‘Friendly’ international competition will be taken to the next level when the fifth World Vintage Rugby Carnival descends on Kapiolani Park.

The "old boys" event — over-35 and over-46 men’s divisions — features 45 teams from 16 countries with seemingly as many social functions as there will be playing days. Organizers emphasize the "carnival" aspect with the chance for sides to "scrum, ruck and maul with their mates from around the world" and play rugby as competitively as they wish.

And, yes, there is a beer garden near the first-aid tent.

"There is no bracket play, no champions," said John MacGregor of the Hawaii Harlequins, the host club. "It’s very social.

"It’s designed for people to come, bring their families, have a vacation and go home in one piece."

This is the first time the biennial carnival will be held in the United States. Hawaii beat out three other bids to host the event that began in 2004 in Limerick, Ireland, followed by Buenos Aires, Argentina, Christchurch, New Zealand and Cape Town, South Africa.

Among the countries represented in this edition are New Zealand, Australia, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Argentina and the Bahamas. The Harlequins, in their 48th year, will field sides in both the over-35 and over-46 divisions.

"Our selection was based on several factors, including the strength of our club, the geographic location of Hawaii being in the midst of the Pacific and the venue," MacGregor said. "It’s the largest international rugby tournament in the world this year.

"It’s also a great way for our club to launch our big tournament next October. The carnival is almost like a reunion for our club. There’s a lot of guys coming out just for this."

One of those includes John Finney, who has been playing rugby off and on for 50 years. The 68-year-old expects to make a cameo appearance in at least one match, giving him the distinction of competing in a sixth decade.

"It’s a wonderful sport, although I’ve gotten to be more of a fan than a player these days," said Finney, who has also competed in 30 Molokai Hoe outrigger canoe races. "I went down to New Zealand for the World Cup and really enjoyed that.

"It’s a good action contact sport that doesn’t require a lot of equipment. I think it’s a great alternative sport to football for kids. It takes a lot of talent and physical powers to do it well.

"The carnival should be a fun event for the islands. It’s all about the fun and camaraderie."

"For us to host is a very big thing," Ma‘afu Wendt, Rugby Hawaii Union president, said. "It’s highlighting rugby in Hawaii and as an international host.

"We’ll be having a smaller tournament in December and the Samoan national team is looking at bringing a tournament here in June. And then the Harlequins will have their big tournament in October."

The sport makes its Olympic debut in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Edward Baravilala hopes to be there watching his daughter, Bui, a current member of the U.S. women’s national team. Next week, the 45-year-old will be on the pitch himself for the Harlequins.

"I’ve been involved with rugby since the 1980s and this allows me to come back to the pitch and show my stuff," he said. "This is my first carnival and hopefully not my last.

"We have someone 82 (years old) from Samoa coming to play. I hope to be playing at 82, too."