The battle for the 2010 Asian Five Nations kicks off this weekend with a place at next year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand on offer to the winners of the tournament.
Defending champions Japan are the favourites to clinch another Top 5 crown, given their standing as Asia's top side in the IRB World Rankings in 13th and the region's only side to play in a World Cup. However, the possibility exists for another Asian side to grace the sport's biggest stage with the runner up to enter the cross-continental play-off to determine the final qualifier for the World Cup.
This year's champions will enter Pool A as Asia 1 alongside New Zealand, France, Tonga and Canada while the runner-up will play Uruguay in July with the winner of that encounter progressing to face either a European representative (be it Romania, Lithuania or Ukraine) or African side Tunisia for the right to enter Pool B along with Argentina, England, Scotland and Georgia.
Japan will sit out the first round on matches on Saturday, which will see Hong Kong host 2008 runners-up Korea and the Arabian Gulf travel to Almaty to face Kazakhstan, who impressed last year to finish second behind the Japanese. The encounter in Hong Kong is likely to prove decisive to both nations' hopes of qualifying for a first Rugby World Cup and will be one to watch if it matches the thrilling affair they played out 12 months ago. Korea emerged victorious that day, although only after withstanding a Hong Kong charge that saw them score four tries and 24 unanswered points in the final 20 minutes to narrowly lose 36-34.
Hong Kong coach Dai Rees will use that tremendous feat to motivate his side in a game he has already labelled a "must-win". "This will be a massive game for us. We have to target this as a must-win game if we are to have any chances of finishing in the top two and keep alive our World Cup hopes," Rees said. "To be realistic, Japan is the outright favourites to win the championship and grab the Asian berth at the World Cup," added Rees. "Our aim will be to finish second and make it through to the repêchage."
Hong Kong have only beaten Korea twice in 10 meetings and will be desperate not to gift their visitors a 24 point head start inside 17 minutes as in 2009. No.8 Han Kun-kyu was a standout player that day and will hope to repeat his brace of tries again as part of a new-look Korean outfit.
Han is back again as is excellent second-row forward You Young-nam, who was named the best player in his position last year in Japan's professional Top League - but there are many new faces in the 22-man squad. "We have changed half the squad from last year," said coach Kim Myoung Joo. "They might be new faces but I believe they have the potential to win any match and we are giving them the opportunity. Our aim is to win this tournament. Japan [Korea's opponents in Daegu, Korea next weekend] will be difficult opponents but we will do our best."
The weekend's other match will see Arabian Gulf hoping to avoid a repeat of the 56-27 defeat by Kazakhstan in 2008 which saw them relegated to Division I, only to bounce back by winning the A5N second tier last year.
The side finishing bottom in this year's Top 5 already know that they will be replaced by Sri Lanka in 2011, after they became the latest to take their place among Asia's elite nation after beating hosts Singapore 23-16 in the Division I final last weekend.
Meanwhile, in Europe there are two other matches which form part of the Rugby World Cup 2011 qualifying process with Ukraine travelling to Moldova and Belgium hosting Poland in Division 2A of the European Nations Cup. Ukraine have already confirmed their position as champions to set up a meeting with Lithuania in the latest of a series of European play-off rounds, the winner of this to face Romania home and away for the right to enter the cross-continental play-off.