Guide to the Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2025

The Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2025 take place in Hohhot, China, from 13-14 September with eight Boys teams and seven Girls teams competing.

Formerly known as Kweisui, Hohhot will host the U18 Sevens tournament this year, and the regional governing body said this tournament is a “vital pathway event” as it will determine team seedings for future international competitions, such as the Youth Olympic Games YOG2026 Dakar for Asia.

In 2024, the UAE U18 Boys won the Cup final, beating HKCR, with Sri Lanka 3rd and Malaysia 4th. On the girls’ side, Hong Kong China were champions after they defeated Thailand in the final, followed by Malaysia in 3rd and India in 4th.

Asia Rugby Deputy President Terrence Khoo said, “The importance of the Asian U18 cannot be overstated. It is a vital pathway that bridges youth to senior rugby, shaping both the athletes and the future of the game.

Unions that commit to developing this level will, in the years ahead, strengthen their senior national teams with a broader, more capable talent base, positioning themselves to compete at higher standards regionally and globally.”

Asia Rugby Emirates U18 7s 2025 Pools & Teams

The UAE Boys have not travelled to defend their title, but the Japan team have returned this year. The Qatar boys make their debut at this tournament.

Hong Kong China Girls face stiff competition to defend their title with the likes of Japan and China back in action.

Men’s Pool A

• India
• Hong Kong China
• China
• Qatar

Men’s Pool B

• Malaysia
• Chinese Taipei
• Japan
• Kazakhstan

Women’s Pool C

• China
• Kazakhstan
• Hong Kong China

Women’s Pool D

• India
• Malaysia
• Japan
• Uzbekistan

You can see the Boys and Girls results online.

Match Officials – Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2025

From online posts we have seen, Sunny Lee and Thomas Ngan will be refereeing in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, from HKCR, while Gabriel Lee is the CMO for the Asia Rugby U18 Boys and Girls Tournament.

Adeline Chew from the SSRUR will be making her Asia Rugby refereeing debut at the tournament.

Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2025 Squads

We will add more confirmed squads as they are announced, and if within an appropriate time before the tournament starts.

India Squads – U18 Sevens 2025

Rugby India confirmed that their teams had embarked on tours overseas to prepare for the competition, with the boys playing in Malaysia and the girls in Thailand.

Rahul Bose, President, Indian Rugby Football Union, said: “Our U18 Boys and Girls squads represent the future of Indian rugby. This tournament is definitive for them to test themselves against the best in Asia, and to grow their ambitions as athletes and individuals. The Khelo India Youth Games and our Junior Nationals have been crucial in creating these opportunities, ensuring that talent from across the country gets spotted and nurtured.”

The U18 Boys team will be captained by Odisha’s Bidyadhar Majhia, and Bihar’s Sagar Prakash is the Vice-Captain. The team includes six players who competed in the national U20 team. The team is coached by former Australian 7s  Samuel Myres, with former Indian captain Vahbiz Bharucha as Assistant Coach

Bidyadhar Majhi said, “It’s a huge honour to lead India at the U18 level. We’ve trained hard as a unit, and the entire team is determined to give our best on the field. Playing against strong sides like Hong Kong China and China will push us to raise our game, and we’re ready for the challenge.”

The U18 Girls are captained by Bihar’s Anshu Kumari with Rajasthan’s Muskan Piploda as Vice-Captain. Kumari said, “Captaining India at this level is a dream come true. Our team has bonded really well in camp, and we are confident about taking on the big teams. We want to play fearless rugby and make our country proud.” The team is coached by Kiano Fourie and assisted by Arun Dagar.

Boys: Bidyadhar Majhi (C), Sagar Prakash (VC), Ajit Nag, Bharat Kisan, Charan Hembram, Goldan Kumar, Shivam, Pushpender, Pranav Vilas Gavit, Arun Prajapat, Priyanshu Kumar, Attma Murmu

Girls: Anshu Kumari (C), Muskan Piploda (VC), Aarti Kumari, Alpana Kumari, Mamali Singh, Anita Murmu, Sushila, Anushka, Samruddhi, Raimani Murmu, Vijayshree Rathore, Saloni Kumari

Hong Kong China Boys & Girls – U18 Sevens 2025

The HKCR said that their squads “feature several standout young players already making their mark at higher levels.”

The management team includes Welsh international Sian Moore, Hong Kong China’s most capped Sevens player Salom Yiu Kam Shing, former Welsh Sevens player Luke Treharne, and Crusaders, Dragons & Edinburgh alumnus Sam Beard, while full-time Hong Kong China sevens player Billy Rigby will be assistant coach of the women’s team.

Among the Girls, Emily Fisher and Elsie Hulme both represented them in the U20 Sevens 2025 and have trained with the senior Women’s Sevens programme at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

For the U18 Boys, Floris Kennes, Benjamin Marks, and Ryan Schroeder have played in the U20 pathway.

HKCR U18 Girls coach Luke Treharne said, “They’ve taken to everything so quickly and adapted very well. I’m really looking forward to see how they put it out on the pitch. Three of my top players to watch – Emily, Lizzie and Elsie have trained with the women’s senior program, so that shows us that the pathway is working, which is brilliant. I can’t wait to see how they take their game to another level in China.”

HKCR U18 Boys coach Tomos Howells commented, “I want them to go out there, express themselves, have a go and just play some good rugby. So we’re all about moving the ball and having a go at the opposition, and seeing what they can bring

There are a couple of boys getting their first opportunity to play in an international tournament, so it’ll be great to see how they get on. And overall, we’re looking to go well this weekend – we obviously want to win it! This is really exciting for the future of Hong Kong rugby, really. There are some very, very exciting players on the team.”

HKCR U18 Boys Squad
Sebastian ATKINS; Luca CAVANAGH; Oliver FISHER; Arthur GRISLAIN; Huw HAND; Tomos HAND; Floris KENNES; Benjamin MARKS; Matthew McQUHAE; Oliver PHILLIPS; Ryan SCHROEDER; Ronin TALWAR
Management: Tomos HOWELLS; Salom YIU; Stephen MUTCH; Lane PROCTER; Sam BEARD

HKCR U18 Girls Squad
Aleena AZAROVA; Lea EL-ASMAR; Emily FISHER; Elsie HULME; Katie HULBERT; Sara HARRIES; Beca JOHN; Alhia KORAM; Saidhb MARTIN; Jennica NARAG; Elizabeth STANTON; Holly TERREBROOD
Management: Luke TREHARNE; Billy RIGBY; Lane PROCTER; Sophie RAINE; Siân MOORE

Qatar Boys – U18 Sevens 2025

Photo Credit – Qatar Rugby

Malaysia – U18 7s 2025 Boys and Girls Squads

Uzbekistan U18 Girls Squad

Chinese Taipei U18 Boys 7s 2025 Squad

Japan Girls & Boys U18 2025 Squads

The Japan Rugby Football Union have called their girls’ and boys participating teams Sevens Development Squad (SDS). The SDS is a squad that “brings together players who have the potential to become candidates for the Japan Sevens national team from players who have participated in Sevens tournaments.”

The JRFU Boys squad can be seen here.

How To Watch the Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2025

The 7s tournament will be streamed live on Asia Rugby’s digital platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.

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