2026 Asia Pacific Opens Touch Cup: Final Results and Awards

The inaugural Asia Pacific Opens Touch Cup (APOTC) concluded its fourth and final day with a trio of exhilarating Gold Medal clashes between traditional rivals Australia and New Zealand, played in perfect conditions at Mudgee’s Glen Willow Regional Sporting Complex.

The Athelite Australian Emus exploded out of the blocks in the first half of the Mixed Open final, piling on seven tries against New Zealand while keeping them scoreless with a solid defensive display. The Touch Blacks regrouped after the break and crossed for two second-half tries, but Australia proved far too strong, sealing a dominant victory with eight different try scorers. Tim Baartz led the green and gold from the front with a captain’s knock, finishing with a double, while Wilson Groth and Keesha Kapea also scored twice in an emphatic performance. The Philippines overcame Samoa in the Bronze Medal decider with a strong showing, twelve tries to seven.

The Women’s Open final delivered a fierce contest between Australia and New Zealand, with just one try separating the two sides at half-time. The Emus recalibrated after the break and showed too much class, pulling away to secure a 7-5 victory at the final hooter. Australia’s Chelsea Hindmarsh starred in a superb display on both sides of the ball, crossing for a double, while Andi Law also scored twice, lighting up the second half with a dazzling solo effort. In the Bronze Medal match in front of a vocal crowd of supporters, Samoa came away with a narrow win over Singapore, 7-5.

A grinding battle turned into a buzzer-beating thriller as New Zealand outlasted Australia in the Men’s Open final in the closing match of the tournament. After Australia led 3-1 at half-time, the Touch Blacks fought their way back, spearheaded by the mercurial Ifor Jones, to snatch victory by a single try in a drop-off. Jones slipped through the Australian defence to level the scores in the final set of regulation, before completing his double in the ensuing drop-off to seal a memorable Men’s Open title for New Zealand, seven tries to six. Lebanon also capped off a strong tournament run, proving too strong for the Cook Islands to take the Bronze Medal, eight tries to four.

Australia was crowned Champion Nation after claiming two of the three Opens divisions, alongside winning the Trans-Tasman trophy with two victories and one draw against New Zealand in the featured Anzac Day clashes.

The APOTC also marked the return of the Phil Smith Medal for the first time since 2017. Presented by Touch Football Australia (TFA), the award honours one of the organisation’s founding members and first Life Member, Phil Smith, and is bestowed upon a member of the Emus touring party who demonstrates the utmost passion, enthusiasm, dedication, commitment, and Australian spirit during an event. This year’s Phil Smith Medal was awarded to Angela Trenerry, TFA’s High Performance and Pathways Manager, who has been a mainstay of the Emus program and a deserving recipient for her unwavering commitment to the sport’s values, along with her tireless work in driving TFA’s High Performance programs and supporting its athletes and officials.

The Asia Pacific Opens Touch Cup is proudly supported by Mid-Western Regional Council.

Missed the action? Catch all the replays on BarTV Sports.

Event photos and highlights can be viewed on the Touch Football Australia Facebook and Instagram pages.

Full results and final standings are listed below.

 

Men’s Open

Grand Final

New Zealand Touch Blacks 7 defeated Athelite Australian Emus 6

Australian Players’ Player

Daniel Langbridge

Australian Coach’s Award

Riley Jones

Grand Final Referee Appointments

David Baggio

Kim Skelly

Logan Forrester

Medal Placings

Gold: New Zealand

Silver: Australia

Bronze: Lebanon

 

Women’s Open

Grand Final

Athelite Australian Emus 7 defeated New Zealand Touch Blacks 5

Australian Players’ Player

Rebecca Bartlett

Australian Coach’s Award

Andi Law

Kristy Judd Award

Tiarni Bryce

Grand Final Referee Appointments

Zoe Genrich

Mitchell Bailey

Jimmy Wang

Medal Placings

Gold: Australia

Silver: New Zealand

Bronze: Samoa

 

Mixed Open

Grand Final

Athelite Australian Emus 11 defeated New Zealand Touch Blacks 2

Australian Players’ Player

Bradley Russell

Australian Coach’s Award

Holli Raff

Grand Final Referee Appointments

Campbell Muir

Brandon Sandersen

Zac Genrich

Medal Placings

Gold: Australia

Silver: New Zealand

Bronze: Philippines

 

Champion Nation

Australia

Phil Smith Medal

Angela Trenerry

World Leading Female Referee

Zoe Genrich

World Leading Male Referee

David Baggio