Lahore, December 11, 2005

The biggest ever rugby event held in Pakistan: The Asian Under-19 Rugby Championship started with an impressive opening ceremony this morning. An Army marching band kept the viewers and schoolchildren entertained until the arrival of the Chief Guest: Mr Ajmal Khan, the Federal Minister of Sports and Culture.

Ten of the eleven participating sides lined up to be presented to the Chief Guest: Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Brunei Daressalam, Kazakhstan, the Arabian Gulf, Sri Lanka and the hosts Pakistan. The Federal Minister, on this occasion stated that this represented a great occasion and a wonderful opportunity to promote the game of rugby at the grass roots level.

The matches started with the defending Asian Champions and current second seeds, Korea taking on Sri Lanka. Korea powered to a 23-0 lead before the Sri Lankans responded, recovering to a final score of 38-13.

The match on pitch 2 featured the top seeds Japan and last years’ finalists Chinese Taipei, but it was a runaway win for the strong Japanese squad 41-0.

The Arabian Gulf, the host of the next under-19 World Cup lost 12-7 in a tense battle which saw a Malaysian player being sent off after being shown a red card. The Malaysian defence stayed strong to deny the Arabian Gulf the try they vitally needed.

Kazakhstan edged Thailand 15-12 in the closest match of the day to round off the matches of the first division.

Pakistan’s under-19 squad played their first ever match against the vastly more experienced Indians, and failed to score despite exerting early pressure. The Indian backs led their team to a 31-0 victory, putting them ahead in Division 2. Brunei was the only team not to play today – they will play their first game against Pakistan on Tuesday.