Asia Rugby Launches Try Together Development Program With Six Unions

On 28th June, Asia Rugby officially launched a rugby development program called the “Try Together Programme”, which they say is set to “accelerate rugby development initially across six targeted member unions through structured financial and technical assistance.”

Photo Credit – Asia Rugby

The press release said that the Try Together Program “aims to expand grassroots rugby, strengthen regional competitiveness, and support alignment with the World Rugby membership pathway.” Bear in mind that there have been a lot of development programs, including “Get Into Rugby” among others, over the years, and it was not specified what is different about this approach.

The initial six unions of Asia Rugby – not all of them Full Members – are: Cambodia, Brunei, Bangladesh, Macau, Iraq and Kyrgyzstan who were selected due to their development needs and strategic relevance, said Asia Rugby.

Qais Al Dhalai, President of Asia Rugby, added, “Asia Rugby is committed to building an inclusive and sustainable rugby ecosystem across our diverse continent. This program embodies our belief that we can do better, but together. With the generous backing of Emirates, we are ensuring that even the most emerging unions are not left behind in the global rugby journey.”

A joint signing ceremony was held on the 28th of June 2025 in Mumbai, with representatives of the six unions in attendance and hosted and facilitated by Rugby India.

Nurgazy Kuldzhaev, President, Kyrgyzstan Federation for Rugby, said, “Rugby is growing fast in Kyrgyzstan, and this partnership will help us accelerate that growth with purpose and structure.”

Abdullah Al Zubair, President, Bangladesh Rugby Federation Union, added, “This investment marks a turning point for rugby in Bangladesh. With Asia Rugby and Emirates behind us, we can now scale our grassroots programmes and empower more young people to discover the joy and discipline of rugby. We are committed to making the most of this opportunity and progressing towards full World Rugby recognition.”

Some of the unions have a chequered past, to say the least, when it comes to accountability and governance, so, excusing our cynicism and the fact that Asia Rugby itself is under World Rugby’s monitoring due to governance and financial issues, we truly hope this is a legitimate attempt at development.

At the start of June, World Rugby decided to appoint an independent Oversight Committee to ensure oversight of the operations and governance processes of Asia Rugby and, where necessary, improve those operations and processes.

What is the Try Together Program (TTP)

The six Asia Rugby unions will run the TTP for a 12-month renewable cycle, which has identified key support areas. Each of the unions signed a Development Partnership Agreement with Asia Rugby, and monitoring and evaluation will be led by the Asia Rugby Executive Committee.

TTP support areas include:

• In-country development workshops
• Accredited World Rugby training and education
• Technical assistance from Asia Rugby experts
• Local festivals, coaching stipends and domestic tournaments
• Competitive entry support (e.g. Emirates Sevens Trophy)
• Governance and compliance support for World Rugby membership progress

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