad
Photo Credit – Uzbekistan Rugby
Kazakhstan Women U20s 2025 Squad
Men’s Teams – U20s 7s 2025 Squads
Hong Kong China Men’s U20s 2025 Squad
The HKCR Men’s squad includes exciting prospects such as James Kee and Matthew Rickard, who represented the senior teams in the LIT Super Sevens Series, as well as Oliver Clarke, the 2024 U19 ARC captain.
Welsh pairing Tomos HOWELLS is the Head Coach and Luke TREHARNE is a coach.
1. Luke BANNON
2. Oliver CLARKE
3. Matthew HENDERSON
4. Tanner HOLLAND
5. James KEE
6. Floris KENNES
7. Benjamin MARKS
8. David McMURTRAY
9. Sam NICOLLE
10. Matthew RICKARD
11. Ryan SCHROEDER
12. William STUBBINGS
Sri Lanka U20s 7s 2025 (Junior Tuskers) Squad
Shamly Nawaz was appointed as the head coach of the Sri Lanka Under-20 boys and girls teams for the Asia Rugby Sevens. He previously captained the Sri Lanka Junior National Rugby Team in 1996/97 and played for the Tuskers senior Men’s national 7s and 15s teams.
- Coach: Shamly Nawaz
- Players: Shaahid Zumri (captain), Pasindu Bandara (vice captain), Gayan Perera, Udeesha Ratnayake, Mahathir Raban, Fahad Nazar, Rushen Bandaranayake, Yehan Bulathsinhalage, Kalindu Silva, Isuru Vithanage, Janith Marasinghe and Janidu Wijeratne.
- Standby: Dineda Wickramarachchi, Abdullah Faizer, Praneeth Silva
Photo Credit – SLRU
India Men U20s 2025 Squad
The final team was selected following a national coaching camp that began on July 3 at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre in Kolkata. Sumit Kumar Roy from West Bengal is the captain and Karan Rajbhar is the Vice-Captain.
The Indian Men’s U20s are coached by Francisco ‘Paco’ Hernandez, the former captain of Spain’s national 7s team and an Olympian with over 290 international caps. He coached the Bengaluru Bravehearts in the inaugural Rugby Premier League.
- Players: Sumit Kumar Roy (C), Karan Rajbhar (VC), Ajit Nag, Bharat Kisan, Charan, Hembram, David Munda, Deshraj Singh, Goldan Kumar, Rajan Rawat, Rohit Shaw, Sagar Prakash, Shivam
Malaysia Men U20s 2025 Squad
UAE Men U20s 2025 Squad
Image Credit – UAERF
Uzbekistan Men U20s 2025 Squad
Photo Credit – Uzbekistan Rugby
Kazakhstan Men U20s 2025 Squad
Asian Rugby News 2025-2026
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