Unions Cup 2026 Tournament and Team Preview Guide

The third edition of the Unions Cup will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 12-18 July, with 8 teams involved (7 national Men’s XV sides and an Asian Barbarians team), which makes this the biggest Asian XVs tournament to date. All of the competing teams are part of SEARF.

We heard from all of the teams and look at their preparations as the Philippines looks to defend the title they won in 2025 in Chinese Taipei.

Why is the Unions Cup Important?

The XVs Men’s rugby tournament is important for several reasons, but notably, the region under Asia Rugby has seen a significant decline in 15-a-side Tests over recent years. The competition has grown from three national teams in 2024 (won by Singapore) to four teams in 2025 (won by the Philippines), and 7 national teams in 2026.

Rugby Asia 247 was at the inaugural signing between four unions in Singapore in 2024 (Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei).

Two years ago, Ada Milby (President of the PRFU) said, ‘We’re signing a MoU between four countries to start. It’s an agreement that we are all committed to the DNA and fabric of our game, which is XVs rugby. At the moment it’s for the men’s game, but next year we’ll look to see if we can expand that to the women’s game as well.

It’s a commitment from Union presidents to ensure we are playing as often as we can and against our neighbours, which creates the best kind of rivalries.”

Singapore went on to win the title in 2024, which they hosted, but it was close. They, Thailand, and Chinese Taipei had the same log points and ultimately, a superior points difference won them the title.

Last year (2025), newcomers the Philippines won the title, defeating Thailand 23-6 in the final at the 55,000-seat Kaohsiung National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. It was the Philippines’ first Men’s XV Test matches since 2019. Chinese Taipei beat Singapore to claim third place.

Thailand Assistant Coach Pachara Hongsayaporn said during the 2025 tournament, “This Unions Cup is important for all of the teams competing as it means we have regular 15s rugby. Having more teams in Asia playing 15s is good for development, as there is a lot of Sevens rugby already, so having more teams join the tournament in years to come will help us all develop, in Thailand, and in Asia.”

Earlier in 2026, SEARF also hosted the first SEA Women’s Championship XVs 2026 in Malaysia, with the hosts, the Philippines, and Singapore involved. Malaysia won the title. It is due to be hosted in the Philippines in 2027 – hopefully with four nations.

World Rugby Rankings – Participating Unions Cup 2026 Teams

In addition to the four teams who competed in 2025, Malaysia, Laos, and Guam all make their tournament debut in 2026.

An 8th non-national team, the Asian Barbarians, is included in 2026 to make the format more manageable.  Matches against them are non-capped Tests, but all other fixtures are capped Test matches.

• The Philippines – 52
• Malaysia – 53
• Singapore – 64
• Chinese Taipei – 67
• Thailand – 72
• Guam – 89
• Laos – 103

Philippines –  Unions Cup Defending Champions

Last year, after the Philippines Men won the Unions Cup, Head Coach Sutcliffe told us, ‘The biggest thing is that this hopefully raises our profile. Anytime you win, people want to hear about it – if it ends up on the front page of the news or trends on social media posts or whatever it happens to be – we hope that sponsors want to help us out…..I am excited to come back next year with the boys to defend this title.”

A year is a long time, and unfortunately the team had to fundraise to try and get the side to Thailand to compete and defend the title.

The 2025 title-winning Head Coach for the Volcanoes returns, but player-turned coach Rob Fogerty is working with him.

Fogerty is a Philippines national team 7s and 15s player and helped them win the Unions Cup last year. He is involved at the Valley RFC in Hong Kong and Head of Youth Rugby with the club. He is also a former England Counties age-grade player and Harlequins Academy player.

In 2025, Kai Kristian Stroem (who plays in Hong Kong at HKFC) captained the side, and he is back to lead the team.

Fogerty told Rugby Asia 247 about their preparation, “Squad preparations have been limited to weekly Zoom calls for the past six weeks to establish our playbook and find alignment. We have selected an initial 37-man squad. 

We will enter a 3-day camp from the 8th to 11th July in Bangkok before we select the tournament squad who will compete. Our squad is comprised of players with Filipino Heritage residing in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and the US, with seven of our players residing and playing their Rugby in the Philippines: Lawrence Beboso, Ken Mellorin, Ardiel Nagrampa Lapid, Fausto Eizmendi, Jovan Masalunga, Raphael Barberis, Malcolm Mostoles. 

This is a testament to the work being done in the Philippines, developing the local talent thanks to Seru Naqasima. This is huge for us as a union, as long-term we aim to continue to blood more homegrown Filipinos into the National Programme, giving them the opportunity to play competitive rugby in Asia. 

The domestic Philippines Men’s XV title was won by the Manila Nomads Rugby Club in Division 1 and Division 2 – they beat Eagles RFC in the finals of both leagues. The domestic champions have said that ten of their players are in the natiomal team training camp (that figure includes alumni players such as Stroem).

Fogerty told Rugby Asia 247 about the need for playing regular XV Tests, “Game time for our players is imperative; since the pandemic the amount of test matches and exposure for our players has been limited, so to get three competitive test matches in the space of 10 days is something the players & coaching staff are grateful for and will embrace.”

Of the team’s expectatons, he said, “We are going into the tournament as defending champions; without doubt, we are going into the tournament with the belief that we can come away successful; however are fully aware of the strengths that Singapore and Thailand possess.

With the inclusion of Malaysia, a team that has tasted Division 1 Asia Rugby Championship in recent years and a quality playing group and coaching staff, we must be prepared to go to greater levels than we showed last year if we are going to challenge them.”

Volcanoes Players to Watch:

• Charles Amistozo Warren – SG Valley RFC British/Filipino Hong Kong-based centre/wing described as being an “explosive & industrious player keen to get his hands on the ball.”
• Connor Browne – American/Filipino New Zealand-based backrow with Waiuku District RFC (DRFC) – “a destructive ball carrier and a key part to our engine room.”
• Dylan Duncan Davies – a member of the Bond Pirates rugby club, the South African/Filipino back rower is a “menace at the breakdown & powerful around the park.”
• Kai Stroem – HKFC and Captain of the team at the Unions Cup, “he is always at the forefront of what we do both sides of the ball.”

Thailand –  Unions Cup 2026

Thailand were runners-up in 2025 and are yet to lift the title but have a tough draw in 2026, facing Malaysia in the opening round.

The Thai Police were the domestic national Men’s XV champions, and the Thai Men’s XC squad again draws on players from several Thai clubs. Like in 2025, the national team includes foreign-born eligible players from the Bangkok Bangers and Southerners Rugby clubs.

2025 Thailand Unions Cup Head Coach Pol. Lt. Somjet Anusan is again leading the hosts in the 2026 edition.

Panitarn Prachuabmoh from the Thailand Rugby Union told us: “We have had a reasonable level of preparation, as the players have recently completed both club competitions and the Armed Forces Games. The squad was selected from players who showed outstanding ability and strong performances in various competitions.”

He added, “This is a great opportunity for Thai rugby players. We are grateful that the President of the Thai Rugby Union, Pol. Lt. Col. Kulthon Prachuabmoh, has hosted this tournament, as opportunities for national-level rugby competitions, especially in the ASEAN region, are very limited. We would also like to ask Thai rugby fans to support and cheer for our national rugby players as they take on this challenge.”

Thailand Players to Watch:

The TRU’s Panitarn Prachuabmoh said, “We have brought in several new players to strengthen the squad alongside our experienced players. This tournament will be an important opportunity for them to gain valuable experience at the international level.”

Chinese Taipei – Third Time Lucky?

Tied first but losing out on points differential in the inaugural tournament, and coming third in 2025, the Chinese Taipei side will be confident of getting past Guam in the opening round, but nothing is being taken for granted.

President of the Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union, Jeffry Chang told us in 2025, “The Unions Cup means we have regular Test rugby and it means the players have an opportunity to play and that is most important”.

The CTRFU added the importance of the tournament this year: “The Unions Cup is an important event for enhancing international competitiveness, while domestic competitions allow the coaching staff to continuously observe player performance, accumulate match experience, and prepare for international competitions.”

The Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union told us, “The team has been adjusting its overall strength through practices and testing over the past few weeks of training camp. Players were selected based on their performance in the university cup and through recruitment from the general public. The coaching staff then comprehensively evaluated their technical skills, physical fitness, and teamwork to select the team for each match.”

Chinese Taipei Players to Watch:

The unions said the “team has several young players performing well domestically, as well as several experienced senior national team players leading the team. We hope everyone will focus on the overall team performance, not just individual players.”

Singapore Men’s XV 2026

At the 2025 tournament, Mr Sunny Seah, the president of the Singapore Rugby Union, told Rugby Asia 247, “For Asia, particularly through this collaboration, we hope to raise the standard of rugby and also be more inclusive in our development and include women and youth in the future. This is the first step of many.”

Singapore Men’s XV Head Coach Mark Lee explained the squad’s prep for the Unions Cup: “It has been a rather interesting campaign because the runway has been short. Our domestic league only ended in the first week of June, and as a completely amateur setup, we do not have the luxury of full-time camps lasting one or two weeks.

We have had to adapt and work around the players’ normal training rhythm. Most of them are used to club training, two to three times a week, while also juggling family, work, studies, National Service and their social lives.”

Head Coach Mark Lee added, “Before our full training schedule in June, we also had the challenge of the ongoing club season. We were very mindful not to disrupt any club commitments, so we organised once-a-week meetups focused on walkthroughs, skills, concepts, group S&C and team lectures.

The aim was to align the players with our goals, our standards and how we want to play. It has been challenging, but also very exciting for both the coaches and players involved.”

That is encouraging because it gives us a younger core who can potentially grow together and put Singapore in a better position for future qualifying cycles, including the road towards Rugby World Cup 2031. This tournament is extremely important for anyone playing XVs for Singapore and for the region as a whole.”

Singapore Players to Watch:

The Head Coach said the team’s selection was based on players from the previous squad being re-invited to train and trial, along with other players identified as having the potential to be part of the national programme. In total, close to 70 players were considered through this process.

“Selecting the best 30 available players has been both a massive challenge and an exciting one. This squad includes 16 potential new caps, and the average age of the team is now around 25, which is lower than previous cycles where the average was closer to 28 to 30.”

What I would say is that if we are to be successful in this tournament, it will be because we perform as a cohesive unit rather than relying only on individuals. That has been a big part of our focus. Around the leaders, we have a good mix of experienced players and younger players who now have the opportunity to step up and make their mark.”

• Russell Wong – The captain from 2025 returns and remains a stalwart of the team and brings leadership, experience and consistency.
• Andy Kelleher – As vice-captain, he will be important in providing direction to the backs said the Head Coach.

Malaysia – Debut in the Unions Cup

Malaysia are newcomers to the Unions Cup but will also be expected to be one of the favourites after spending several years in Asia’s top flight of competition before dropping out in 2025.

They last played Sri Lanka in April 2025 and lost 19-59. Before that, they had competed in the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship in which they had ten consecutive losses.

The recently concluded Agong Cup was won by Johor. Duke Krishnan, whose team PDRM were knocked out in the semifinals, finished 4th after winning the title the past three years, was named Malaysia Men’s XV new national team coach. Known as Dugro, he played professional rugby in Japan and MLR with the Chicago Hounds.

Mohammad Hafiizh Zainal & Mohammad Syahir Asraf Rosli are Assistant Coaches. The Malaysia squad was based at Sultan Idris University of Education (UPSI) from 1 to 9 July 2026 to prepare.

We have not heard back from the MRU on our questions.

Malaysia Players to Watch:

• Aqasha Daniel Irwan – An integral part of the Johor Tigers’ championship title run in 2026, and he was named the best player of the Agong Cup 2026.

Guam – Unions Cup 2026 Debut

When Guam Rugby signed an MoU to join the Unions Cup at the 2025 edition, the President of Guam Rugby Football Union, Joshua Walsh, told us, “I think by being involved, it means we can lock in a competition calendar, and now we know what we have for adult representative 15-a-side in terms of games, and we can plan around that.

This gives us something to prepare and plan for every year, and we can approach sponsors and our players who may be at universities elsewhere, and we can arrange for time off. Even for some of our boys, and we are in the amateur world, but they can now set more goals to get fit and ready.”

The national team are known as the Flying Proas and pre-2019, they won the Asia Rugby Championship Division III East title, defeating Brunei 66-12 and China 52-12. In 2024, the Guam Men’s National Rugby Team played and defeated a Philippines Select XV 24-10 to capture the Magellan Cup at the Alabang Country Club in Manila.

Last year (2025) the Guam Select XV side did tour and play friendlies against the Chinese Taipei national side and the Taipei Baboons.

Guam Men’s XV Head Coach Leonard Calvo was in charge of that game in 2024 and leads the team again at the Unions Cup 2026.

He said of the 2026 preparations, “Team selection was based on Guam domestic rugby competition. Several players were selected who have come through the Guam system but who currently reside in the USA. Several of the players are currently playing in USA college rugby. All players came through the Guam schoolboy rugby system.”

The Guam Head Coach also stressed the importance of being involved at the Unions Cup: “This is very important. Guam now has 20 years of High School competition. All players came through this. Guam is part of World Rugby and happy to enter into competition with our Southeast Asia neighbours and brothers.”

Guam Players to Watch:

• Brian Ramiro – Team captain, and he’s led the team since at least 2018. He captained the team and scored a try in their Magellan Cup match in 2024. The flanker plays with the Para Todu club.
• Amiotonu San Nicholas – Second row who has represented Guam at age grade level and the senior team; he is also an Assistant Coach at Friars Rugby.
• Zach Pangilinan – Fullback and former USA Eagle who played in the MLR with the Houston Sabrecats.

Laos – First Men’s XV Tests Since 2017

Laos is the third national team to debut at the Nations Cup 2026. The Men’s XV team’s last recorded test match was played on November 4, 2017, against Thailand.

Known as the Lao Nagas, they have recently had warm-up games against the touring Rhinos and a Thai Uni side, Mahasarakham University.

A bulk of the national selected team come from domestic clubs, but there are a handful of overseas-based players.

The Lao Men’s XV Head Coach is Adrien Xiong, who said of the preparations, “Preparation for the Unions Cup has been built around Laos’ domestic rugby calendar. The annual Lao League XVs competition in May 2026 provided an important opportunity for players to compete regularly in the 15-a-side game and for coaches to assess performances across several weeks of competition.

Following the league, the Lao Federation Rugby held a national selection match against the touring Rhinos RFC, featuring many of the country’s leading domestic players. The match played an important role in finalising the squad, allowing coaches to assess combinations, identify areas for improvement and refine preparations ahead of the tournament.”

The Head Coach added, “While our preparation period has been relatively short, the players have embraced the opportunity and are excited to represent Laos on the international stage.”

With the particicpation ended nearly a decade of not playing Men’s XV test rugby, the Head Coach said, “Everyone involved is incredibly excited to see Laos return to international Men’s XVs rugby. This is our first senior Men’s XVs international campaign since before the COVID-19 pandemic and an important milestone for the Federation.

Since the last time Laos fielded a senior men’s XVs team, rugby has continued to grow domestically. The Lao League has expanded from five clubs to eight regularly competing clubs, more young players are progressing through our pathways, and the overall rugby community is stronger than it was several years ago. This squad is a reflection of that progress.

We also know there is still a long way to go. Developing a sustainable national XVs programme takes time, particularly for an emerging rugby nation. For us, this tournament is about more than the matches themselves. It provides players with valuable international experience, strengthens the pathway between our domestic competition and the national team, and helps establish the standards and experience that will support the continued growth of rugby in Laos over the coming years.”

Lao Players to Watch:

“This is a young squad and, for many of the players, it will be their first experience of senior international XVs rugby. That makes this a particularly exciting group because they are the next generation of players coming through the Lao Rugby pathway.”

Rugby Asia 247 selected some of the foreign players set to feature:

• Valentin Phayavong – French-based player  and a flanker at Stade Metropolitain in Federale 2 – he left in 2026 after four seasons
• Quentin Phayavong – Centre at OSGL (Olympique Saint Genin Laval) club in France. LRF said, “A defensive organiser in the midfield with exceptional speed, allowing him to slice through gaps and create outside breaks.”
• Brandon Rassavong –  A flanker with the Tampa Krewe who LRF says is a “workhouse at the breakdown with a relentless defensive workrate and explosive tackling ability.”

Barbarian Asia

The Barbarian Asia team comprises a mix of players from the participating unions and Hong Kong China.

Nattapol Hemyoo is the Team Manager, and he explained, “The squad is made up of players from around Asia who are part of the national team programs for Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Chinese Taipei and others. There are also a few players joining who play in the Hong Kong China domestic league.

The other Unions Cup teams have nominated the players they are sharing with the Barbarians to provide them the opportunity to play test-level rugby to gain more experience,” added Nattapol Hemyoo.

He explained that the Asian Barbarians were entered into the competition to complete the pool of teams, so there are 8 competing sides.

“There was one other Asian team that was not able to participate this year, so the remaining teams agreed that creating a Barbarians team was the best option. It also allows them to expose some of the young, up-and-coming players to the higher-level competition.”

Unions Cup 2026 Tournament Schedule

The Unions Cup 2026 matchdays are due to be held on the 12th, 15th and 18th July 2026.

Venues:

• NKRAFA – Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Air Force Academy
• AFDC – Armed Forces Development Command
• NONPAO – Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation

Sunday 12th July 2026

(numbers in brackets are World Rugby rankings)

• (1) A1: Philippines (52) vs Laos (103)
• (2) A2: Singapore (64) vs Barbarians Asia

Livestream Link

• (3) B1: Thailand (72) vs Malaysia (53)
• (4) B2: Chinese Taipei (67) vs Guam (69)

Livestream Link

Wednesday 15 July 2026 Semifinals

• (5) A1 loss vs. B1 loss
• (6) A2 loss vs. B2 loss
• (7) A1 WIN VS B1 WIN
• (8) A2 WIN VS B2 WIN

Saturday 18 July 2026 Finals

How To Watch the Unions Cup 2026 Tournament?

It is our understanding that the Thai Rugby Union will stream the matches on their social channels – to be confirmed.

You can see all of our coverage from previous Unions Cup tournaments

• Philippines Men Crowned Unions Cup 2025 Champions.
• Unions Cup 2025 Finals Preview.
• Guam To Join Expanded Unions Cup from 2026.
• Singapore Men Win Inaugural Unions Cup 2024.

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