Chinese Rugby Football Association Sign On a Trio of Argentineans

The Chinese Rugby Football Association have signed on a trio of Argentinians – including former XVs Los Pumas flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez, 7s star Gastón Revol, and former Argentina U20 head coach Bernardo Urdaneta to help their 7s and 15s national teams.

Not all of the details are yet clear, but Sanchez posted online, saying, “Very happy to join China Rugby Association as strategic consultant on this rugby development plan.

With Bernardo Urdaneta and Gastón Revol as coaches, we will work together to bring planning, experience and teamwork.”

• Former Argentina U20 head coach Bernardo Urdaneta has been appointed to lead China’s national 15s team (We have been informed this is for the men’s program).
• Former Los Pumas Sevens captain Gastón Revol will coach the Chinese Sevens squad (We have been informed this is for the men’s program).
• Nicolás Sánchez joins as a technical consultant.

It has been reported that these appointments are part of a strategic partnership aimed at building new development pathways and structures, but the Chinese have appointed several international coaches to their 7s programs over recent years.

Sanchez retired from professional rugby at the start of 2025 as the top point scorer for Argentina at Rugby World Cups, Argentina’s all-time top point scorer, and famously scored all 25 of Argentina’s points in the historic first-ever win over New Zealand. He finished with 902 Test points. Towards the end of his playing career, he had a season in the Japan Rugby League One with Tokyo Sungoliath.

Chinese Rugby Football Association Sevens Rugby

Photo by Alex Ho / World Rugby

Former Los Pumas Sevens captain Gastón Revol retired from international Sevens rugby after the 2024 Olympics and played in more 100 HSBC SVNS tournaments. He also competed for Los Dogos‘ in the Super Rugby Americas 2025 campaign.

He posted via his social media, “All set for this new stage. Very happy to have the opportunity to start this project with CRFA. We will do our best to make it with all the successes.”

The Chinese women’s 7s team had a fantastic 2024, winning the HSBC Repechage Series and qualifying as a core team, then had their best finish at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Since then, with a domestic focus on the National Games to be played in 2025, they finished outside the top 8 on the HSBC World SVNS Series and will compete in the new second tier for the 2025-2026 season after securing places in HSBC SVNS 2026 Division two based on results in the LA 2025 Playoffs.

They are still one of the best two teams in Asia, alongside Japan and are also the defending Asia Rugby Sevens Series Champions. The National Games in 2025 and the Asian Games in 2026 are two hugely important events for them coming up.

The China Men’s 7s team finished as runners-up in the Asia Rugby Sevens Championship 2024, and regularly competes in European and UK 7s events. They were also the invitational team for the Melrose Claymore 7s in Hong Kong in 2025.

They have not reached the Repechage HSBC SVNS Series for some years and are behind Hong Kong China, Japan, and usually Korea in the Sevens circuit, but they had the better of the latter two in the ARSS 2024.

Photo Credit: HKCR – Claymore Sevens 2024

China 15s Rugby Poised for a Comeback?

For former Argentina U20 head coach Bernardo Urdaneta, the task seems more daunting as the pathways and setup in China have very much been geared towards Sevens Rugby.

The China women’s national rugby union team first played in 2006 and in 2019 won the Asia Rugby Women’s Division 1 title with victories over both Singapore and the Philippines.

They lost a two-match playoff against Kazakhstan, and did not gain a spot in the 2021 Asian Women’s Rugby Championship (which they last won in 2006 and 2011),  and have not played a Test since.  China’s women’s national XV side is ranked 27th in the world by World Rugby despite not playing for nearly five years.

The Men’s XV national Chinese team first played in 1997. They previously competed in Division 1 of the Asia Rugby Championship, but between 2015 and 2019, the team was in Division 3 East of the Asian Rugby Championship, alongside countries like Guam, Brunei and Laos.

They last competed in the 2019 Asia Rugby Championship division tournaments and beat India and Indonesia, gaining promotion to Division 2 in the process. They have not played a Test since then but are ranked 94th in the world by World Rugby.

They have also not sent U20 XV teams to the regional competitions over recent years.

China Rugby Football Association Forging Partnerships

Photo Credit – FRU

In May 2025, the Fiji Rugby Union Trust (FRU) signed an MoU with the China Rugby Football Association (CRFA), and the two unions explored building competitive team frameworks, talent development pathways, and deepening sports diplomacy between Fiji and China.

At the time, the FRU said the agreement would ensure “collaborative programs in coaching, sports tourism, event operations, youth development, and long-term athlete sustainability, marking a new era in the rugby relationship between China and Fiji.”

Mr. Wang Yun, President of the CRFA, said at the time, “This MoU is not limited to five years—it is a gateway to a lasting partnership. Together, we will promote cultural exchange, host joint international events, and create deeper bonds through the language of sport.”

International Coaches Who Have Worked with CRFA

Osea Kolinisau instructing the Chinese 7s women players at the half-time in Dubai – December 2022

• The former Fiji Rugby Sevens captain and gold-medal winner, Osea Kolinisau, coached the China women’s sevens team and guided them to victory in the 2022 Asia Rugby Sevens Series.  He is the current Fiji Men’s 7s Head Coach.
• Sir Gordon Tietjens was with the CRFA Sevens Programme in 2024 and 2025, more recently with the Men’s team, and before that with the Women’s team, and was a key cog in the success they had.
• Former NZ 7s Player Rocky Khan is still working with the CRFA 7s programme and has been since last season.
• Former GB 7s player Dan Norton worked as assistant coach with the China men’s sevens team alongside former England Sevens team-mates, Ollie Phillips (head coach) and Tom Biggs (S&C) in 2022.

Asian Rugby News 2025

• Your Guide To Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Calendar 2025.
• Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2024.
• Japan Will Join the Expanded World Rugby U20 Championship in 2026.
• Sir Gordon Tietjens On Taking Chinese Women’s Sevens Rugby To The Next Level.