Japan pose tough task for Hong Kong U20s

Hong Kong's task of qualifying for the IRB Junior World Trophy next year has been made harder with Asian champions Japan favourites to book the one spot available from the ARFU U20s Asian Championships which kick off at Hong Kong Football Club on Sunday.

Japan's failure to qualify for the top tier IRB World Championships next year has meant only the winner of the four-team competition will progress to the second-tier event in 2012.

Japan's 31-24 loss to Samoa earlier this month in the final of the 2011 IRB World Trophy will mean they will have to qualify for this event next year, and they will be going all out to do that by winning in Hong Kong.

'If Japan had beaten Samoa, it would have opened up another berth for an Asian team at next year's World Trophy,' said Hong Kong Rugby Football Union head of performance Dai Rees.

'Now it makes it difficult to qualify but Hong Kong must play the best teams in Asia if we are to continue to develop.'

With Hong Kong's senior team finishing the recently concluded HSBC Asian Five Nations Top Five competition in second place, Rees is looking forward to the next generation of rugby players coming through from the under-20 squad.