Northern Rugby 7s Qualifiers Set the Stage for Thailand National Championships
Chiang Mai, Thailand | 27 September 2026
The TRU Northern Regional Rugby 7s Qualifiers were held on 26–27 September 2026 at Suthep Municipality Stadium, Chiang Mai, bringing together school, youth and university rugby programmes from across the region. The tournament formed part of the Thai Rugby Union’s national pathway for the 2026 Rugby 7s Championships.
With qualification places at stake, the weekend provided a highly competitive showcase of rugby talent from Northern Thailand, with players representing schools, universities and regional rugby clubs.
Among the teams travelling to Chiang Mai was Chiang Rai Rugby, which entered a substantial youth contingent. Chiang Rai sent 84 young players across six divisions, including Under-14 Boys and Girls, Under-16 Boys and Girls, and School Boys and Girls, supported by coaches and team staff.
The tournament highlighted the continuing development of rugby throughout Northern Thailand, with established rugby centres such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phitsanulok represented alongside university programmes.
The strength of the university competition was also demonstrated by Thailand National Sports University Chiang Mai Campus, which secured the Northern regional championship in both the men’s and women’s university divisions, earning progression to the national championships.
TNSU Chiang Mai produced a strong campaign and ultimately secured the Northern University Men’s championship.
Their campaign included a 12–10 victory over Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, followed by a 12–3 win over Chiang Mai University. Pibulsongkram later defeated Chiang Mai University 7–22, before TNSU Chiang Mai and Maejo met in another closely contested encounter.
TNSU Chiang Mai also secured the Women’s University championship, meaning both their men’s and women’s teams progressed to the national championship stage in Bangkok.
Schools and youth rugby
The Northern qualifier also demonstrated the depth of youth rugby in the region, with competition across several school and age-group divisions.
The Under-16 competition saw some particularly impressive attacking performances, including Prince A defeating Pibulsongkram 37–0 and later overcoming Rugby Chiang Rai 24–0.
In another strong performance, Prince B defeated Rachapracha 30 by 24–0.
The younger age groups produced similarly competitive rugby, with Lanna, Rachapracha, Rugby Chiang Rai and other school programmes recording wins during the qualifying rounds.
Club rugby provides plenty of action
The Northern club division featured Chiang Mai Allstars, Ranger and Lanna A and B, producing some entertaining 7s rugby.
Chiang Mai Allstars opened with a 17–5 victory over Ranger, before defeating Lanna A 19–0.
Lanna B also impressed, defeating Lanna A 17–5 before recording a 24–0 victory over Ranger.
Those results set up an intriguing battle among the Northern clubs as the teams continued their pursuit of national championship qualification.
In the mens final Lanna Rugby Club overcame the All Stars to claim the accolade of champions and progress to the TRU national 7s championships to be held in Bangkok.
Maddie Barry, The Lanna Rugby Club’s Ladies Captain & Youth Manager had this to say, “Lanna Rugby was on fire at the Northern 7s! It was incredible to see our kids cheering each other on across almost every age category. The whole club came together to support one another, and our men’s team capped it off with a dominant performance in their division.”
The mens Captain Seamus Ryan said, “The NTRU 7s this past weekend was an absolute highlight. It was an amazing showcase of rugby in our region, from the high quality of play on the pitch to the incredible energy and support in the stands. It was a genuine honor to be a part of such a great event”.
On the back of the succesful Lanna International Rugby 7s the previous week, Lanna Chairman Matt Hirst was happy saying, ‘I’m super proud of all the athletes who competed for Lanna Rugby Club over the weekend. It’s great to be able to send 8 teams to the NTRU 7s and for 4 of them to make the national 7s in Bangkok next month. We hope to represent North Rugby with pride! Congratulations to all of the other teams that qualified too!’
Northern rugby continues to grow
Beyond the individual results, the tournament provided another indication of the breadth of rugby development across Northern Thailand.
Schools, universities and clubs from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok and surrounding areas were represented, giving players from different levels of the game an opportunity to compete on the same regional stage.
The university competition in particular highlighted the strength of the Chiang Mai rugby pathway, while the number of youth teams demonstrates the continuing investment being made in developing players from an early age.
With the regional qualifying tournament now completed, attention turns south to Bangkok.
Bangkok Awaits
The successful Northern qualifiers will now prepare for the Thai Rugby Union National Rugby 7s Championships on 10–11 October 2026 in Bangkok.
For the Northern teams, the Bangkok championship represents the next step after a demanding regional weekend — and an opportunity to test themselves against the leading qualifying teams from across Thailand.
From the mountains of Chiang Mai to the national stage in Bangkok, Northern Thailand’s Rugby 7s campaign continues.
