Qatar, Jordan and defending champions Lebanon will be competing for the first piece of silverware in the Asia Rugby competitions calendar.
Division III C, III ES, II and I will all take place in the coming months alongside the Asia Rugby Championship’s premier competition with Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Ahead of the first competition of the year, Jordan’s new head coach John Mataira openly discussed the importance of the ARC for his side.
“The ARC is very important for Jordan as it is crucial in the development process for the game and will provide the players, especially our younger players, with the experience they need to improve their skills, attitude and rugby instincts in order to build for the future,” said Mataira.
“We are very optimistic about the future of rugby in Jordan. We are actively and successfully recruiting players from other sports, in particular, martial arts and basketball, into our rugby fraternity and we hope to increase the number of clubs, the number of players, and thereby the standard of rugby in Jordan, as quickly as possible.
“Our most promising recent accomplishments include developing a women’s team and a U20 team, both of which have started participating in international competitions.”
Lebanon will be favourites to lift the first title of the Asia Rugby tournament calendar having won the previous two ARC Division III West competitions and their head coach and director of rugby development Steve Wrigglesworth echoed Mataira’s sentiments on the importance of the ARC.
“The ARC is an important part of our player pathway. It is our highlight of the year and we hope to have another opportunity later in the year for more international games," Wrigglesworth said.
ASIA DIVSION III WEST 2019 FIXTURES:
30 March: Qatar v Jordan
2 April: Jordan v Lebanon
5 April: Qatar v Lebanon
Photo: Asia Rugby