SINGAPORE — Following their promotion to Division One of the Asian 5-Nations Championship last month, Singapore’s national rugby side will have another opportunity to lock horns with some of Asia’s best.

Next month, the Republic will line up against Hong Kong and Taiwan when it hosts the Asian Tri-Nations Rugby Championship at Yio Chu Kang Stadium from Aug 18 to 24.

Revived by the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU), the tournament — it was last held in 1999 — is a chance for Singapore to continue its climb up the International Rugby Board (IRB) world rankings, said National Head Coach Inoke Afeaki.

“It’s a chance to continue our positive momentum this year and climb up the next rung of Singapore’s rugby developmental ladder,” said Afeaki, 39, who is also the SRU’s Technical Director, yesterday.

Singapore was promoted to Division One of the Asian 5-Nations tournament after beating Malaysia 20-17 in the Division Two final last month. The result also saw the Republic climb from 66th to 58th in the IRB rankings.

But, as Hong Kong will be sending a developmental side for the Asian Tri-Nations, the Republic’s clash with them will not carry any ranking points as it will not be afforded full test status by the IRB.

That is why Singapore’s fixture against Taiwan will be vital, as victory will see them clinch the 56th spot in the IRB rankings, moving a step closer to their all-time high of 41 in 2009, according to the IRB’s official website.

Nevertheless, Afeaki insisted they will treat both games with equal importance.

“The level that we are at is comparable to both Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. Strategy-wise, I believe we are even superior,” said the former player with Tongan lock.

“This is a good chance to show what we have.”

Afeaki’s confidence stems from the fact that the current batch of national players is a good mix of youth and experience. He will be banking on the leadership of hooker Gaspar Tan, the Republic’s most capped player with 19 appearances, while at the same time using the opportunity to blend in younger players, such as props Alvin Ho, 22, and Hasif Azman, 21.

“Gaspar epitomises the strength and guile of Singapore rugby. He has an old head but plays with the energy of a young rugger,” he said.

Tan, 24, who debuted against Kazakhstan in 2006, added: “The tournament also allows us to blood the younger boys into the team.”

The Asian Tri-Nations was last held in 1999 in a home-and-away format featuring Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Captained by Terence Khoo and coached by Justin Sampson, Singapore beat Taiwan for the first time, where a spectacular late try by Bruce Frame gave them a historic 32-27 win in Taipei.

The Anchor Reds, as they were known then, also lost 10-12 to Hong Kong, but it was a remarkable result as Hong Kong had obliterated Singapore 164-13 — a then-world record result — just five years earlier. Singapore subsequently lost 11-20 and 5-25 to Taiwan and Hong Kong at home.