Number of teams 2 | Instituted 2012 Region Asia-Pacific (APRLF) | |
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The Rugby League Asian Cup is a rugby league football tournament for Asian nations that was first held in 2012. The tournament was first started in 2012, with the Philippines and Thailand playing each other once. It is run by the Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation and the Trophy itself was donated by the RLIF.
Contents
History
On October 21, 2012 the Philippines Tamaraws defeated the Thailand Stars to win the inaugural Rugby League Asian Cup. and on October 23, 2013 the Philippines again defeated Thailand at the second Asian Cup.
Trophy
On October 21, 2012, after beating Thailand in the Asian Cup final, Philippines captain Luke Srama was presented with the first Asian Cup trophy. Srama was also presented with a Friendship Cup as a good gesture between the two teams.
Format
The format of the inaugural Rugby League Asian Cup involved a one off match held in Bangkok between Thailand and the Philippines to decide the champion of the tournament.
Future
It is expected in the future editions of the Asian Cup that the Japan national rugby league team and Singapore will compete in the tournament. It is also hoped that other Asian nations will compete in the future. Japan has planned hosting the tournament in 2014
Successful national teams
The Philippines is the only nation to have won the Asian Cup.
The following list, are all the teams that have competed in the Asian Cup tournament since its inception; the number of times they have appeared; their most recent appearance; consecutive appearances and their highest result:
Overall Championships
As of the 2013 edition
Overall top 5 pointscorers
As of the 2012 edition
Asian Cup winning captains and coaches
As of the 2013 edition