Rwc 2019 Inspires 1.8m New Asian Players

Just days out from the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, World Rugby has revealed that its Impact Beyond legacy programme has already delivered 1.8 million new rugby participants in Asia.

The programme – a partnership between World Rugby, the Japanese RFU and Asia Rugby – began in 2016 and aims to introduce children to all forms or rugby, while also training coaches and teachers and funding equipment in schools.

In Japan alone, the programme has introduced 769,000 children to tag rugby and has coached over 10,000 tag teachers. Across the nation as a whole, one million children have taken up the sport as a direct result of Impact Beyond.

Discussing the initiative and its legacy for the Rugby World Cup 2019, Sir Bill Beaumont, World Rugby Chairman, said: “Perhaps the most important ‘try’ of the tournament has already been converted, as more than one million Japanese youngsters have tried out rugby for the first time.

“The success of Impact Beyond is testament to the hard work of our colleagues at Asia Rugby and the unions, and my special gratitude and appreciation goes to the many thousands of volunteers who regularly give their time to support rugby programmes around the world. They are the unsung heroes of the game.”