![]() Epson Cup logo introduced in 1999 | |
Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
First season | 1996 |
Ceased | 2001 |
No. of teams | 6 |
Last champion(s) | ![]() |
Most titles | ![]() |
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.
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.
Year | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | ![]() |
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[4] |
1997 | ![]() |
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[5] |
1998 | ![]() |
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[6] |
1999 | ![]() |
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[7] |
2000 | ![]() |
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[8] |
2001 | ![]() |
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[9] |
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]