Asia Rugby Championship 2024 Men's Division 1: Schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

Pakistan has withdrawn from the tournament.

The 2024 Asia Rugby season is set to begin with the Division 1 Championship tournament being hosted in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Originally slated to feature just Sri Lanka, Qatar, and Pakistan, the competition has undergone some changes due to Pakistan’s withdrawal.

To ensure a competitive event, organizers of Asia Rugby made the decision to include Kazakhstan and India, who were originally scheduled for the Division 2 competition before Iran’s withdrawal left that division empty.

The newly formed Division 1 tournament will adopt a knockout format, with all matches taking place at the Racecourse Ground in Colombo. The action kicks off on April 30th with the first semi-final pitting Qatar against Kazakhstan. The hosts Sri Lanka will then take on India in the second semifinal later that day.

The tournament has a storied history dating back to 1969 when it was founded as the Rugby Football Tournament. Japan claimed that inaugural title, defeating Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand. For much of its early decades, it featured a single-division format before expanding to multiple tiers as rugby’s popularity grew across Asia.

After various restructurings, the modern divisional setup was established in the late 2000s. This allowed more nations to compete at an appropriate level as rugby continues its development across the massive Asian continent.

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India’s rugby union team has experienced an up-and-down journey through the divisions of the Asia Rugby Championships over the past decade and a half.

After missing promotion from Division 2 in the inaugural 2008 event, India yo-yoed between the second and third tiers multiple times. Key lowlights included a 2011 relegation to Division 3 and a fourth-place Division 3 West finish in 2014.

However, they have also tasted success, winning the Division 3 tournament in 2012 to earn promotion. More recently, in the restructured 2015 Division 3 Central competition, India defeated Uzbekistan on points difference after the withdrawal of Pakistan.

How many teams are participating in Asia Rugby Championship 2024 Men’s Division 1?

The Asia Rugby Men’s Division 1 for the year 2024 will feature four teams. The Participating teams are India, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan.

This year, there will be no Division 2 competition, and the teams from Division 2 have been included in Division.

Where and how to watch live telecast and streaming of Asia Rugby Championship 2024 Men’s Division 1?

You can watch live streaming of the Asian Rugby Championship Men’s Division 1 around the globe on its official YouTube channel- AsiaRugbyLive. However, there is little information about the telecast of the tournament.

Where and how to watch live telecast of Asia Rugby Championship 2024 Men’s Division 1 2024 in India?

There wont be live telecast of the tournament in India. However, one can follow Khel Now for Match reports and updates here.

Where and how to watch live streaming of Asia Rugby Championship 2024 Men’s Division 1 in India?

In India too, fans can watch Live streaming of the Asian Rugby Championship Men’s Division 1 on its official YouTube channel- AsiaRugbyLive.

Full schedule and fixtures of Asia Rugby Championship 2024 Men’s Division 1 (all timings in IST)

April 30th

• Match 1 – Qatar v Kazakhstan (4:00 PM)
• Match 2 – Sri Lanka v India – April 30th, 2024 (7:00 PM)

May 4

• 3rd Place Playoff – Loser of Match 1 vs Loser of Match 2 – May 4th, 2024
• Final – Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2 – May 4th, 2024

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