Pacific Rim Rugby Championship

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.

Pacific Rim Championship
Epson Cup logo introduced in 1999
SportRugby union
Inaugural season1996
Ceased2001
No. of teams6
Last
champion(s)		 Fiji  (2001)
Most titles Canada  (3 times)

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  Western Samoa  United States [7]
2000  Fiji  Western Samoa  Tonga [8]
2001  Fiji  Western 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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