Pacific Rim Rugby Championship
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 Epson Cup logo introduced in 1999 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| First season | 1996 |
| Ceased | 2001 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Last champion |  Fiji (2001) |
| Most titles |  Canada (3 times) |
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][3] The championship was held annually between 1996 and 2001.
The competition was run by the International Rugby Board.[4] 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 | Canada |
 Hong Kong |
 United States |
[5][6] |
| 1997 | Canada |
Hong Kong |
 Japan |
[7] |
| 1998 | Canada |
 Hong Kong |
United States |
[8] |
| 1999 | Japan |
 Western Samoa |
United States |
[9] |
| 2000 | Fiji |
Western Samoa |
 Tonga |
[10] |
| 2001 | Fiji |
Western Samoa |
Japan |
[11] |
Successor events
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).[12][13]
The Pacific Nations Cup, including Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, was expanded again in 2012 with Canada and the United States joining the competition.[14]
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.[15]
