Kazakhstan women’s rugby team secures top-three finish in Asia
In their second match at the 2025 Asia Rugby Women’s Championship in Fukuoka, Japan, Kazakhstan’s national team fell to Hong Kong (12-29).
Kazakhstan opened the tournament with a heavy 0-90 loss to Japan, the six-time continental champions. With only three teams competing in this year’s championship — Japan, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan — the match against Hong Kong effectively determined the silver and bronze medalists.
Hong Kong led 17-0 at halftime. After the break, Kazakhstan managed to score its first points of the tournament but ultimately came up short, losing 12-29. The outcome marked a reversal of the 2023 home match in Almaty, where Kazakhstan defeated Hong Kong 27–23.
Kazakhstan’s roster at the 2025 Asia Rugby Women’s Championship:
Symbat Zhamankulova, Amina Sharip, Natalya Kamendrovskaya, Svetlana Malezhina, Darya Tkachyova, Xeniya Kim, Yelena Yurova, Tatyana Kruchinkina, Darya Simakova, Tatyana Dadadjanova, Ayaulym Bakytpek, Viktoriya Kuznetsova, Anzhelika Pichugina, Veronika Stepanyuga, Mariya Grishina, Yekaterina Savina, Alyona Drobovskaya, Natalya Vlassova, Anna Melnikova, Irina Balabina, Yuliya Oleinikova, Amina Tulegenova, Karina Sazontova, Anna Melnikova. Head coach: Ildar Abdrazakov.
The gold medal will be decided on May 25 in the final match between Japan and Hong Kong. Both teams have one win each, both over Kazakhstan. While technically still undecided, Japan is widely expected to defend its title.
Japan remains a dominant force in Asian rugby and continues to gain recognition on the global stage. The team has already qualified for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be held in England from Aug. 22 to Sept. 27.
The reigning world champions are New Zealand, who won back-to-back titles in 2017 (Ireland) and 2021 (New Zealand).
