Pacific Rim Rugby Championship

Pacific Rim Championship

Epson Cup logo introduced in 1999
Sport Rugby union
Inaugural season 1996
Ceased 2001
No. of teams 6
Last
champion(s)		  Fiji  (2001)
Most titles  Canada  (3 times)

The Pacific Rim Rugby Championship, also known as the Epson Cup for sponsorship purposes,[1] was an international rugby union tournament contested by national teams from around the Pacific.[2] The championship was held annually between 1996 and 2001.

The competition was run by the International Rugby Board.[3] In the first three tournaments, Canada, United States, Japan and Hong Kong competed for the championship. The competition was expanded to six teams in 1999 with the Pacific Tri-Nations teams Fiji, Samoa and Tonga replacing Hong Kong for the last three tournaments.

Tournament winners

Year Winner Runner-up Third place Refs
1996  Canada  Hong Kong  United States [4]
1997  Canada  Hong Kong  Japan [5]
1998  Canada  Hong Kong  United States [6]
1999  Japan  Samoa  United States [7]
2000  Fiji  Samoa  Tonga [8]
2001  Fiji  Samoa  Japan [9]

Successor events

The Epson Cup series ended at the completion of the original sponsorship deal, but the Pacific Tri-Nations tournament continued for the next three years until the IRB expanded that competition to form the Pacific Nations Cup in 2006 (also known as the Pacific Six Nations).[10][11]

The Pacific Nations Cup, including Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, was expanded again in 2012 with Canada and the United States joining the competition.[12]

The United States, Russia, China, Japan, and eventually Canada and Romania, played in the Super Powers Cup (later renamed the Super Cup) from 2003 to 2005.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "IRB unaware of Epson Cup problems". ESPN Scrum. 12 October 2000. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Sallay, Alvin (7 July 1996). "Pacific Rim teams urged to improve rugby standards". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Welcome to the home of the Epson Cup on the Internet.". IRB. 2002. Archived from the original on 3 September 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Pacific Rim Championship. ESPN Scrum. 1996.
  5. ↑ Pacific Rim Championship. ESPN Scrum. 1997.
  6. ↑ Pacific Rim Championship. ESPN Scrum. 1998.
  7. ↑ Pacific Rim Championship. ESPN Scrum. 1999.
  8. ↑ Pacific Rim Championship. ESPN Scrum. 2000.
  9. ↑ Pacific Rim Championship. ESPN Scrum. 2001.
  10. ↑ "About Us: National Teams". Fiji Rugby. 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "IRB unveil plan to boost rugby worldwide". Irish Times. 5 August 2005. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "Pacific Nations Cup expanded to Canada and USA". TVNZ. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "What a Week!". Nigel Melville Direct. 10 February 2009. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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