The Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship (AREWC) 2025 final match and championship decider will be played between Japan and Hong Kong China on Sunday, May 24, 2025, at JAPAN BASE.
Feature Photo Credit – JRFU
The two teams have played each other 18 times in history, and the Japan Sakura 15s have dominated the fixture, winning 17 of those. In last year’s Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, Japan women 29-12 at King Park Sports Ground in Hong Kong, in what was a closely contested match and was an 8th consecutive win stretching back to 2014.
The Japanese are six-time winners of the Rugby Asia Women’s Championship and the serial defending champions. For this AREWC, Lesley McKenzie continues to lead the Japan national team, but Keita Imada is the interim head coach.
Imada has, for the most part, selected a similar team to face HKCR, but Kasumi MURASE and Natsuki OUCHIDA will win their first test caps in a matchday squad where 13 players have 5 caps or less. Sakurako Korai will captain the side for the second consecutive match, starting on the blindside flank as part of an unchanged forward pack.
On the opposite side, Hong Kong China also has an interim coach in charge as Lewis Wilson led his team to a win in his first international as Head Coach.
Both sides could field new-look teams for the match in Fukuoka compared to last year, and the Japanese may also put out a very different side to the one that beat Kazakhstan 90-0. Hong Kong China also beat the Kazakhs, meaning the winner of their encounter will be crowned the champions of Asia in 2025.
While Japan will head to the Rugby World Cup 2025 and have nearly 10 tests confirmed in 2025, Hong Kong China women have only played 12 tests in total post-pandemic (W7, L5). The Japanese are clear favourites and their Championship opening win was their biggest in 34 years of playing test rugby, which followed their first-ever win over the USA last month. The victory over Kazakhstan was also with 5 debutantes on display and a first-time captain.
Photo Credit – HKCR
Both try scorers from last year’s match for Hong Kong China, Shanna Forrest and Chong Ka Yan, will start this weekend. Forrest scored a try in the player of the match performance 29-12 win over Kazakhstan on Tuesday at the same venue.
Lewis Wilson – Hong Kong China Women’s 15s Head Coach said of the Japan game, “Tactically, not much is going to change for us. If we do the same things really well that we tried today, it’s going to be successful versus any team, even teams with a style such as Japan’s. So we will internally focus on ourselves. There’s a lot of belief in a group that we will succeed on the next match day.
We had a physical and well-organised defence. Our attack coach will be looking at us being a bit more direct, as we tended to drift a little bit (against Kazakhstan). I think when we are direct, we have a lot of impact. We’ve got some really dangerous players on the edges, so potentially trying to get them in the game a bit more and more often.”
LAM Tim Yeung Iris replaces Tanya Dhar at hooker, LEE Ka Shun starts at prop with Herewini coming off the bench, Captain PY moves from 7 to 6, as SIU Wing Ni Winnie starts at flank instead of Chloe BALTAZAR who went off injured in the opening match. There is also a reshuffle in the backs with the dangerous CHONG Ka Yan moving from right to left wing, Jessica EDEN shifting from wing to centre to partner Grace HOOD, and Zoe SMITH starts on the right wing.
The youngest player in the squad, 18-year-old Haruka UEMATSU is on the bench. Captain PUN Wai Yan added, “Japan will put a lot of pressure on us, so we need to make sure we execute our game plan, play our game right, then play that tempo we want.”
Photo Credit – HKCR – Lewis Wilson – Hong Kong China Women’s 15s Head Coach
Four of Hong Kong China’s try scorers from their mid-week win, Kea Maria Herewini, Shanna Forrest, Jessica Eden, and Grace Hood, are in the matchday squad. 19-year-old Naomi Peeters, who made her debut when she came off the bench less than a week ago, is among the replacements.
Christabelle Lim (Singapore) will referee this fixture for the second year in a row.
- Referee: Christabelle Lim (SRU) (F)
- Assistant Referees: Qu Shanggang (CRFA)*
- Television Match Official: Tony Duminy (UAERF)
- Performance Reviewers: Taku Otsuki (JRFU), Tasuku Kawahara (JRFU)
It should be noted that Asia Rugby has only listed one AR for two of the matches *.
Match Permutations – Japan vs Hong Kong China
According to the latest World Rugby Rankings, Hong Kong China is ranked 17th, while Japan are ranked 11th.
- Japan are unable to improve their rating if they win.
- However, if the Sakura XV lose or draws, they will lose 11th place to South Africa
- Hong Kong China will climb one or two places in victory, depending on the margin. If HKCR win by more than 15 points, they will climb above Fiji and the Netherlands to equal their highest-ever position of 15th, a place they last occupied in May 2023.
- Kazakhstan’s defeat to Hong Kong China on Tuesday means they will slip one place to 19th.
Matchday Squad – Japan vs Hong Kong China AREWC 2025
You can see more of the Japan Sakura squad here.
Matchday Squad – Hong Kong China vs Japan AREWC 2025
You can see more about their squad in our collaboration piece with HKCR.
- LAU Nga Wun
- LAM Tim Yeung Iris
- LEE Ka Shun
- CHOW Mei Nam
- Roshini TURNER
- PUN Wai Yan ©
- SIU Wing Ni Winnie
- Shanna FORREST
- AU King To
- LO Wing Yin
- CHONG Ka Yan
- Jessica EDEN
- Grace HOOD
- Zoe SMITH
- POON Hoi Yan
- Hoi Yan
- GOT Fion
- NG Ki Sum
- Kea HEREWINI
- Naomi PEETERS
- AU YEUNG Sin Yi
- WAN Tsz Yau
- LEE Tsz Ting
- Haruka UEMATSU
How To Watch Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship 2025
The hosts confirmed that all tournament fixtures will be free of charge for spectators at JAPAN BASE, and all matches will be broadcast via Asia Rugby (Asia Rugby YouTube, Asia Rugby Facebook) and via RugbyPassTV for international audiences.
For broadcasts in Japan, this match will have a live catch-up on J-Sports On-Demand.
Asia Rugby Women’s Championship Tournament 2025 News
- Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship 2025 – Your Definitive Guide.
- Match Preview – Kazakhstan vs Hong Kong China AREWC 2025.
- Japan Sakura XVs Thrash Kazakhstan in Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2025 Opener.
- HKCR Women 15s Head To Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2025 With New-look Coaching Team and A Debutante.
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