What a draw… In their first World Cup, Hong Kong will face New Zealand, Australia and Chile in Pool A at the Men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027
Tag: Argentina
WXV Global Series Announced
The popularity, both in-person and among TV viewers, of the ongoing Women’s World Cup has seen World Rugby announce the launch of a new WXV Global Series.
World Rugby, national member unions and the International Rugby Players Association hope the new WXV Global Series will transform the global women’s rugby calendar.
The WXV Global Series introduces a new format featuring the top 18 national teams in the world and looks to increase “meaningful competition and calendar harmony, driving long-term performance and commercial sustainability in the women’s game”.
The top 12-ranked teams (Australia, Canada, England, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA, Wales) will compete in a home-and-away, cross-regional touring model within a new September – October international window.
Meanwhile, teams 13-18 (Brazil, Fiji, Hong Kong China, Netherlands, Samoa, Spain) will play their fixtures in a single destination in 2026 and 2028, funded by World Rugby. Rankings to determine positions in the Series were set at the end of WXV 2024 and teams will remain fixed in these through the 2026–28 cycle, as agreed with participating unions.
The structure of the 2027 season will allow teams to face new opponents, with additional fixtures for unions not involved in the British and Irish Lions Women’s Tour to New Zealand.
WXV Global Series overview
- 18 national teams across two competitions
- Top 12 teams to play in a home-and-away cross-regional model from 2026–28
- Teams will play between four and six fixtures annually within the new September–October test window
- Teams 13-18 to compete in a funded, centralised annual tournament hosted at a single destination
- Cross-over fixtures to take place in 2027 around the British and Irish Lions Women’s Tour
- Over 100 international matches to be played across the three-year cycle
- Touring unions retain commercial rights to home fixtures
- Integrated into the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 qualification pathway
Women’s World Cup 2029 Australia Qualification
Qualification for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia will be determined through a combination of: RWC 2025 standings (with Canada, England, France and New Zealand having qualified after making the semi-finals), eight teams through 2027 regional competition results, two teams through world rankings at the end of the 2027 Global Competition Window, and one final spot decided by the WXV Global Series 2028 centrally hosted competition for teams 13-18, which will function as a Final Qualification Tournament (FQT).
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “The launch of the WXV Global Series marks another landmark moment for the women’s game, following what will be an era-defining Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, that will change the global landscape for women’s rugby.”
“It delivers on our commitment to raise standards, provide consistent and competitive fixtures, a clear international calendar that prioritises welfare, and create sustainable commercial outcomes for the women’s game globally. Working closely with players and unions, this model creates the platform for women’s rugby to reach its full potential on and off the field.”
Images: Simon Durrant/ bc magazine
Additional reporting: World Rugby
Women’s Rugby World Cup – bcene: Japan v Spain @ York, 7 September, 2025
Japanese and Spanish fans arrived in York hoping to see their team win their first World Cup Game.
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Photos: copyright Simon Durrant/bcmagazine
Women’s World Cup Kicks Off With Red Roses Win
Over 42,000 crowded into the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on 22 August to watch England’s Red Roses in the opening game of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
The tournament hosts savouring the noisy home atmosphere rewarded the crowd – a record for a Women’s World Cup game – with some exciting attacking rugby in a 69-7 win against a United States team determined not to let the occasion overwhelm them.
That Sunderland, a northern city that lives for its football team, not only embraced the tournament but enjoyed the match shows how far women’s rugby has come even in the three years since New Zealand 2022.
Watch the highlights here
Photos: copyright Simon Durrant/bc magazine
Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Ticketing
World Rugby have announced the ticketing process for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Fans will have two initial opportunities to secure their place at the tournament’s 11th edition, with the first tickets going on sale next year following the release of the much-anticipated match schedule in January 2026.
Tickets will be released in phases, starting in February 2026 for fans who register before the end of January 2026. Additional tickets will be available in May 2026. All matches and all price categories will be available during this presale.
In May 2026, a three-week general application phase will open to all supporters worldwide, offering the chance to request tickets for any match with a ballot system implemented for oversubscribed price categories to ensure fairness, confirmed World Rugby.
Superfan Pass
For the most passionate fan, Rugby World Cup 2027 is introducing the Superfan Pass, providing guaranteed access to purchase tickets. Superfan Passes will go on-sale on 5 August at 14:00 AEST.
The Superfan Pass option gives fans guaranteed access to tickets for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, including the opening match and the final. By purchasing a Superfan Pass you’ll be invited to buy tickets in February 2026 before anyone else.
How many tickets can I buy with Superfan Pass?
Each Superfan Pass holder can purchase up to four tickets per match, and up to 52 tickets across the tournament.
Wheelchair Superfan Pass holders can access a wheelchair ticket with a free companion, along with three more tickets, up to 52 tickets (not including the companion ticket) for any RWC 2027 matches.
How much does a Superfan Pass cost?
Superfan Passes cost AUD$750 and are limited to one per person. They can’t be transferred or resold. Superfan Passes on sale at 14:00 (AEST)
Match tickets are not included in the price of a Superfan Pass and must be purchased separately during the exclusive Superfan Pass sale in February 2026.
Ticketing Timeline
- 29 July, 2025 – Fans can register to access the presale (until the end of January 2026)
- 30 July, 2025 – RWC Experiences on sale for eight matches
- 5 August, 2025 – Superfan Passes on sale at 14:00 (AEST)
2026
- January 2026 RWC 2027 Ticket-inclusive travel packages available.
- February 2026 presale for fans who registered before the end of January 2026.
- May 2026 Application Phase ticket.
- July 2026 Premium Experience packages for selected matches on sale.
Additional reporting and images: World Rugby
2025 Rugby Championship
SANZAAR has today confirmed the match schedule for the 2025 Rugby Championship that will be played from 16 August to 2 October.
The Rugby Championship (TRC) mini-tour format will remain in place, with each team playing six matches comprising three home matches and three away matches. Each team will host a two-match tour, will play an away two-match tour, and play a one-match home and away series against the third remaining team.
This year, South Africa will host Australia for two matches before heading to New Zealand for two away matches. New Zealand will head to Argentina for its away mini-tour prior to hosting South Africa, while Australia will host Argentina for two matches.
The Bledisloe Cup home and away Tests between Australia and New Zealand will take place in Perth and Auckland this year, with South Africa and Argentina meeting in Durban and London. The London fixture will be only the second time a Rugby Championship match has been played outside of the four core territories of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris stated, “The Rugby Championship is the pinnacle of southern hemisphere rugby and one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. This year will be no different as some of the best Test teams in the world do battle across 11 cities across the four nations.”
“Anticipation is again high for the 2025 edition of TRC as the top talent from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa do battle for southern hemisphere supremacy. South Africa are the current World Champions and incumbent Rugby Championship champions, while Argentina are now fifth in the world rankings. New Zealand will warm-up with a Test series against France while the Wallabies have a big series against the British & Irish Lions to prepare for the Championship.”
“This year the tournament finishes with a match at Allianz Stadium Twickenham in London when Argentina host the Springboks. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase The Rugby Championship in the UK.”
Additional reporting and images: SANZAAR
Gaucho Argentine Steakhouse
Gaucho Argentine steak restaurant recently opened in Hong Kong having been a staple of the London dining scene for many years. At the media preview Head of Grills Fernando Larroude talked us through the four cuts of Argentine Beef that provide the core of the restaurants menu rump, sirloin, rib-eye and fillet – your waiter will explain the cuts to you when you dine. The restaurant prides itself on the provenance of its grass-fed free-range beef, and from the small tasting samples, the beef was flavourful and tasty. One of the options on the menu is sampler featuring all four cuts – 1.2kg of beef, $998 – not often you can compare cuts.
As with most steak houses you can have your meat cut, prepared and cooked anyway you choose with steaks ranging in size from 225g to 2kg, prices vary accordingly. Sides are all extra. There’s an extensive range of starters, including delicious empanadas, and deserts picked from dishes that have proved popular in London and Dubai and for those who don’t like steak there are options including two vegetarian risottos.
The wine cellar is slightly unique in that it’s all Argentinean and currently offers a choice of over 100 wines, although this will eventually reach around 180. If you want to bring your own bottle, corkage is $300/bottle.
Lots of the more obvious things are not listed on the menu – a simple example is there’s no listing of every option of coffee. Ask your server for what you want/like, and with the heavy emphasis on friendly knowledgeable service it’s sad to see the ubiquitous 10% service charge already added.
Gaucho is open now for dinner: 6-11pm and lunch: noon-3pm.
Gaucho Hong Kong: 5/F, 31 Queens Road Central. Tel: 2386 8090 email: [email protected]
Hong Kong 0-7 Argentina @ HK Stadium – 14 October, 2014
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A second string Argentinean team barely got above walking pace as they out-classed a hard working Hong Kong side in the HKFA’s Centenary Match. A crowd of 20,000+ got what they came for though when Lionel Messi dazzled in a 30 minute cameo that had the crowd roaring in delight. Messi scored two goals – the first a lovely twisting run through the heart of HK’s defence – and set up a third to bring the enthusiastic crowd to life.
In truth it wasnt a great game, the gulf in class just too big – but Hong Kong could and should have scored on the counter-attack. In bringing his star names of the bench to entertain in the last 30 minutes, the fans were entertained and left happy. What more can you want from a friendly!
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