Touch, Tag and Rugby in Korea

Touch in Korea, Touch in Korean 2

2011-11-25T01:52:00.000-08:00

Touch video with explanation in Korean.

Note: The official name of this sport is "Touch" but this video used the term "touch rugby" for Koreans who are new to the sport and have no idea what this is.

Touch in Korea, Touch in Korean

2011-11-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Great new resource for explaining Touch to Koreans....a short film of real play with Korean explanation attached....thanks Jaesub!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5WWVbIDPc&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

Touch in Korea closes out 2012 season

2011-11-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

Looks like Touch is over for the year in Korea....ahhhh, shame! However, 2011 has been a year for building and a change in regime as responsibility for running things was steadily transferred to a new team. So how about 2012? Will this be the year that Korea picks it up again, gets the ITS (International Touch Seoul) tournament going again and maybe even joins FIT? That would take a lot of organising but with a strong tournaments in Shanghai and Hong Kong, then perhaps a sort of NE Asia champions league could emerge...a bit like the IRB Rugby Sevens? Hope that enough people with the time and energy to devote to building the sport come forward....meanwhile, if you check the Korea Touch Association website and Facebook pages, you can see that there is plent of interest which could be turned into action!

Korea in the Rugby World Cup

2011-10-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

Korea didn't participate in the Rugby World Cup while Japan has been the only nation representing Asia since the first world cup. However, Korean rugby is partially involved in the RWC in other ways.

A journalist from Chosun Daily, the biggest news paper in Korea, came to Auckland to write about QF matches. It is a rare opportunity in Korea that Rugby covers almost full page of the new paper.

Chosun rugby article 1

Chosun rugby article 2
Chosun rugby article 3

(in Korean)

Tom and Jodie, cycling 30,000km from Twickenham Stadium to Eden Park, have been recieved a Korea national team jersey 8 months after they visited Korea. The jersey along with other 27 nations is displayed at Ponsonby Rugby Club, a 135 year old Rugby Club in Aucland. See more information http://www.cyclingtotherugbyworldcup.com/RugbyinSouthKorea.php

Korea rugby digs deep and delivers at Shanghai Sevens

2011-08-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Our heroes made it three out of three at the Shanghai Sevens overcoming Hong Kong in a thrilling final at Yuangshen Stadium yesterday evening! Good news for Korean rugby and good enough with enough character to warrant a change in colour to this site!!

HK had eased smoothly into the final, looking comfortably the strongest side having dealt with Japan en route. After some very tough early exchanges, HK took the lead, Korea came back then HK scored twice. In the second half, Korea kept going and put on amazing pressure reulsting in a sin binning for a HK player. While they were down to six players, Korea scored and continued to press. With HK back to full strength, Korea kept the pressure on scoring with about a minute to go so making it 17-17 at full time. The game then went into "sudden death" and despite losing one man to the sin bin, Korea came through with a spectacular try to win the game...the final score included a turnover of possession, a strong drive, a reverse pass and then swift passing to put their player in...a 60m move in all....the very vocal Korean support in the crowd erupted and the Korean team started the celebration even before the touch down.

Play and watch Touch in the UK

2011-04-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

With just 50 days to go to the Touch world cup http://www.touchworldcup2011.co.uk/ teams must now be preparing hard. Sadly, Korea didn't feel able to get a side in to the tournament despite the easier route for a "developing nation" status which probably would have been possible. However, it doesn't stop people from going along and enjoying the fun!

For teams arriving early, there is the chance to play in a fun tournament as a warm up and to give you an excuse to travel to places like Stonehenge and Bath....
The event is the Castle Cary Spring Touch Tournament which will be held at Castle Cary Rugby Club http://www.castlecaryrfc.co.uk/ on Saturday June 18th. It is an open mixed comp with the stipulation of just 2 wome on the pitch at all times....should be a fun work out in a very relaxed environment and surrounded by beautiful countryside....

“In rugby, Korea must aim to beat Japan” says Eddie Jones

2011-04-24T00:45:00.000-07:00

Story on Eddie Jones in the Korea Times.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2011/04/136_85584.html

Touch expands in Korea, now Suwon has Touch Rugby

2011-04-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

According to a posting on the Korea Touch Association
"...just started a touch rugby group in Suwon for anyone who lives close to that area. It looks like the first time will be this Sunday. His group on Facebook is called "Touch rugby in Suwon"."
In the past Suwon Stormers used to host a great one-day tournament....maybe these guys would do the same?

Han River Pirates kids rugby in Seoul

2011-04-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

The Han River Pirates hit the headlines again this time in the Korea Times http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2011/04/139_85485.html
Hopefully, this will help to attract players and reward sponsors as well as being a boost for the coaching team!

Korea rugby charity event a huge success!

2011-04-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

The New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, known as “The Kiwi Chamber,” and the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, “AustCham,” hosted “The Rugby Charity Dinner,” with rugby legends Sean Fitzpatrick and Eddie Jones yesterday evening at the Grand Hyatt Hotel’s Grand Ballroom under the sponsorship of DHL.

The charity event was an overwhelming success with over 400 in attendance and featured the professional New Zealand kapa haka group Pounamu, which entertained guests with an inspired traditional Maori performance.

Thanking the two chambers and all for their efforts on behalf of Christchurch earthquake support, New Zealand Ambassador Richard Mann commented, “I am honoured that two legends of rugby would visit Korea on behalf of this important event ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2011.”

Demonstrating true ANZAC spirit, AustCham and the Australian business community put their full effort behind the event during their Year of Friendship with Korea. Australian Ambassador Sam Gerovich also thanked the New Zealand and Australian chambers and said, “I wish New Zealand the best for the Rugby World Cup 2011, as you deserve success.”

Justin Sampson, an ESPN Star Sports rugby commentator of 11 years and master of ceremonies for the evening, led a Q&A session with the two rugby legends who discussed rugby, this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and the growth and development of the sport in Korea and Asia.

“The Rugby World Cup is the third biggest sporting event outside of the Olympics and FIFA World Cup,” announced Sean Fitzpatrick, an official New Zealand ambassador for the Rugby World Cup and former captain of New Zealand’s national team, the All Blacks. He noted the successful event showed that New Zealand is a “can-do nation.”

Eddie Jones, former head coach of the Australian national team, the Wallabies, and current general manager and head coach of Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, stressed “Rugby continues to grow as sport globally and in Asia and the Korean teams are physical and fast with an opportunity to get much better.”

Following a touching and uplifting message from New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, more than KRW 105.5 million was raised through an auction, a raffle and donations, with KRW 66.0 million going to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal and KRW 39.5 going to Japan-linked charities. In a remarkable display of generosity, “The Reebok Ultimate Sporting Weekend,” which includes two return business class tickets on Emirates, a two-night W Hotel stay and a chance to watch NFL, NBA and NHL games in Boston from VIP seating, raised KRW 24.5 million. In other auctions, two Rugby World Cup tickets donated by DHL and a rugby ball and jersey signed by Sean Fitzpatrick and Eddie Jones pulled in KRW 1.2 million and KRW 10 million, respectively, while a special event sculpture carved by Ms. Jin Lee out of special New Zealand Oamaru limestone took in KRW 5.5 million.

To acknowledge the recent tragedy in Japan, the adidas-donated “Fevernova Crystal Ball,” a rare 14-karat gold-plated official 2002 FIFA World Cup match ball with the Korean and Japanese flags and official FIFA logo, was the top auction prize, bringing in KRW 39 million, of which went to 50% to Save the Children and 50% to adidas’s Japan-linked charity work. An adidas-provided signed All Blacks jersey also fetched KRW 5.7 million, while a Canterbury Crusaders jersey with a special message from current All Blacks captain Richie McCaw went for KRW 4.5 million.

Additional funds were raised through auction and the raffle of air tickets to Hong Kong, hotel vouchers, golf gear, coffee machines, wine, mobile phones and meat trays. The event featured a fabulous three-course dinner with wine and beverages from both New Zealand and Australia.

New Zealand Rugby Charity Dinner

2011-04-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

See pictures of the NZ Rugby Charity Dinner: http://blog.naver.com/rugby15/50109351161

Pics from Hong Kong Sevens

2011-04-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Some good action pics from Korea rugby at Hong Kong Sevens http://blog.naver.com/rugby15.do

Touch in Korea

2011-04-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Touch football or Touch rugby as it is sometimes known, has been running in Korea for some time and formal leadership was taken for the sport when the Korea Touch Association was formed in 2008. You can catch up on what is happening at the Korea Touch Association website http://www.koreatouch.com/ or on their facebook site (see panel on left). If Saturday 2nd April was anything to go by, the sport should be really doing well....20-30 people of all abilities and expertise played for two hours at Jamwon (see left panel for directions). A good standard and very welcoming environment remain the hallmarks of Touch in Korea!

In Korea, rugby for kids flourishes

2011-04-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Latest news from Seoul's Han River Pirates kids rugby club http://www.koreaherald.com/lifestyle/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110412000551 This club takes kids from age 7-14 years and they play Touch and some contact. In the past, a colts team evolved from Han River Pirates which was taken under the wing of Seoul Survivors for a while...it seems this may not be running this year but surely the demand exists? Where do the players from Han River Pirates go when they graduate?

Rugby greats come to Seoul April 13 2011

2011-04-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

This will provide a big lift to rugby fans in Korea as well as giving them a chance to contribute support to those affected by the earthquake in Christchurch....a chance to here from two of rugby's greatest names Eddie Jones and Sean Fitzpatrick!! Korea Times has it covered here http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2011/04/177_84542.html And here is the official press release Kiwi Chamber & AustCham Rugby Charity Dinner April 13, 2011, Seoul, Korea Background The Kiwi Chamber and AustCham Rugby World Cup Charity Dinner will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Grand Ballroom on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 with the proceeds from the event and auctioned items going to the government-sanctioned Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund. The event will be co-hosted by the Kiwi Chamber and AustCham (New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea & the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, respectively) and aims to raise the awareness of rugby ahead of the next Rugby World Cup which will take place in New Zealand from September 9 to October 23, 2011. The event will include cuisine and beverages from both New Zealand and Australia and memorabilia and prizes will be donated for auction and a raffle during the event. The event is likely to be one of the biggest promotional events outside of New Zealand and will feature two rugby legends—Sean Fitzpatrick, an official New Zealand ambassador for the Rugby World Cup and former All Black captain, and Australia’s Eddie Jones, former head coach of the Wallabies, who will discuss not only rugby but what the sport means to Korea, the Asia-Pacific region and the world. During their visit, Eddie Jones will visit a local Korean university with a leading rugby team and the foreign community rugby club “Seoul Survivors” to provide coaching and training during a few sessions. Finally, they will be on hand to at the main event to speak on and promote the sport of rugby and sign autographs and memorabilia for donations. The event sponsors are DHL and Emirates and other key donations for auction will be made by key contributors adidas, Reebok, Hyatt, Audi, Ssangyong Paper and Nestle along with many others. Over 400 people are expected to attend and about 25% of ticket sales will go to charity along with 100% of the proceeds from the auction items and raffle. The top auction item will be a rare gold-plated official 2002 FIFA World Cup match ball with the Korean and Japanese flags and official FIFA logo, with the proceeds going to the Japanese Embassy’s donation recommendation. Event Logistics When: Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 6:30pm – 10:00pm Where: Grand Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seoul, Korea Featuring: New Zealand and Australian cuisine including beef, mussels, wine and beer as well as cultural activities and a lot of fun. Funds will be raised through exciting auction and raffle prizes that include a trip to the U.S. to see NFL and NBA games, Rugby World Cup tickets, flights, hotel vouchers, golf gear, coffee machines and much more. Entry: Non-members - KRW1,200,000 (per table); Members - KRW1,000,000 (per table) - (individual tickets: KRW120,000 and KRW100,000, respectively). Tables and tickets can be purchased at www.kiwichamber.com with about 25% of the proceeds going to charity.

Korea rugby sevens continues miserable run in Hong Kong

2011-03-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

After last years drubbing, Korea may have gone into this years Hong Kong Sevens with a better feeling...buoyed by their wins in Shanghai and runners up in Malaysia but it was not to be....the closest they got to avoiding a spanking was a still one-sided loss to Zimbabwe in the Shield semi final. Kim Won-Young continues to be the best player but honestly, the team did not look fit or fast enough to challenge anyone. They probably ended with a slightly better record than newcomers Mexico but that is hardly something to write home about. Meanwhile, here is how they go about getting serious on rugby in the US http://www.economist.com/node/18070557 Why don't Korea start with a clean slate? Perhaps one glimmer of good news was that the minister for culture tourism and sport was in attendance, perhaps more interested in gathering support for the third attempt to host the winter Olympics than the rugby...but at least he has now seen how the passion of rugby can take over even a big city like Hong Kong....dream on, Seoul!

Han River Pirates new season starts, Kids rugby in Korea 2011

2011-03-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

From 9-11am on Sunday 3rd April 2011....the new season of kids rugby starts in Korea on the 6th anniversary of the founding of Han River Pirates Touch and Rugby. It will be at Dulwich School and the directions can be found here http://www.hanriverpiratesrugby.com/Directions.html It looks like they will begin with 8-14 years age range....

Korea rugby on TV

2011-03-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

http://sports.kbs.co.kr/tvnews/news9/2011/03/09/2255394.html#//

Korea Touch kicks off on Sat 19th Feb 2011

2011-02-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

I believe that an open session of Touch football (touch rugby) in Seoul will be held on Sat 19th Feb at 2pm. www.koreatouch.com should have details or try their facebook page.

Upcoming Hong Kong Sevens and Tens tournaments

2011-02-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

This looks a good one http://www.rugbyfest.org/

Rugby music video

2010-12-25T21:45:00.001-08:00

Check out our Seoul Sisters rugby clubs music video!! Love it! We do!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFST_kfII3k

Korea rugby settles for bronze in Asian Games

2010-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

The Korean men's team in the rugby at the Asian Games settled for bronze, beating China into 4th place and had to watch their arch-rivals Japan beat Hong Kong for gold. Meanwhile, Korea women's rugby lost all theirmatches, only scoring in the final game play off.
For the Korea mens rugby, this will be a disappointment, especially as their path through to the semi-final was disrupted when they lost to China....that must be a first...meaning they had to take on Japan in the semis...bad news.
In the women's tournament, the Korean team were novices and suffered some heavy defeats. Let's hope the experience does not put them off....great progress is still possible before the 2016 Olympics when rugby will feature for the first time.

Korea rugby at Asian Games 2010

2010-11-07T19:05:00.001-08:00

If you plan to watch our girls and boys at the rugby in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, then they play on November 21/22/23 in the university town main stadium.
Korea's rugby men are in
Pool B KOR CHN SRI IND
And Korea rugby Women are in
Women’s Pool A CHN THA HKG UZB KOR
The men should be good at least for the semi-final and then expect to play either Japan or Hong Kong which will be tough.
For the women, it is really open....I hear Korea women's rugby team is really making good progress! So this should be a good test!

Touch Korea veterans reunite in England

2010-11-04T01:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, they all got back together in sunny England in September....coming from the US, Denmark, China...countries from Aussie to Zimbabwe represented...and played a touch tournament in the rustic setting of Castle Cary Rugby Club in Somerset...
Touch is taking off in England competitively and socially so it was not surprising this even was picked up by England Touch in their Autumn Newsletter http://www.englandtouch.org.uk/
Good to see people keeping "in touch".

Korea Rugby signs up with Standard Charetered again!

2010-11-04T01:37:00.000-07:00

Han River Pirates, Touch Rugby for kids in Seoul

2010-09-30T05:33:00.001-07:00

Han River Pirates has updated its website and now you can get all the info you need on the club and where your girls and boys can play rugby and Touch in Seoul. Korea’s first Touch Tag Rugby club for kids can be found here http://www.hanriverpiratesrugby.com/

Han River Pirates kicks off new season

2010-09-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

2010 is the fifth anniversary season for the Han River Pirates Touch Tag Rugby Club in Seoul. This is the club that brings together kids of all ages, boys and girls, expats and locals to play rugby and touch together in Seoul. This year, they are very fortunate to have the support of the newly opened Dulwich School in Seoul as hosts and the expert training from Seoul Survivors (which is how it started in 2005). With expected numbers of boys and girls playing to be around 35-40, it has always been a friendly and supportive group with as much fun for the parents and supporters on the touchline as for the kids on the park.
This year, the usual tournaments at Taejon are expected but word reaches us that rugby and Touch is also being played elsewhere on the peninsula so maybe tournaments will be expanded to accomodate?

Info on the Han Rover Pirates can be found here http://www.hanriverpiratesrugby.com/ or contact club President Matt Gurr.

ITS 2010 another massive success!

2010-09-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

Touch in Korea goes from strength to strength and ITS 2010, their showpiece tournament was testament to that a couple of weeks ago in Seoul. A big contingent of teams from around Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore all were represented) as well as teams from across the peninsula. Once again, standards of play and refereeing rose and once again, the visiting teams paid tribute to the special welcome they get in Seoul. Read more from the Korea Times here http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2010/09/177_72709.html

Joe Day, Seoul Survivors inaugural life member

2010-09-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Congratulations go to Joe Day, Seoul Survivors club man for thirty years and their inaugural life member. Here is the scamp pictured a couple of years ago as a referee in the International Touch Seoul tournament. Enthusiastic, knowledgable and most of all, committed to rugby, Joe 's great efforts are well recognised by this award.

Oakwood Cup stays in Seoul

2010-09-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

Seoul Survivors hosted the Oakwood Cup at the weekend and it sounds like a very even competition ensued. Survivors A, their second string Killer B's, the Tokyo Gaijon and a combined Korea + Yonsei Uni contested.

Korea hold their title at Shanghai Sevens

2010-09-08T16:24:00.001-07:00

Korea hold their title at Shanghai Sevens

A brilliant display by Shanghai and especially captain Kim, Won-young whose buzzing presence and constant sniping marked him out as player of the tournament.

Korea beat China in the final by 38-24, a score at the final whistle making things look a lot more comfortable than they had for the last five minutes. The second half in the final was probably the only time the Koreans had been under serious pressure for the whole tournament and it showed as they made poor decisions (such as kicking penalties dead or into touch) as they tried to use up time. China played very well, deserved finalists and while they got too far adrift in the first half of the final, they came back strongly in the second and showed the form that had taken them past the other favourites, Hong Kong.

In the earlier rounds, Korea cruised through the group stages and quarter finals but must have been concerned to come up against Japan in the semis. They needn’t have been as they trounced their erstwhile main rivals by a huge margin. Quite simply, Japan were never in it which let Korea turn on the style and show boat, once again never letting the ball die and making outrageous passes even when over the try line….it was more than rubbing it in….so watch out at the next event!

Shanhai Sevens- Asian Rugby Sevens Series

2010-08-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

As part of plan to develop rugby in Asia, 4th-5th September will see Shanghai stage an intensely fast and furious rugby tournament – “Shanghai Sevens” which was sanctioned by the international Rugby Board (IRB), the China Rugby Football Union and the Asian Rugby Football Union. It will become the newest stop for international rugby sevens with 2-day rugby festival incorporating international club7s tournament, vets 10s and exhibition matches.

In its effort to promote and grow rugby in China, the IRB aims to connect its Asian Rugby Sevens Series event withthe existing Shanghai Guinness Rugby Sevens Tournament. We will see the supporting games from its most successful amateur rugby tournament in Asia, which has over 15 teams participating.

http://www.shanghai7s.com/

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Changwon to Host Next Leg of Korea Rugby Series

2010-08-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Changwon, South Korea – August 9, 2010 — Changwon, west of Busan, will host the next round of the Korea 10s League rugby series. The third of four planned tournaments will be held on Saturday the 21st of August from 12pm to 5pm, continuing the growing success of expatriate rugby on the peninsula.

The tournament has space for six teams and the hosts expect to welcome squads from Seoul, Cheongju, Gumi, Jeollanam-do and Busan.

The last two tournaments have been dominated by the Seoul Survivors, although other teams are catching up fast. In the latest round in Cheongju, the Gumi Barbarians pushed Seoul’s A squad very close, only letting the previously dominant side win by a solitary converted try.

The Korea 10s League is a four round series held in cities throughout Korea aimed at promoting and developing full-contact rugby. The last tournament is planned for Gumi, north-west of Daegu, in early October.

10s Rugby tournaments have been held in Korea before but this is the first time that a coordinated league has been developed in order to provide rugby players with the opportunity for year-round competition against other competitive sides. 10-a-side rugby requires less player numbers and resources to run, maximizing the amount of teams and players, both foreign and Korean, that can participate in the tournaments.

Each individual tournament is played in a round-robin format. Points accumulated throughout the season will decide the winner of the series.

Korea’s biggest ever Touch tournament?

2010-07-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Korea’s biggest ever Touch tournament?

It seems that ITS 2010 is likely to break all records for this “party in the park” tournament that has become a key fixture on the Asian Touch circuit. With nine teams already registered from overseas, it should be a real belter. The Korea Military Academy will host the tournament again and loads of great sponsors will ensure goodies for the players as well as slick organisation and great facilities in a beautiful setting….and then comes the party!!

According to Korea Touch Association’s Shane Lowndes “As for ITS, we now have 9x International Teams registered for the Men’s and Mixed”. He also mentioned that space still is there for “local” i.e. Korea Peninsula teams before going on to say “This is set to be the biggest opportunity for Touch in Korea, so we need to get a good showing of local teams in both Divisions.”. He also paid tribute to generous and loyal sponsorship while emphasizing the sport of Touch is well worth funding “ We are grateful for the support from Seoul Metropolitan Government, Dow Corning, Macquarie, OB Brewing, East West Neo Medical Center, Santa Fe Relocations & Sam Ryan’s so far for ITS in 2010. Please support them ! We still need more support & sponsorship, so please contact me if you would like to discuss.”

More info on www.koreatouch.com

Touch is being played at a military base in Korea

2010-06-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

As you might know, Korea is one of the few countries maintaining a mandatory conscription system due the unique situation of the Korean Peninsula. Because of the system, men in their 20s are subject to 24 months of military service and they don't have much freedom in the troops compared to their normal life in the society.

Nevertheless, our touch friend, Sungjoon Kim in the Korean Coastguard Service, tries to distribute Touch to youngsters who have never experienced or seen the new sport. As a squad leader in the ship, nowadays, hs has distributed the Touch and all of coast guardian enlisted in the ship are playing Touch everyday when the ship stays in the port of Incheon. Even, sons are playing in the deck when the ship navigates Yellow sea.

This is an amzing story and it shows how Touch is growing in Korea. Keep up the good work, Sungjoon!

Cheongju to Host Next Leg of Korea Rugby Series

2010-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Cheongju, South Korea – June 24, 2010 — Cheongju’s Chungbuk National University will be the next venue to host the Korea 10s League rugby series. The second of four tournaments will be held on Saturday the 3rd of July from 1pm to 7pm and aims to continue the success of the opening tournament in Seoul.
Six teams are expected to appear in Cheongju, mirroring the turnout in Seoul, including teams from Gumi, Jeonnam and Korea University.

The Korea 10s League is a four round series held in cities throughout Korea aimed at promoting and developing full-contact rugby. Other tournaments are planned for Busan and Gumi later in the year.

10s rugby tournaments have been held in Korea before but this is the first time that a coordinated league has been developed in order to provide rugby players with the opportunity for year-round competition against other competitive sides. 10-a-side rugby requires less player numbers and resources to run, maximizing the amount of teams and players, both foreign and Korean, that can participate in the tournaments.

Each individual tournament is a round-robin culminating in a playoff series. Points accumulated throughout the season will decide the winner of the series.

Gangnam Rugby 10s Tournament

2010-06-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

You are invited to "Gangnam Rugby 10s Tournament " on Sunday, June 27 at 9:00am.

Event: Gangnam Rugby 10s Tournament
Start Time: Sunday, June 27 at 9:00am
End Time: Sunday, June 27 at 6:00pm
Where: Jamwon Park

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=138835816126592&mid=28a257dG2ecb78aaG5cbb8a3G7&n_m=jeremy.burks%40dowcorning.com

Live rugby in Korea this Sunday

2010-06-17T21:19:00.001-07:00

Ansan 15's tournament, Ansan City, Sunday 20th June!!

More Korea Rugby Tens on Sat 3rd July

2010-06-15T12:21:00.001-07:00

Korea10's Rugby League, Sat 3 July 2010, Cheongju, Korea
Cheongju will host the next leg of the Korea 10s on Saturday 3 July. All adult men rugby players are welcome to show up whether you are affiliated to a team or not as a scratch team may be made up on the day to fill the schedule or as cover players for teams that need numbers or lose their own players through injury.The Korea 10's League has 2 more events planned for 2010:Busan - Saturday 28 AugustGumi - Saturday 2 OctoberThe first leg on Saturday 8 May featured: Seoul Survivors SS Killer Bs Cheongju Knights Gumi Barbarians Korea University Jeonnam Aliens
Please visit: http://koreatens.com/

Touch tournament in Seoul on June 5th

2010-06-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

Event: Second Tournament of the 2010 Touch Series: Seoul Survivors
Start Time: Saturday, June 5 at 9:00am
End Time: Saturday, June 5 at 4:00pm
Where: Jamwon Rugby Pitch, Apgujeong, Seoul

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=126352364055946&mid=26dbd80G2ecb78aaG5a50442G7&n_m=jeremy.burks%40dowcorning.com

Korea's Seoul Survivors rugby edge closer to Yellow Sea Cup

2010-06-01T02:33:00.001-07:00

At a big rugby fest on the banks of the Han River, Seoul (see map at the side of the blog showing the Jamwon Rugby Pitch), a large gathering of players and supporters saw the Survivors edge old enemy Shanghai by just 17-14. The Killer Bs drew 10-10 with the Shanghai Bs and the Sisters had a great run against the Shanghai Sharks and the Korean womens' team. Survivors are now one step away from bringing the Yellow Sea Cup "home" to Seoul. Stay tuned for the latest games and events.

Yellow Sea Cup 2010: Seoul Survivors vs. Shanghai Hairy Crabs Today

2010-05-28T20:34:00.001-07:00

This is the squad to face Shanghai today. After a string of injuries to key players, the coaches have still selected a formidable team to battle the Hairy Crabs. Speedy winger Jacob Leonard is bracketed with the recently returned James Tucker after the former pulled a hamstring at training. A fitness test today will determine Leonard's availablity at Jamwon tomorrow. If Leonard is ruled out, Irishman Luke Reidy will come on to the bench to add some real dash on the flanks. Meanwhile, livewire loose forward Kenneth Park has found himself stranded stateside leaving a forward berth open on the bench.

1. Dean Dawson CAN2. Steve Ko NZL3. Joshua Pearce NZL4. Rico Colón USA5. Justin Jackson USA6. Brian Bruckman CAN7. Simon Walsh NZL8. Alan Nuusila SAM9. Newton Thompson NZL10.Ibrahim Zylstra CAN11.Jacob Leonard USA/James Tucker ENG12.Mona Tumamao SAM13.Nathan Atkins NZL14.Kurt Taogaga NZL15.Hikaru Tamoto JAP
Jeff Barg USABeau Spencer USATobias Jerling RSATheron Fau NZLJono O'Sullivan NZLJames Tucker ENG/Luke Reidy IRE

The timetable is scheduled as follows:

1:15pm: Seoul Sisters vs. Shanghai Sharks (7s)
2:15pm: Seoul Survivors vs. Shanghai Hairy Crabs (15s)
4:00pm: SS Killer Bs vs. Shanghai Bs (10s)

Regards,

The Survivors

Korea rugby in mourning!!!

2010-05-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

This blog is in mourning following the demise of Korean rugby.....four games and four losses in the a5n (Asia Five Nations rugby) for Korea....just what on earth has gone wrong?

Well, we've posted before on the politicking that goes on in Korean rugby, to the detriment of the game, the players and the pride of the nation....not a new phenomenon....and we wonder about the ability of the people involved when so much energy and passion comes to so little....

Time for change.....and the blog will remain black until the dawn of a new Korean rugby.....

Korea rugby featured in documentary

2010-05-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ironic that all the publicity comes when the results are so disappointing but here is a link for a documentary from KBS on Korean rugby http://www.kbs.co.kr/2tv/sisa/3days/vod/1650385_22093.html as the Korean team played Japan in the 2010 Asia 5 Nations a5n

Live Rugby in Korea (HSBC A5N)

2010-05-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Date: May 22, 2010 2pm (Saturday)
Location: Incheon Munhak Stadium (No.2 pitch)
How to get there: see below

For the directions (map):
http://touchtagrugby.blogspot.com/2008/05/asian-five-nations-in-korea-vs.html

Live rugby in Korea

2010-05-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Kurtis invited you to "Yellow Sea Cup 2010: Seoul Survivors vs. Shanghai Hairy Crabs" on Saturday, May 29 at 2:00pm.

Kurtis says, "Ladies and gents,
C'mon down and support your team. This is our most important game of the year! Help us bring home the Yellow Sea Cup!".

Event: Yellow Sea Cup 2010: Seoul Survivors vs. Shanghai Hairy CrabsWhat: Sporting

EventStart Time: Saturday, May 29 at 2:00pmEnd Time: Saturday, May 29 at 4:00pmWhere:

Jamwon Rugby Pitch, Apgujeong, Seoul

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=114323985276384&mid=25af7f0G2ecb78aaG58c69c8G7&n_m=jeremy.burks%40dowcorning.com

Thanks,

Contact:Kurt Taogaga
Seoul Survivors Rugby Football Club010-2206-5878 kurt@survivorsrfc.com
www.survivorsrfc.com

Seoul Host Top-ranked Shanghai in International Rugby ClashThe

Seoul Survivors will host archrivals the Shanghai Hairy Crabs at Jamwon Rugby Pitch, Apgujeong at 2:30pm on Saturday, May 29th. This international rugby match between 2009’s two top-ranked sides looms as the most anticipated clash of the 2010 Yellow Sea Cup and will play a large part in deciding the fate of this year’s trophy.The Yellow Sea Cup is an annual round-robin competition between four of Asia’s top expatriate rugby teams: the Beijing Devils, the Shanghai Hairy Crabs and the Guangzhou Rams, all representing China’s expatriate populations, as well as South Korea’s sole representative, the Seoul Survivors.

The Survivors and the Hairy Crabs have had a history of close-fought games with Shanghai edging out the Survivors for the past three years, retaining their mantle as Asia’s top expatriate rugby team. Playing hosts this year, Seoul will look to place one hand firmly on the trophy for the first time since winning the inaugural championship in 2005.

Hopes fade for Korea Rugby

2010-05-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

What happened to all the hype? For several years Korea Rugby Union's mantra has been "Rugby World Cup 2011"....and now they look very unlikely to even hold on to a place in the Asia Five Nations (a5n)...what the heck has gone wrong?
Infighting amongst rugby activists has left an organisation bereft of experienced leadership and despite the fact that funds are at an all time high, the game is suffering on all levels....the only bright spark being better organisation of the expat game in Korea.
Will this year's string of humiliating results be a final wake-up call or will the Korean Olympic Committee pull the plug on support and close down the KRU's last remanants of professional organisation.
Sadly, for years now, the KRU has been about politics and factions and dubious kudos for those occupying the leadership positions....the current regime being no different from previous attempts. Who can step forward to clean up the mess and put the game before ego?
In some ways, a loss to Kazekhstan or a relegantion to division 2 maybe a belssing in disguise....but it will make the mountain to climb much taller and much steeper....

Arabian Gulf bow out on a historic high in HSBC Asian 5 Nations 2010

2010-05-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

[Dubai, May 14 2010]: In its last ever international match, the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU) bowed out on a historic note beating Korea 21-19 this evening at The Sevens in Dubai. The win is the Arabian Gulf’s second in its HSBC A5N 2010 campaign after beating Hong Kong in Bahrain two weeks ago, and is the first over Korea in its 17-year history of test match rugby. As a testament to the growth of rugby in west Asia, tonight’s historic match opened with a curtain raiser featuring the first ever test between Jordan and Lebanon. Lebanon won on its HSBC Asian 5 Nations debut 27-8.

Korea opened the showcase match with its customary intensity and enjoyed the run of possession in the first half, but could only manage a 14-6 lead at the break through tries from scrumhalf Park Wan Yong and Han Kun Kyu and two conversions from fly half Lee Yong Min.

The Koreans first crossed over in the 12th minute through a darting run from scrumhalf Park and it seemed that the game was in danger of breaking Korea’s way until the Gulf settled down through two well taken penalties from winger James Love to bring the score to 7-6 Korea with ten minutes remaining in the half.

A second Korean try this time from powerful No. 8 Han Kun Kyu who charged over the line from short range put paid to the Gulf’s momentum and brought the score to 14-6 with the conversion. Han’s try was a just reward for the mobile loosie who had shaken off an earlier injury that required extensive treatment on the field to get his name into the scoring books.

Conceding points in the last minute of the half can be a confidence killer but the Arabian Gulf rebounded in the second half, particularly through some strong play from standout stand-off Duncan Murray who matched some canny kicks for territory with some incisive runs that helped chip away the Korean defence. Murray’s efforts were rewarded early on when he completed a bruising run through several of Korea’s back line defence to crash over for the Gulf’s first try of the night. Love’s conversion brought the AGRFU to within one point and 30 minutes remaining - setting up a thrilling second half.

After the Gulf try, Korean fortunes turned from bad to worse as Korean lock Youn Kwon Woo was sin-binned for a questionable tackle, allowing the Gulf to capitalize with a second try, this one to hulking centre Trent Eastgate who capped off a flowing move that saw the ball go through seven pairs of hands and 80 metres before being capped by Eastgate. The missed conversion put the Gulf ahead for the first time in the match 18-14. More importantly the man advantage sapped the remaining strength of Korea, whose players began to flag under the hot conditions in the second half.

Adding to their evident fatigue, the Koreans feverishly threw themselves at the Gulf defence, which managed to repel every attack, further frustrating the visitors. In the 72nd minute Love converted his third penalty of the night to edge the home team ahead by a converted try, 21-14. That score line would hold throughout the remaining eight minutes as the Koreans, winless in the tournament to date and facing the threat of relegation, threw everything they had at the Arabian Gulf.

The final moments of the match saw Korea mount attack after attack, moving the Arabian Gulf forwards from side to side in an effort to create gaps. The sustained possession was rewarded as wing Chae Jae Yong, (who has been one of the standouts of this year’s campaign since being brought into the side after the loss to Hong Kong), finished a simple backline move to touch down in the corner.

But reserve fly half Oh Yong Kwon could not convert and the Gulf capped a brave effort with a historic first ever victory against the Koreans and only their second win in the elite Top 5 competition of Asian rugby.

The win brought the Arabian Gulf’s HSBC A5N 2010 campaign to a close with two wins and two losses and ten points on the table, two behind Japan and Hong Kong. Korea remain in the relegation zone with one bonus point (for a loss within seven points) from three losses and will be desperate to salvage an all-important win and bonus point against Kazakhstan to avoid the unthinkable – relegation for a team that is traditionally one of Asian rugby’s superpowers. Kazakhstan is on 7 points from a win and two bonus points and are away to Japan in Tokyo today before travelling to Korea for next week’s clash. Table toppers Japan will host Hong Kong next week in the final week of the three-year, 33-match IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 Asian qualifiers.

From the elite levels of Asian rugby to the emerging nations, Jordan and Lebanon, the newest Associate member of the Asian Rugby Football Union as of December 2009, marked their first ever international test match today as a curtain raiser to the Arabian Gulf v Korea.

On its HSBC A5N debut, Lebanon surprised Jordan 27-8. Lebanon opened the scoring with first half tries to winger Wael Harb and prop Ziad El Murr. Lebanese captain and scrumhalf Karim Jammal added a conversion. Jordan replied through centre Nidal Ziyadat to bring the score to 12-5 Lebanon. Lebanon added two more tries through No 8 Hesham Husni Bey and fly half Raymond Asfour. Another conversion from Jammal brought the hafltime score to Lebanon 24, Jordan 5. The heat slowed down the pace in the second half with the teams only accounting for one penalty each with Jordan’s scoring coming from fly half Jamal Masri to bring the final tally to Lebanon 27, Jordan 8. Lebanon will be hoping to continue its impressive start to HSBC A5N rugby next year while Jordan are off to compete in the new Division IV competition next month alongside Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

IRB RWC 2011 Asian qualification process becomes clearer after Week 3 of HSBC Asian 5 Nations

2010-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Japan & Hong Kong lead IRB RWC 2011 chase after Week 3 of HSBC A5N

[May 8 2010, Hong Kong]: An entertaining weekend of elite Asian rugby in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations (HSBC A5N) has helped clarify the qualification picture for IRB Rugby World Cup after an emphatic win over the Arabian Gulf by reigning champions Japan and a gritty victory by Hong Kong over nearest chaser Kazakhstan.

Japan made it two bonus-point wins from as many games in this year’s HSBC Asian Five Nations – and 10 from 10 in the three-year history of the tournament – when they beat the Arabian Gulf 60-5 in Tokyo. The victory puts John Kirwan’s team a step nearer being Asia’s automatic representative at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. But once again the Brave Blossoms had to work hard for the win.

Just as in South Korea last week, Japan started slowly, leading just 26-0 at the break. Centre Alisi Tupuailei opened the scoring in the 15th minute following a well-worked scissors move with flyhalf James Arlidge. Captain Takashi Kikutani stretched the lead seven minutes later before creating Japan’s third try for Arlidge in the 26th minute.

Kosuke Endo rounded off the half by crossing in the 39th minute even though Japan were a man down following the sin binning of Shinsuke Nakamura for repeated team infringements.

The hosts then wrapped up the game with five tries in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Kaoru Matsushita and new cap Ryo Kanazawa both rounded off flowing backline moves with Kanazawa touching down in just his second touch in test-match rugby and Matsushita adding his second as Japan went 48-0 up.

Kikutani and Tupuailei later added their second tries of the day but it was the Arabian Gulf who was to cap the scoring with Sean Hurley going over four minutes from full time, with Japan once again down to 14 men following a yellow card to Toshizumi Kitagawa.

“I couldn’t ask much more from the boys,” said Arabian Gulf captain Michael Cox-Hill. “We never gave up and proved that by scoring in the 76th minute. We can take a lot of credit for the way we played.”

Kirwan admitted his side had made a lot of mistakes, many of which were unforced.

“It wasn’t the performance we wanted,” he said. “We wanted to start better than last week, which we didn’t do. Our game plan was to play fast rugby and when we did we scored. But our ball retention was poor and that didn’t help us speed the game up. But we took a step toward understanding who we will take to the World Cup.”

Kirwan stressed that it was a young team playing today and that things could only get better.

“We haven’t hit our stride yet,” he said. “It’s nothing to get upset about but I wouldn’t like it to happen next week.”

That warning will ring ominously in the ears of Japan’s upcoming opponents Kazakhstan who come off a disappointing loss today to hosts Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Football Club.

Hong Kong grimly held on to score a narrow 19-15 victory over Kazakhstan to keep alive their hopes of finishing second and clinching the repechage World Cup play-off berth against Uruguay.

Two tries either side of halftime, the first by tighthead prop Nigel Hobler and the second from centre Simon Hempel saw Hong Kong scoot to a 19-9 lead early in the second half, to seemingly be on target for an easy win.

But Kazakhstan fullback Maxim Lifontov, who had knocked over two first-half penalties, kept his side in the game kicking three more penalties as the visitors clawed their way back to reduce the deficit to just four points in front of a capacity crowd at the Hong Kong Football Club.

Despite the victory, an air of disappointment hung over the Hong Kong camp as they failed to get a vital bonus point having scored less than four tries, and in turn conceded a bonus point to Kazakhstan for finishing within a seven-point margin of defeat.

“If anybody had told me at the start of this competition that I would be disappointed after beating South Korea and Kazakhstan, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Hong Kong head coach Dai Rees.

Rees’ disappointment stems from the fact that Hong Kong, who have 12 points from three games, could still miss out on the runners-up slot in the tournament if Kazakhstan win one of their last two matches against Japan and South Korea, and claim a bonus point. If that happens, Hong Kong could miss out, unless they manage to grab a bonus point of their own against Japan in their final outing in Tokyo on May 22. It will be a tough ask.

“We are happy that we got the result today. A win is a win, but we are disappointed that it is slightly out of our hands now,” conceded Hong Kong skipper Simon Leung. “It is disappointing when you have to depend on others.”

Hong Kong will now have to hope that winless South Korea manage to pick their game up and defeat Kazakhstan when the two sides meet, also on May 22.

Hong Kong led from the outset and always seemed to be in control. Winger Alex McQueen knocked over two early penalties before Kazakhstan equalized through the prodigious boot of Lifontov who kicked over two penalties, the second a monster 50-metre effort.

Spilled passes saw Hong Kong fail to convert territory and possession into points and the only reward for all the hard work was another successful penalty from McQueen.

Just on halftime, prop Hobler danced his way through three tackles after Hong Kong had taken a quick tap penalty 10 metres from the goalline, to crash over for the first try of the game. McQueen failed with the conversion but Hong Kong led 14-6 at the break.

Lifontov missed a penalty soon after resumption, but made amends minutes later as Kazakhstan closed the gap to 14-9. However Hong Kong pushed ahead once more when Hempel was the first to get to a ball hacked through by fly-half Keith Robertson to score six minutes into the second half.

McQueen missed the conversion, but leading 19-9 Hong Kong would have felt confident of finishing off the game and grabbing a bonus point. But the litany of errors continued as the high humidity took a toll on both sides. Lifontov had two more chances, but could only convert one as Kazakhstan inched their way to within one score. However Hong Kong’s defence held for the 19-15 home win.

“It was very hot, we made too many mistakes,” said disappointed Kazakhstan captain Timur Mashurov. “We are not happy. Now we must beat South Korea.” That match will be held in Seoul on May 22.

As title sponsor of the Asian 5 Nations (A5N), HSBC is committed to the development of the game throughout Asia. HSBC aims to bring positive social change to different cultures and communities through its diverse rugby sponsorships across the world. HSBC Rugby invests in over 30 different countries from the very pinnacle of the elite game through to the development of emerging rugby countries through the Asian 5 Nations. Each of HSBC’s rugby sponsorships share one common aim of uniting people and cultures through the positive values of rugby union.

HSBC is also a long-term sponsor of the Penguins International Rugby Club, which is represented by 30 nations and has provided coaching sessions to local communities in 62 countries. In partnership with ARFU and the HSBC Penguins Coaching Academy, HSBC supported a series of rugby coaching clinics throughout Hong Kong in the lead up to the A5N tournament. The commitment to grassroots development is continuing throughout the duration of the HSBC A5N with Youth Rugby Festivals reaching thousands of youth in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Dubai, Bahrain, Indonesia, India, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal in the next few months.

Led by former Scotland head coach Frank Hadden, the clinics will be supported by a team of HSBC Penguins and HSBC A5N coaches as well as team stars from several Asian nations. To date, the youth festivals have been held in Hong Kong, Dubai, Macau, Singapore and Nepal.

International Touch Seoul (ITS) 2010 - 4th of September

2010-05-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

International Touch Seoul (ITS) 2010 will be held on the 4th of September at the KMA (same location as last year). Keep a look out for further details in the coming weeks and on http://www.koreatouch.com/

Korea 10s League Kicks Off in Seoul on Saturday

2010-05-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

Korea 10s League Kicks Off in Seoul

The Seoul Survivors Rugby Football Club will host the first round ofthe inaugural Korea 10s League rugby series. The opening tournament will be held at the Jamwon rugbypitch in Apgujeong, Seoul on May 8thfrom 10am until 6pm, featuring expatriate and Korean universityteams from throughout the peninsula.

The Korea 10s League is a four round series held in cities throughout Korea aimed at promoting anddeveloping full-contact rugby. Other tournaments are planned for Cheongju, Busan and Gumi later in the year.

The Seoul Survivors expect eight teams to converge on Jamwon this Saturday including squads fromKorea University and Jeollanam province.

10s rugby tournaments have been held in Korea before but this is the first time that a coordinated leaguehas been developed in order to provide rugby players with the opportunity for year-round competition against other competitive sides. 10-a-side rugby requires less player numbers and resources to run,maximizing the amount of teams and players, both foreign and Korean, that can participate in thetournaments.

Each individual tournament is a round-robin culminating in a playoff series. Points accumulatedthroughout the season will decide the winner of the series.

Arabian Gulf keep a5n Asia Five Nations rugby tournament wide open!

2010-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Arabian Gulf claims first Top 5 victory, edges Hong Kong 16-9
[May 1 2010]: The Arabian Gulf claimed its first ever HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) victory with a 16-9 win over Hong Kong this evening at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club. James Love scored 11 points (3P, 2c) to take the tournament’s top scorer honours in week two, while scrumhalf Jonny MacDonald scored the game’s sole try. Hong Kong’s Keith Robertson accounted for all nine of the visitors’ points through three penalties.
The Arabian Gulf jumped out to a 13-3 lead at halftime courtesy of 8 first half points to Love, who plays his club rugby for Bahrain RFC and was basking in the affection of this evening’s 1800 spectators. Later, Jonny Macdonald snuck through for the only try of the game, with Love’s conversion giving the hosts a 10 nil lead. Hong Kong flyhalf Keith Robertson secured Hong Kong’s first points with a penalty to bring the score to 10-3 with only a minute left in the half.
The Arabian Gulf quickly closed the door on any potential momentum that Hong Kong could take from Robertson’s penalty through stifling defence. In the final minute of the half, Love slotted a second penalty to send the Gulf into halftime up 13-3.
Despite running agains play for large parts of the match, the Arabian Gulf defence held strong and they took their chances well. They could only muster three more points in a tense second half but it would be enough to seal a historic win for Arabian Gulf rugby.
Robertson added two penalties for Hong Kong to claw the game back within a converted try but the Arabian Gulf did enough to hold on for an historic victory to mark its promotion to the A5N Top 5 in 2010 after being relegated to Division I last season.
An ecstatic Arabian Gulf captain Michael Cox-Hill applauded his team saying, “It was a great effort from the boys. They could not have given any more than they did.”
Another great effort will be required by the Arabian Gulf as they travel away to Tokyo next week to open this year’s A5N action in Japan at the legendary Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium.
Japan opens its HSBC A5N account on the road today with a match against archrivals South Korea, who lost last week to Hong Kong 32-8 at the Hong Kong Football Club. Initially targeting this match as a must win, Hong Kong will look to right its Rugby World Cup 2011 qualification campaign with a titanic clash against Kazakhstan next weekend in Happy Valley.

Japan snuffs out Korea rugby hopes

2010-05-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Japan opened its HSBC Asian 5 Nations (HSBC A5N) campaign with an emphatic 71-13 win today over Korea. The victory was paced by a remarkable five-try effort from winger Kosuke Endo.
After Hong Kong’s opening round upset of Korea, the Hong Kong XV was itself upended by the Arabian Gulf 16-9 last night at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in the other match of the weekend. It was the Arabian Gulf’s first ever Top 5 win. Add in Sri Lanka’s upset of Singapore in the Division I championships two weeks ago and the run of results in this year’s HSBC A5N has been solidly against the conventional wisdom. Until today in Kyungsang, South Korea that is, as Japan remained true to form as the dominant force in Asian rugby.
In a classic game of two halves, the two-time HSBC A5N champions Japan started slow as the Koreans came out with a ferocious intent that saw them push the Japanese to the limits of their defence early on. Unfortunately a slow start with the boot from Korean fly-half Yoon, Hee-Soo who missed two of three kickable penalties in the first half prevented the Koreans from generating any early momentum.
Despite its sputtering start, Japan did just enough to distance themselves over the course of the first half to take a 19-3 lead at halftime through tries to hooker Shota Horie, scrumhalf Fumiaki Tanaka and winger Endo. The ever-reliable Ryan Nicholas added two conversions in the first half, and would finish with 8 on the day.
Korea’s defence was characteristically strong early on but the side let themselves down through repeated infringements that saw the inevitable sin-binning – this time to Korean scrum-half Park, Wan-Yong in the 37th minute. The resulting man advantage to Japan put paid to Korea’s promising start. By the time Park re-entered the park early in the second half, Japan had extended its lead to 33-3 and would never look back.
In a classic game of two halves, Japan came out firing on all cylinders in the second stanza, paced by a remarkable four more tries by winger Kosuke Endo in the second half, doubling his career try total up to that point. Japan’s Yasunori Nagatomo scored in the 41st minute and from that point on it was virtually one-way traffic as Takashi Kikutani, Hitoshi Ono and Hiroki Yuhara all crossed over. Endo’s quartet in the second half stole the show with tries in the 58th, 68th, 71st and 80th minutes.
Korea managed a try by Chae Jae Young – who plays his rugby in Japan with Toshiba – and a conversion and penalty by Oh Youn Hyung, but the fact that the last Korean penalty came in the closing stages showed that they had run out of ideas.
With their three remaining games in Tokyo, Japan remains on course to be Asia’s automatic entry at next year’s IRB Rugby World Cup where they would be seeded in Pool A alongside the hosts New Zealand, France, Tonga and Canada. But they will need to improve on their opening 40 minutes if they are to fulfil coach John Kirwan’s hopes of winning at least two games next year in New Zealand.
“The first half was not to our level,” said Kirwan. “We need to work harder moving forward. But I will take it as a first game and tell the team to start from the second half.”
Japan now returns home for three matches at the legendary Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo against the Arabian Gulf, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.
Korea will regroup over a much needed bye week with more intensive preparation that sees a first training session tomorrow (Sunday). Korea is now under threat of relegation after both Hong Kong and the Arabian Gulf secured victories in the opening two weeks, although Hong Kong’s loss to the Gulf 16-9 on Friday has helped the Korean cause. Next up for Korea is a much improved Arabian Gulf in Dubai in two weeks before finishing with what promises to be a gangbuster versus Kazakhstan on May 22nd in Seoul. Next week sees one of the pivotal matches of the entire series as Hong Kong hosts last year’s HSBC A5N runners-up Kazakhstan (kick off 16.00 HKG time; GMT+8.00).
As title sponsor of the Asian 5 Nations (A5N), HSBC is committed to the development of the game throughout Asia. HSBC aims to bring positive social change to different cultures and communities through its diverse rugby sponsorships across the world. HSBC Rugby invests in over 30 different countries from the very pinnacle of the elite game through to the development of emerging rugby countries through the Asian 5 Nations. Each of HSBC’s rugby sponsorships share one common aim of uniting people and cultures through the positive values of rugby union.

HSBC is also a long-term sponsor of the Penguins International Rugby Club, which is represented by 30 nations and has provided coaching sessions to local communities in 62 countries. In partnership with ARFU and the HSBC Penguins Coaching Academy, HSBC supported a series of rugby coaching clinics throughout Hong Kong in the lead up to the A5N tournament. The commitment to grassroots development is continuing throughout the duration of the HSBC A5N with Youth Rugby Festivals reaching thousands of youth in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Dubai, Bahrain, Indonesia, India, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal in the next few months.

Led by former Scotland head coach Frank Hadden, the clinics will be supported by a team of HSBC Penguins and HSBC A5N coaches as well as team stars from several Asian nations. To date, the youth festivals have been held in Hong Kong, Dubai, Macau, Singapore and Nepal. This weekend in Daegu, Korea the HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festival saw Frank Hadden and his coaching team engaging high school students from two of Korea’s elite Rugby secondary schools based in Daegu. Frank and his team of A5N coaches also conducted a coach the coaches workshop for some of the leading schools and club coaches in Korea. Next week the HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festivals will return to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong v Kazakhstan match before heading off to Dubai for some desert rugby ahead of the Arabian Gulf v Korea match.

Live rugby today Korea v Japan in Daegu

2010-04-30T04:28:00.000-07:00

Next stage of the asia5n rugby for Korea which can be seen live and in person in Daegu or on TV (Star Sports, see earlier postings).
If you live around Gumi, hook up with Waegook Cook...details below....

The schedule for the bus for Daegu is:9:15 Pick the team up at Cook and take us to the field.10:00 Return to the Cook and pick up any spectators who didn't want to hang out at the field while we set up etc... These spectators will miss our first game against the Busan- Ilsan team,Take the Seoul Sisters to have a shower, if they want, after their game.(Derrick joining the bath session)12:10 Pick up the spectators who want to go to Daegu but didn't watch our games12:20 Pick up the teams and spectators from the field and then go straight to Daegu.After the Korea vs Japan Game around 16:00 we will head back to Gumi for a BBQ and fun night at Waegook Cook

Korea v Japan Match Venue Details

2010-04-28T00:55:00.000-07:00

Venue: Gyeongsan Sports Complex (Rugby Field)

KO Time: 2PM

How to get there (from Seoul):

It's a small city next to Daegu so...

1) Option 1: KTX from Seoul Station to East Daegu Station (1 hour and 40 minutes)- Take

a taxi to Gyeongsan Sports Park (15-25 min, 10 - 12,000won)

2) Option 2: Saemaul or Mugunghwa train from Seoul to Gyeongsan Station (3 hours 40 minutes) - Take a taxi to Gyeongsan Sports Park (less than 10 minutes)

3) Option 3: KTX from Seoul Station to East Daegu Station (1 hour and 40 minutes)- Transfer to Saemaul or Mugunghwa train to Gyeongsan Station (10 minutes, 4,700won)- Take a taxi to Gyeongsan Sports Park (less than 10 minutes)

Show a taxi driver this map: 경산생활체육공원 럭비 경기장

Korea rugby live on TV

2010-04-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Live rugby on TV again next weekend when Korea take on Japan at home. Once again Star Sports www.espnstar.com will televise the match live but why not check it out live....details of the location, kick off time etc will be posted soon but the match will take place on saturday 1st May in Korea. Our boys will need all the support they can get!!

Live rugby on TV in Korea....wow, things are improving...

Korea rugby fall at first hurdle

2010-04-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Korea rugby fall at first hurdle

Korea’s challenge for the Asia Five Nations and for a place in the 2011 Rugby World Cup is all over almost before it started. Having inexplicably selected a “young side to build for the future”, the Korean team started brightly and eased into an 8-0 lead, mainly by moving the ball wide.

They continued with this tactic for much of the first half and could have been 20 points ahead when just before the half time whistle, the free flowing play caught up with them as HK made most of the space from turnover ball and struck back. Until then, Korea had looked comfortable, with their big (but not tall) pack making heavy hits and clearing up well at the breakdown.

However, with the score coming just before half time and added to with a penalty by the HK fly half who had been kicking poorly up until then), Korea’s confidence seemed to drop and the second half was very disappointing. Hong Kong seemed the much stronger, a complete reversal of fortunes, and the open play suited them better. Quite simply, as soon as it opened up, Korea could not cope. Hong Kong emerged as winners with a final score line of 32-8.

For “highlights” visit http://www.espnstar.com/tv-listings/region1/day1/ and look for videos on the right side of the screen…

Live a5n Rugby on Star Sports- Saturday 5pm

2010-04-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

@ 5pm (Korea time) 4pm (Hong Kong time)

Live
HSBC Asian Five Nations Series 2010Match: Hong Kong vs. South Korea

One Hour Highlights

STAR Sports SEA, SEA NPL, Malaysia
SAT
05/07/2010
18:00:00 (HKT)
1:00:00
Original
HSBC Asian Five Nations Series 2010 (Highlights)

Korea Rugby campaign kicks off in Asia 5 Nations

2010-04-23T23:21:00.001-07:00

HSBC ASIAN FIVE NATIONS Top 5 COMPETITION KICKS OFF

Final stage of IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 begins in Hong Kong & Almaty

[Hong Kong, 23 April 2010]: Asia’s elite rugby competition, the 2010 HSBC Asian 5 Nations (HSBC A5N) Top 5 tournament will kick off tomorrow with matches between Hong Kong and South Korea (GMT +8.00) and Kazakhstan and Arabian Gulf (GMT +6.00). Defending champions Japan are on a bye in week 1.

The excitement is already building in Hong Kong where a pre-match press conference was held today with the coaches and captains of Hong Kong (Dai Rees and Simon Leung respectively) and South Korea (Kim Myoung Joo and flanker Kim Jeong Min respectively) at the Hong Kong Football Club. Mark McCombe, CEO Hong Kong of HSBC and Trevor Gregory, Vice President of the Asian Rugby Football Union were also in attendance.

After 22 Rugby World Cup qualification matches played since 2008, it comes down to the 10 matches of this year’s HSBC A5N Top 5 to determine Asia’s sole direct entry to Rugby World Cup 2011. The Top 5 winner will enter Pool A as Asia 1 alongside New Zealand, France, Tonga and Canada. The runners-up will go through a repêchage process that involves an initial Asia-Americas playoff match against Uruguay in July 2010. This match will be played in either Asia or Uruguay depending on which team has the higher IRB World Ranking at the time of qualification. Japan is the 13th ranked team in world rugby while Uruguay is ranked 21st. Korea, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong are 24th, 26th and 39th respectively.

The winner of the Asia-Americas match will enter a home and away series versus the winners of the Europe-Africa (Tunisia) playoff series. That winner will be the bottom seed in Pool B alongside Argentina, England, Scotland and Europe 2. Asia has been represented at every Rugby World Cup since 1987, with Japan being the only team so far to have qualified for the rugby world’s elite competition. The hunt for these two exclusive spots at rugby’s world championship kicks off tomorrow in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong will take inspiration from last year’s performance against Korea in Seoul. Trailing 31-3 at half-time, Hong Kong looked well beaten but fought back to come within an inch of pulling off a miraculous victory before losing 36-34. Hong Kong coach Dai Rees will use that tremendous feat to motivate his side in a game he has already labelled a “must-win”.

“This will be a massive game for us. We have to target this as a must-win game if we are to have any chances of finishing in the top two and keep alive our World Cup hopes,” Rees said.

“To be realistic, Japan is the outright favourites to win the championship and grab the Asian berth at the World Cup,” added Rees. “Our aim will be to finish second and make it through to the repêchage.”

But first-up will be the tough Koreans, a team which Hong Kong has beaten only twice in the last seven meetings. South Korea will field a mix of old and new players, and will be a formidable threat, especially if they are given a head start as was the case last year when they stormed to a 24-0 lead in the first 17 minutes of play with outstanding No 8 Han Kun-kyu leading the charge with a brace of tries.

Han is back again as is excellent second-row forward You Young-nam, who was named the best player in his position last year in Japan’s professional Top League - but there are many new faces in the 22-man squad.

“We have changed half the squad from last year,” said coach Kim Myoung Joo. “They might be new faces but I believe they have the potential to win any match and we are giving them the opportunity. Our aim is to win this tournament. Japan [Korea’s opponents in Daegu, Korea next weekend] will be difficult opponents but we will do our best.”

Korea will not be looking past Hong Kong after last year’s thriller, nor can they afford to overlook the challenge from Kazakhstan. After a stirring victory in last year’s A5N clash in Almaty where Kazakhstan beat Korea 30-27, the Nomads claimed second spot in Asian rugby for the first time in the 42-year history of the Asian Rugby Football Union.

Kazakhstan will be intent on resuming where they left off and have been spending the long winter nights in Almaty improving their strength and conditioning levels – a fact that will not set their competitor’s minds at ease as the Kazakhs are already one of the most physically impressive teams in Asian rugby. The Nomads return primarily the same side that was so successful in 2009 and are intent on capturing the repêchage spot behind the inspirational leadership of no. 8 Timur Mashurov who is fully fit after being plagued by knee injuries in recent seasons and towering flanker Anton “the horse” Rudoy. Full back Maxim Lifontov returns as well looking to add to his impressive points tally of the past few seasons (Lifontov was the tournament’s top points scorer in 2008).

Kazakhstan opens its account against the Arabian Gulf on their return to the Top 5 as Division I champions in 2009. The Arabian Gulf XV have completed an intensive training period with recent matches against Tunisia and the Kandy Sports Club from Sri Lanka, most of whose players made up the successful Sri Lanka XV that won last week’s Division I in Singapore to become the newest side to experience Top 5 rugby in 2011.

The game plan for the Arabian Gulf will be tested from the outset in Almaty as Kiwi coach Bruce Birtwhistle has targeted his forward pack as one of the strengths of Gulf rugby.

“Primarily our key players will be up front and defence is a key to our campaign. It is important that we meet teams head on in the set pieces and breakdowns to provide sufficient ball for our halfback pairing of Jonny MacDonald (born in the UAE and studying in Cardiff University) and former Wales schoolboy and Gloucester Academy player Duncan Murray.”

With this being the last hurrah for the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union before ceding to individual unions in 2011, Coach Birtwhistle is setting the team’s sights high.

“Qualification for the Rugby World Cup is our ultimate aim and all of our preparation is focused on achieving that goal, starting this weekend against Kazakhstan. It is a big ask but with a new squad and the confidence gained from last year’s Division I victory we feel it is a realistic aim.”

With all of the Top 5 teams eyeing Rugby World Cup qualification and the reigning champions Japan waiting in the wings the action over the next five weeks of Asian rugby pitches promises to be the most exciting in the short history of the HSBC A5N.

Commensurate with this excitement is the fact that the tournament is setting new records in its TV package. This year the Tournament will be seen in 90 territories worldwide with veteran rugby broadcasters STAR Sports, Eurosport Asia, J-Sports (Japan) and Sky Networks (New Zealand) all confirmed to take the Top 5 matches and one-hour series highlights in 2010. The HSBC A5N will also be reaching millions of new fans with Zee Sports India, Starhub Singapore and Al Jazeera (pan-Middle East) all live broadcasting Asian XVs rugby for the first time in 2010. The television package in place for the A5N in 2010 would not be possible without the commitment and support of HSBC, the title sponsor of the A5N.

Mark McCombe, CEO Hong Kong, HSBC, said, “HSBC aims to support different cultures and communities through its diverse rugby sponsorships across the world. HSBC Rugby invests in over 30 different countries from the very pinnacle of the elite game through to the development of emerging rugby countries through the A5N. Each of HSBC’s rugby sponsorships share one common aim of uniting people and cultures through the positive values of rugby union.”

As title sponsor of the A5N, HSBC is committed to the development of the game throughout Asia. HSBC is also a long-term sponsor of the Penguins International Rugby Club, which is represented by 30 nations and has provided coaching sessions to local communities in 62 countries. In partnership with Asian Rugby Football Union and the HSBC Penguins Coaching Academy, HSBC supported a series of rugby coaching clinics throughout Hong Kong in the lead up to the A5N tournament. The commitment to grassroots development will continue throughout the duration of the HSBC A5N with Youth Rugby Festivals reaching over thousands of youth in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Dubai, Bahrain, Indonesia, India, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal in the next few months.

Led by former Scotland head coach Frank Hadden, the clinics will be supported by a team of HSBC Penguins and HSBC A5N coaches as well as team stars from several Asian nations. To date, the youth festivals have been held in Hong Kong, Dubai, Macau, Nepal and Singapore. This weekend, the HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festival will see Frank Hadden and his coaching team engaging kids from Hong Kong’s Society for the Protection of Children as well as a mini rugby tournament involving six of Hong Kong’s 17 mini rugby clubs at U11 level.

Also today, HSBC held a special drop kick competition for eight student rugby players from the U16 Schools league with the winner winning a trip for the player and a parent enjoying a paid trip to Tokyo to watch the Japan v Hong Kong match on 22 May 2010.

Women's rugby in Korea.....

2010-04-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Seems like the women's rugby scene in Asia is getting stronger, at least amongst expat teams. Seoul Sisters and Shaghai are swapping visits next month as each stages topurnaments. More news on where and when and who will, hopefully, be posted soon!

Message from SS Killer Bs vs. Cheongju Knights

2010-04-20T03:48:00.000-07:00

Subject: Thanks for your support.

Ladies and gents,

On behalf of the Seoul Survivors Rugby Football Club, I'd like to thank all the players from the SS Killer Bs and the Cheongju Knights, the supporters, the coaches and the ref. The sun didn't turn up as expected but the players certainly did providing a smorgasbord of rugby with some inventive attacking movements and bone-crunching defence.

The end score was 27-7 to the Killer Bs but more importantly we have solidified our links with another expatriate team ensuring more games and opportunities for all.

Thanks again for your valued support and we look forward to seeing more of you at our games and other events as the season progresses.

Regards,

The Survivors

New competition for Korea rugby in a5n; Sri Lanka!!

2010-04-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka is Asia’s newest Top 5 team after winning HSBC A5N DI Final
[Singapore, April 17 2010]: Sri Lanka has climbed close to the top of Asian rugby’s totem pole after beating Singapore 23-16 in a thrilling final of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Division I tournament played. In the 3rd/4th place play-off, Malaysia achieved its primary objective by retaining its Division I status after winning the relegation match against a young Chinese Taipei XV, 35-3.
After being pushed to the limit against Malaysia in Wednesday’s Semi Final, the hosts and top seeds Singapore could not withstand a second charge from Sri Lanka. The visitors turned in a comprehensive performance in wet and humid conditions at Singapore’s Yio Chu Kang stadium to emerge as Division I champions for the first time in three years. Sri Lanka will now be promoted to the elite Top 5 competition in Asian rugby starting in 2011.
Singapore never looked entirely comfortable this evening, particularly in the back three as a wet ball and clever kicking from Sri Lanka helped keep the hosts on the back foot and negated the superior size of Singapore’s forward pack. Matters turned for the worse for Singapore in the 20th minute as inspirational captain Matt “Rhino” Ryan limped off with an injury further depleting the team of leadership after their first choice captain Jonathon Lee was sidelined in a trial match in Darwin two weeks ago.
From the earliest moments of the match, Sri Lanka’s kicking strategy and ability to involve its speed and superior handling out wide had the Singaporeans under pressure. The home side still managed to get out to a 6-nil lead behind Tom Burns who had another strong match from the stand-off spot. Burns nailed two penalties in the first quarter to stake his side to an early lead as they capitalized on some crucial errors from the Sri Lankans. Among those committing the errors was eventual man of the match scrumhalf Roshan Weeraratne who was sin-binned in just the sixth minute.
Burns calmly converted that penalty and made full use of the man advantage for ten minutes to score 6 early points on the way to a 12-point day from four penalties. Sri Lanka replied in the 19th minute with a successful penalty from fullback Saliya Kumara before Roshan Weeraratne made amends for his sin-binning by knocking over a crucial drop goal (the only one of the tournament) to level the sides at 6-all.
Sri Lanka struck first after the halftime interval with a second penalty from Kumara edging them ahead 9-6 in the 43rd minute. Five minutes later, Weeraratne again popped up, this time finishing off a great roving forward movement to touch down in the corner for the first try of the game, pushing Sri Lanka ahead 16-6 after Kumara’s conversion.
Full credit to Singapore, as the team finally started to find its feet in the second half exerting periods of pressure and enjoying sustained possession for the first time. The reward was a beautiful break away movement by Singapore’s backs which was capped off by winger Desmond Wee who took the ball with work left to be done and managed to tiptoe down the sideline for the home team’s only try of the day and most importantly to get back to within striking distance at 13-16.
Sri Lanka seemed on the verge of fading as it conceded another penalty this time from 40m which was beautifully converted by Burns despite the baying of a very strong and loud contingent of Sri Lankan fans in the stadium. At 16-all with 20 minutes on the clock the action seemed a reprise of Singapore’s earlier match against the Malaysians where Singapore found just enough to keep their opposition out of the win column. But this time it was not to be for the Rugby Lions as the Sri Lankans simply refused to lose.
The two teams traded possession for the final moments as both sets of partisan fans in the crowd of nearly 2,000 ratcheted up the volume and fervour on the sidelines. With overtime looming rapidly on the horizon, the Sri Lankans broke through into scoring position after moving Singapore around the park with some cagey positional kicking. On the last play of regulation time, the Sri Lankans crashed through a tiring Singapore defence in a straightforward movement that saw centre Chamara Vithanage charge over in the corner for a try that broke the hearts of the home team.
Sri Lanka now becomes the 7th team to take part in the elite Top 5 competition since the inception of the HSBC A5N in 2008. The Sri Lankans will have a year to prepare for this ultimate test of continental rugby as promotion will take effect in 2011. The 2010 Top 5 features Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Hong Kong and the Arabian Gulf (who replaced Singapore as the promoted team from the 2009 Division I) and kicks off next weekend (April 24) with matches in Hong Kong (v. Korea) and Kazakhstan (v. Arabian Gulf). At stake in 2010 is Asia’s sole direct entry to the IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand. The runners-up in the Top 5 competition will play an inter-continental repechage with the first test against Uruguay in July.
In today’s 3rd/4th place play-off, the Malaysians, who were narrowly defeated by Singapore 22-20 in the semi finals, achieved their ultimate objective beating Chinese Taipei 35-8. The win not only sees Malaysia take 3rd place in the tournament but also ensures that they avoid relegation. Chinese Taipei will be relegated to Division II in 2011 and replaced by the winners of the 2010 Division II championship in early June in New Delhi at the site of the Commonwealth Games sevens competition. That tournament features top seeds Thailand, China, India and Philippines.
After blooding 12 new caps in the squad of 24 in Wednesday’s semi-final against Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei put in a much improved performance today, particularly defensively as they managed to hold Malaysia’s powerful backline to a respectable 35 points. Malaysia fielded seven IRB eligible Fijians in their squad today including the entire backline outside of the fly-half. The result was a brace of tries to winger Nacani Seniu and centre Timoci Nacokula as well as another from Isoa Turuva at fullback. Chinese Taipei answered through a penalty converted by fly half Lu Wei Fan and a try from flanker Chen Kuo Lun.
This afternoon also witnessed another A5N milestone in the first ever women’s test match played as a curtain-raiser to an A5N event with Singapore hosting their Malaysian counterparts. An entertaining match that saw Singapore take an early lead into halftime (5-0) but then concede two quick tries to Malaysia in the second half, had to be abandoned due to a lightning storm. Under the tournament’s abandonment procedure, the match score stands as it was in the second half, giving Malaysia a 10-5 win.
Earlier in the day, HSBC A5N coach and former Scotland coach Frank Hadden conducted a special clinic for children of local HSBC staff at the venue. It was the last activity in three days of HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festivals held at Yio Chu Kang and the storied Padang rugby ground in Singapore’s Central Business District.
HSBC aims to bring positive social change to different cultures and communities through its diverse rugby sponsorships across the world. As title sponsor of the Asian 5 Nations (A5N), HSBC is committed to the development of the game throughout Asia. This year as part of the Asian 5 Nations, HSBC and the Asian Rugby Football Union are hosting a series of HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festivals. The commitment to grassroots development will continue throughout the duration of the tournament with HSBC A5N Youth Rugby Festivals reaching over thousands of youth in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Dubai, Bahrain, Indonesia, India, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal in the next few months.

ends

For more information about the HSBC A5N Series and the HSBC A5N rugby development programme throughout Asia please contact Sean Moore: sean.moore@elitestep.com.

For more information on HSBC’s support to the A5N and Rugby in Asia Pacific please contact Ophelia.quach@hsbc.com.hk

For more information about the HSBC Penguins contact Sally Price: sally.price@fasttrackagency.com

For more information on HSBC’s rugby commitments throughout the world visit http://www.rugby.hsbc.com/

Standard Chartered sponsorship of Korean rugby pays off

2010-04-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

Standard Chartered started its sponsorship of Korean rugby about a year ago and the coverage they have received is impressive, certainly making this a very good investment for the sponsors and for the Korea Rugby Union. I hope the funds have been used wisely and with long lasting impact on the development of Korean Rugby. If so, then the KRU will likely find more sponsorship easier to obtain!!

SS Killer Bs vs. Cheongju Knights

2010-04-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Subject: SS Killer Bs Line-UpLadies and Gents,

We've got a smashing day of rugby ahead this Saturday. The forecast is for a balmy 14 degrees celsius with clear skies overhead. So if you're sitting on the fence, get off it and head to our prime riverside location to watch some great expat rugby here in Korea.

As most of you know the SS Killer Bs is the official Seoul Survivors Rugby Football Club second squad. Be that as it may, everyone in this team will be pushing for 1st team spots so you can expect to see a lot of quality rugby from players who have put their heart and soul into training for this match-up.

This will be your team for the day:

1 Alan Nuusila SAM
2 Beau Spencer USA
3 Jordan Smigelsky (c) CAN
4 Paul Mancktelow ENG
5 Taylor Whitmer USA
6 Kenneth Park USA
7 Manasa Tuilau FIJ
8 Steve Ko NZL
9 Jono O'Sullivan NZL
10 Nicholas Goodman NZL
11 Ibrahim Zylstra CAN
12 Mona Tumamao SAM
13 Ben Dover NZL
14 Philip Guerrero USA
15 Hikaru Tamoto JAP

16 Ken Wilson NZL
17 Matt Butler USA
18 Newton Thompson NZL
19 Jin Lee KOR
20 Steve Moriarty USA
21 Zac Worthen USA
22 Sly Kim KOR

Referee: Johan Meyer RSA

Coaches: Roddy Bancroft, Dan Grover, Jono O'Sullivan
Manager: Kurt Taogaga
Mascot: Aidan Bancroft

The side will be captained by Canadian stalwart Jordan Smigelsky who will be leading a hefty pack including man-mountain Alan Nuusila and newbie Taylor Whitmer against the Knights forwards.

The hinge of the team is an all-Kiwi affair with new Survivor Steve Ko coming off the back and linking up with Jono O'Sullivan at halfback. Player/coach O'Sullivan will be shovelling the ball to Nelson's very own Nick Goodman who holds the key to unlocking the Killer Bs powerful midfield.
Out wide, North American flair takes form in Philip Guerrero and Ib Zylstra who will look to put forward good performances and cement a spot in the As. They will be backed up by silky Japanese import Hikaru Tamoto who comes in at fullback.

The Knights are coming off the back of an impressive 17-10 win over the Jeonnam Aliens so let's get down and support expat rugby in Korea. See you at Fortress Jamwon!

The Survivors

Famous Korean Rugby Players

2010-04-13T04:17:00.000-07:00

A former President of Korea, Roh Tae-woo

He was a captain of Korea Military Academy. If he tried hard enough for rugby to be included in Olympics, rugby could have become an Olympic sport in 1988. Despite the expectation of people involved in rugby in Korea, he completly neglected the sport during his tenure.

For more informantion about him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roh_Tae-woo

Cho Byung-hwa, one of the most famous Korean poets

"I want to be remembered as a rugby player not a poet. I have lived my life like rugby and I will be living my life as a rugby player." "Rugby requires fierce determination, fair play, and creativity and if these things are reflected on your life, your life will be valuble and beautiful."

He also composed a couple of poem about rugby and one of them was his dream of Scotland tour with the Korean team- A Dream of Rugby.

(A section of his memorial hall is dedicated to his rugby collection)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cho_Byung-hwa

Korea rugby blasts from the past

2010-04-05T17:33:00.001-07:00

From the days when Korea was much more active, open and welcoming to foreign rugby visitors (and probably more confident of their capability too), a couple of stories; the above talks about a competition to celebrate 100 years of diplomatic ties between Britain and Korea and featured the Seoul Survivors amongst the teams....and the one below explains why....unlike today, most of the early Survivor impetus came from those hailing from Blighty, as opposed to today's antipodean eight-man shove....

IRB talk about Korea rugby in Asia Five Nations

2010-04-04T02:46:00.001-07:00

A good summary of prospects for the contenders in the upcoming a5n....rather optimistic about Korea's prospects but let's never say never!!
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/qualifying/news/newsid=2036857.html#asias+best+target+rwc+2011+place

Rugby oasis down south in Korea

2010-04-02T01:29:00.001-07:00

Gumi, hot bed of rugby in Korea....head down to Waegook Cook....highly recommended for the craic (South African style) and the rugby...
Normally, we wouldn't advertise anything here but Derrick and the guys really do put a lot into the sports of Touch and Rugby in Korea, supporting teams, running tournaments and generally acting as a magnet for rugby and Touch fans down south...
Here's how to find them http://www.waegookcook.com/
And here's what they have on this weekend...
Super 14 Games this weekend
Join us for the games and a beer after 18:00 at Waegook CookFriday 2 April, Vodacom Super 14Hurricanes vs Crusaders - 015:35 WellingtonWestern Force vs Vodacom Stormers - 19:05, PerthSaturday 3 AprilVodacom Super 14Blues vs Vodacom Bulls - 13:30, AucklandChiefs vs Highlanders - 015:35, Mt MaunganuiWarat...ahs vs Vodacom Cheetahs - 17:40, SydneyThe Sharks vs Reds - 00:05, The Absa Stadium Durban

Live rugby in Korea

2010-04-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

"The SS Killer Bs debut match. Come out and get behind your mates!".

Event: SS Killer Bs vs. Cheongju Knights
What: Sporting Event
Start Time: Saturday, April 17 at 11:00am
End Time: Saturday, April 17 at 1:00pm
Where: Jamwon Rugby Pitch

Why can't this be us?

2010-03-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Under the watchful eye of IOC President Jacques Rogge, former rugby player from Belgium (Dendermonde club, I believe...famous for the Dendermonde Tens tournament...)
and other worthies such as Billy Beaumont (former British Lions and England Captain) and IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.....Hong Kong hold aloft the sheild....even though it is the lowliest trophy, you have to beat some teams to win it....Korea's rugby sevens team needs to find the capability to do that and to build to get there....

The last couple of years have been a big learning for Korean rugby; the additional sponsorship from Standard Chartered that came alongside the England Counties visit, the experience of hosting a major touring side, the progress of Korean players in Japan and the regular disappointment in the results suggest that, organisationally, the bottom has been tested....and now we look for the leadership to take the lessons and convert the KRU and Korean rugby into something better organised, better managed, attracting greater talent and ultimately (because this really takes time) deliver better results.

Korea rugby sevens team returns from Hong Kong empty-handed

2010-03-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Action from the match v Zimbabwe

And versus South Africa

It looks like the results are telling us what we already knew; Korea are just not taking accoiunt of the progress made by other rugby nations and the results in Hong Kong now have disappointed for several years. It seems the tournament win in Shanghai in the inaugural Asia Sevens competition was a flash in the pan....
This weekend, our boys never threatened to win anything and must be looking in astonishment at the rise of other teams like Kenya, for example....

Kyunghee Univ English Magazine on Rugby in Korea

2010-03-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

To read the original article, click(click the images to enlarge on this following blog) http://blog.naver.com/rugby15/50085305447

New shirts for Korea Rugby

2010-03-23T02:47:00.000-07:00

Proud sponsors Kappa, it seems, have stepped in to support Korea....no doubt thius will be another controversy having changed the colourse, style etc....

Hope that Standard Chartered have organised some for all their staff and press-ganged them to attend all home matches for Korea in Asia Five Nations!!

Rugby sevens in Korea

2010-03-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

"1st Annual Ansan Rugby 7s Festival " on Sunday, March 28 at 10:00am.

Event: 1st Annual Ansan Rugby 7s Festival
What: Sporting Event
Start Time: Sunday, March 28 at 10:00am
End Time: Sunday, March 28 at 6:00pm
Where: Ansan Lake Park (호수공원)

Wanted: Old timers of Korea rugby

2010-03-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Would any over-40 rugby players in Korea be interested in joining the 'Asian Marauders' Golden Oldies team in Sydney in September?

The Asian Marauders is a team mainly consisting of former YCAC (Yokohama Country & Athletic Club's Rugby Section) players and friends.
Originally called Mellie's Marauders in 1997 & 2001 when they went to South Africa and Toulouse and then Mike's Marauders on their tour to San Diego. The Brits were not so keen on Edinburgh in 2009 so the team was renamed Asian Marauders and added few guys from Nomads etc. in Asia and that concept seemed to work well.

In Edinburgh it seemed that there was not a single Korean playing in or Korean team participating among the 100's of teams Golden Oldies Rugby Festival (http://www.goldenoldiessports.com/go_festivals/rugby_festivals/world-rugby-festival-2010.htm).

If anyone is interested in helping to make the team even more Asian, please contact Mike Galbraith or Jim Watson.

Regarding the tournament itself, there are usually about 10 to 15 Japanese teams at these events and we can't let them have all the fun!! There are three games of about 20 minutes each way (with people swapping in and out) `during the week and many events including a grand dinner (usually about 2,500 people) on the last night. If think that if Korean ruggers saw this event, they would start getting interested in participating in future events in their own teams.

By the way, 2012 Golden Oldies will be in Kyushu and so very close to Korea!

Womens rugby in Korea needs coaches

2010-03-14T07:14:00.001-07:00

Seoul Sisters, the club that pioneered women's rugby in Korea, is looking for coaches. Really important to keep this fledgling alive!
The Seoul Sisters Rugby Club (www.ssrfc.com) is looking for coaches on Saturdays from 11am-12pm at Jamwon Pitch near Apugjeong Station. Please contact club representative, Robin Seila, at robin.seila@gmail.com if you are interested.

Seoul Survivors adds a new rugby team in Korea, organises for growth!

2010-03-11T23:31:00.000-08:00

The Oakwood Seoul Survivors are pleased to announce the formation of a 2nd mens' squad within the Survivors club. The SS Killer Bs will focus on fun, social rugby and player development acting as a feeder squad and reserve for the 1st team and an important stepping stone to senior rugby for Colts players. So if any old soldiers or greenhorns out there want to dust off the boots then now's the time. All senior rugby players train together at Jamwon 10am on Saturdays. Stay posted for latest details. Tell your mates!

In other news, the recent AGM held on the 6th of March has solidified the organisational structure for 2010. These are the club roles and the guys who have sacrificed their time and effort to fill these positions:

The Gray Captain: Ted Gray
Club Manager: Roddy Bancroft
Treasurer: Les Edwards
Korean Liaison: Richard Jang
Coaching Committee: Roddy Bancroft, Dan Grover, Jono O'Sullivan

1st Team Captain: Simon Walsh
2nd Team Manager: Kurt Taogaga
Touch Team Captain: Nathan Atkins

Social Committee: Phillip Guerrero, Brian Bruckman, Matt Butler
Media Team: Kurt Taogaga, Richard Jarvis, Nathan Farren, Jacob Leonard
Kit Managers: Roddy Bancroft, Jacob Leonard
Community Project Team: Jordan Smigelsky, Jin Lee

Check out the website for contact details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ceceb;www.survivorsrfc.com

Looking forward to seeing you at our social events and matches in 2010!

Korea Rugby's fixtures for 2010

2010-03-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

See the attached report in the Korea Herald for an update on Korea in the Asia Five Nations rugby http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2010/03/05/201003050059.asp

By the way, the Korea Rugby Union is also promoting Invictus.... see the banner on the right http://rugby.or.kr/

England Counties Rugby vs Korea (President XV) Match Official's Story

2010-02-28T05:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.rugbyinasia.com/feature/656/singapore-ref-harry-mason-on-the-world-stage

Korea Touch gets good publicity again

2010-02-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2010/02/26/201002260013.asp

Touch rugby ready for new season

Spring is in the air and for a bunch of expats and locals that means one thing -- touch rugby.

Enthusiasts have their first run-around on Feb. 27.

Natalie Hallemans says the strength of the sport in Seoul is its consistency. "Various sports leagues come and go, but touch is always on, baring the weather, every Saturday from March to November it's here."

The sport that was set up by a small group of expats four years ago continues to thrive and each year the player pool expands.

The head of the Korea Touch Association, Shane Lowndes, said organizers are looking to have about seven tournaments around the country this year. "We are going out to Incheon for the first time because of a growth of interest out there. We will also head down to Gumi at some point, which has become one of the most popular events on the touch rugby calendar," he says.

The majority of touch is played in Seoul by expats and a growing number of Koreans, but most Saturdays around the peninsula, small numbers of enthusiasts are keeping the sport alive in their own regions -- even as far away as Ulsan, in the south.

Natalie Hallemans says she's made lifelong friends through the sport. "It's a great way to meet people. I would encourage teachers, business people, anyone who's looking to socialize with other foreigners, to come along on a Saturday. We're very welcoming and you don't have to be part of an already established team."

Team's come together for the tournaments about every six weeks. The Three Alley Dutch Rudders, an all men's team, have dominated the season's standings for the past two years. Wade Broderick, 28, hinted recently that they may invite some female players onto their side. That could be good news for the Survivors, who typically run as second-best to the Rudders, but Broderick says no one should underestimate the quality of the experienced women players.

Broderick said it also makes sense in lieu of the international touch tournament in Seoul later in the year. "The trend we are seeing at all the international tournaments we go to is that generally the mixed competition is the strongest, and the teams always seem to have a lot of fun too. If we enter a mixed team at ITS this year, we'll have gelled together already," he explains.

Shane Lowndes said they've already secured the venue for ITS at the Korea Military Academy, in Taerung. And teams from Japan, China, and Hong Kong are confirmed for the September event.

The Korea Touch Association is also keen to see the sport grow among Koreans. The Han River Pirates, a group of local junior players, will continue their involvement this year and Lowndes said the KTA can help facilitate other groups that want to try the sport. For those who would like to know more about touch rugby head to Jamwon Rugby pitch in Apgujeong, Seoul on Saturdays at 10 a.m.

For more information, check out the website www.koreatouch.com or e-mail koreatouch@gmail.com

Living in Incheon and want to play touch on the weekend, but can't get into Seoul? E-mail incheontouch@gmail.com

To comment, e-mail mattlamers@heraldm.com; to contact the author, e-mail bridgettunnicliffe@hotmail.com -Ed.

By Bridget Tunnicliffe

Woojin Lee, Korea Touch Association's roaming ambassador!

2010-02-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

Former KTA stalwart Woojin Lee, currently in Auroriville India, visiting Touch Singapore recently! Spread the word, Woojin!!

Youngnam Yu- Best XV in Japanese Rugby Top League

2010-02-14T00:57:00.001-08:00

Youngnam Yu was appointed as one of the top 15 players in Japanese Top League although his team, Sanyo, lost again this year to Toshiba in the final. Can you recognize some players in the picture (Steven Bates, George Gregan, etc)?

Waegook Cook hosts rugby and touch opening party for 2010

2010-02-04T01:07:00.000-08:00

Event: The Rugby and Touch Opening Party for 2010
What: Club PartyStart Time: Saturday, February 27 at 10:30am
End Time: Sunday, February 28 at 6:30am

Where: The Waegook Cook

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=283421289430&mid=1d39222G2ecb78aaG4be186cG7

Invictus; Korea rugby's chance to show the incredible power of the world's greatest team game

2010-02-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Invictus, the film about Mandela's endorsement of the S African rugby team has just opened in London (see pic above of the Webb Ellis cup at the UK launch). People who've seen it tell me that it is very good and that the rugby footage is excellent....wonderful as an introduction for rugby....and therefore an opportunity for the sport to better promote itself. The fact that the story itself is all about inspiration and unity is also very consistent....chance for Korea rugby to promote itslef through Invictus?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus_(film)

Korea in rugby's Asia Five Nations

2010-02-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

the a5n fixtures for Korea in 2010 are as follows;
April 24 vs Hong Kong (away)
May 1 vs Japan (home)
May 15 vs Arabian Gulf (away)
May 22 vs Kazakhstan (home)
Venue:TBC
Winner: Auto qualification for RWC
Runners up: Playoff against South America (Uruguay) in July

Events upcoming for rugby in Korea

2010-01-31T06:34:00.000-08:00

This looks like a good chance to meet and hear from a global rugby legend right on your doorstep in Seoul http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263120987545&ref=nf John Kirwan comes to Korea on a fundraiser (Possibly for Korean rugby, if so, the cash goes to a good cause) sponsored by KRU sponsors Standard Chartered and hosted by the Kiwi Chamber.

IOC President presents the bronze medal to Korea

2009-12-06T04:32:00.000-08:00

Japan win Men’s Gold in thrilling East Asian Games Rugby Sevens Final; China’s dominance continues in Women’s Sevens

Heartbreak for Hong Kong as Gold medal slips away with seconds on clock

[Hong Kong, 6 December 2009]: Japan edged Hong Kong 26-24 in a thrilling Men’s Gold medal match at the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong this afternoon. In the Women’s competition, China continued its run of impressive results beating Japan 34-12 in the Gold medal match to finish the competition undefeated.

The Japan Men’s Seven reached the Gold medal final despite suffering a surprise 14-12 defeat to China in their penultimate preliminary match this morning. Japan’s undefeated opening day was enough to see them through to the final despite the loss and they were ruthlessly efficient with a 41-7 win over Guam in the final round robin match.

Hong Kong reached the final the hard way, beating both Korea and China, (ranked 2nd and 5th respectively in Asian Sevens), to get their chance at Gold. Despite jumping out to a 21-0 lead at halftime, Korea nearly spoiled Hong Kong’s party as they fought all the way back to 21-19 before the clock ran down on their comeback effort. The loss left Hong Kong with one last hurdle, China, on their hunt for gold. Again, Hong Kong jumped out to a wide lead at halftime but this time they were more clinical in the second half, winning 21-7 to send China to the Bronze Medal match alongside Korea.

In the Gold Medal match, Japan jumped out to an early lead through a nice individual effort from Yusaku Kuwazuru in the corner to edge the visitors to a 5-nil lead. Hong Kong centre Rowan Varty replied minutes later with his own corner try. Both conversions were missed to bring the score to 5-all. The early interchange set the tone for the match, which saw the scores seesaw back and forth until literally the last second of the game.

Japan’s Masahiro Tsuiki was the next to break the deadlock with a try beneath the sticks to bring Japan ahead 12-5. The lead was again short-lived as Rowan Varty crossed for his second try of the first half, this time under the posts, this time for an easy conversion to bring the score to 12-all at the interval. The excitement picked up where the first half left off as the early portion of the final stanza saw both sides test each other’s defence but the lines were holding strong. Eventually, Japanese pivot Manase Folau broke the stalemate, breaking away for a nice try that was converted to put Japan back in the lead, 19-12.

The score remained 19-12 until two minutes left in the final when pacy Hong Kong winger Adam Raby broke free down the sideline to dot down in the corner and bring Hong Kong back within striking distance at 19-17. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Hong Kong adrift before Anthony Haynes crashed over the line with less than a minute remaining to bring the score to 24-19 with the conversion. A vocal crowd thought the score would stand but the cool heads and disciplined professionals in the Japan Sevens team never said never and with three seconds left Masahiro Tsuiki broke free of the defence in midfield and crossed over for a hero’s try, leveling the scores at 24-all. The simple conversion in front of the posts by Yamamoto sealed victory 26-24 and brought the Gold medal home to Japan.

Japan coach Wataru Murata said, “My heart was pounding as the game was so tight, but I’m very happy. Hong Kong is the home team and had great crowd support, but our team is very disciplined. We have a lot of Japanese pride and that was the difference in those final five seconds. It is great to have Rugby Sevens as part of the East Asian Games.”

Hong Kong National Coach Dai Rees said: “Credit to the guys, they played exceptionally well. Five of our players were marking their debut playing inside the Hong Kong Stadium and we were leading against a team almost primarily full of professionals. It has been a great experience for the team and we are extremely thankful for the brilliant support we have gotten from the crowd. The reaction really proves that Rugby Sevens is a great competition for multi-sport Games.”

Hong Kong forward Mark Wright was disappointed but took positives from the experience. “We are gutted by the loss of course but the guys played exceptional rugby throughout the tournament, especially in the final. We’re disappointed not to win, but we are very pleased with the Silver. Back at the Asian Games in 2006, we were playing for fifth place and here we are not just playing for Gold but leading with just seconds left. We will take a lot from this.”

In the Bronze medal match, Korea pipped China 14-12 in a game with an equally final minute as tries by both teams were nullified in the last minute of play. The Koreans knocked on what seemed to be the clear game winner in the in-goal area but were awarded a reprieve after charging over from a penalty from the ensuing scrum to take the lead at 14-12. China was equally disappointed by being held up in the Korean in-goal with just seconds remaining in the match, denying them Bronze.

In the Women’s competition, China again showed its international class as the undisputed Asian champion. The China team eased its way through day one of the competition with an undefeated record from three matches and a 114 to nil points for and against record. On Day Two, the competition intensified as China conceded its first points of the weekend to a plucky Hong Kong team in the semi-final which China won 20-5 to advance to the Gold medal match. In the second semi-final, Japan advanced past Guam 19-7. The final was more one-way traffic for the Chinese team although the Japan Women’s Seven put forth a tremendous effort for the game before falling to a 34-12 loss.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge was on hand to present the gold medal to the winning teams, reinforcing the status or Rugby Sevens as the newest Olympic sport with its inclusion into the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Brazil.

A strong crowd of nearly 11,000 people attended today’s competition proving the attraction of Rugby Sevens as a competition sport at multi-sport games. The 2009 East Asian Games is the fifth instalment of the East Asian Games and the first to feature Rugby Sevens as a competition sport, which is entirely fitting considering the Games are being hosted in Hong Kong, home of the world famous Hong Kong Sevens.

East Asian Games Rugby Sevens Competition Day One Results

2009-12-05T16:48:00.001-08:00

Japan Men and China Women Top Table on Day One of
2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong

[Hong Kong, December 5 2009]: The parity in Asian men’s sevens was on proud display after day one of the Men’s Rugby Sevens at the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong. The Women’s Rugby Sevens competition meanwhile is proving to be another coming out party for Rugby World Cup Sevens Bowl champions China who were undefeated on Day One, finishing with a points for and against record of 114 – nil.

In the men’s competition, Japan continue to be the in-form team but the Asian Sevens leaders were pushed to the limit in the day’s final match by Korea, Asia’s second best Sevens team, who themselves drew against China in their opening match. Hosts Hong Kong nearly saw their dreams of a gold medal at home derailed by Chinese Taipei, who rebounded from two challenging losses earlier in the day. In all, it was an exciting day of world-class Rugby Sevens action played in front of a strong crowd of 8,500 at the Hong Stadium.

Despite, coming through with three crucial wins from today’s competition, Japan Men’s Sevens coach Wataru Murata was unhappy with his team’s defence after the Brave Blossoms conceded four tries in its three matches.

Japan opened its account with a 19-5 win over Chinese Taipei and kept their foot on the gas with a convincing 17-7 win over Hong Kong, Asia’s third ranked Sevens team. That result set up an enticing final day one match between the Asian one and two, Japan and Korea.

The teams did not disappoint either as Korea jumped out to a 12-0 lead at the half after tries from Kim Jong Su and Kim Won Yong and a conversion from Hong Jun Ki. As they regularly do, Japan maintained its composure in the second half and came back to win after two tries from substitute Shinichi Yokoyama and a third from Masuhiro Tsuiki. Hidefumi Yamamoto’s two conversions put the game out of reach at 19-12 and preserved Japan’s clean sheet for the day.

The loss to Japan may come back to haunt Korea after the preliminary stage as could Korea’s 12-12 draw against China, ranked number four in Asian Sevens in today’s opening match. In its second match of the day, Korea beat Guam 39-5.

The hometown heroes Hong Kong got off to a rollicking start today with a 31-7 win over Guam, punctuated by a hat trick from Rowan Varty. Hong Kong’s high hopes were deflated a bit after its 17-7 loss to Japan left the hosts needing nothing less than perfection for the remainder of the tournament to reach the final.

That level of performance was hard to find in Hong Kong’s last match of the day against Chinese Taipei. In a tense encounter, the lead changed hands several times as the never-say-die Chinese Taipei seven jumped out to an early lead and held it for large parts of the match and deep into the second half. With two losses, enough to derail hopes of a place on the medal rostrum, looming talismanic playmaker Keith Robertson helped keep Hong Kong’s medal chances alive, setting up a late try in the corner from winger Salom Yiu Kam Shing to edge Hong Kong ahead 20-17 with a 1.30 left in the match. Robertson then scored and converted his own try in the last minute to push Hong Kong through at 27-17 and keep their gold medal dream alive.

Hong Kong will now need back-to-back victories over Korea and China tomorrow to reach the gold medal match in the first ever East Asian Games to feature Rugby Sevens, and the first hosted in Hong Kong, one of the spiritual homes of the sevens code.

The men’s competition continues tomorrow with each team having two more preliminary round robin matches before proceeding to the finals starting with the 5th & 6th place playoff, the Bronze Medal match and of course the Gold Medal match which kicks off at 16.45 local time. In the women’s competition, action will begin with Semi-Finals between China and Hong Kong and Japan and Guam at 12.36 and 12.58 respectively.

It all adds up to an exciting finale of the East Asian Games Rugby Sevens competition tomorrow when many luminaries will be in attendance including IOC President Jacques Rogge; Timothy Fok, Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia and President of the Hong Kong Sports Federation & Olympic Council. Mr. Nobby Mashimo of the Japan Rugby Football Union, the Asian Rugby Football Union’s (ARFU) representative on the IRB Council and Choi Won-Tae (president of ARFU) will also attend along with Brian Stevenson and Trevor Gregory, President and Chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union respectively.

2009 Hong Kong East Asian Games

2009-12-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

2009 Hong Kong East Asian Games Rugby Sevens Competition Set for Kick Off
IOC President Jacques Rogge to present Gold Medal to Champions

[Hong Kong, December 4 2009]: The last top-flight Asian sevens action of the year is set to kick off tomorrow with the Rugby Sevens competition at the East Asian Games 2009 in Hong Kong. It is the first ever multi-sports Games to be held in Hong Kong and fittingly for the home of the legendary Hong Kong Sevens the first East Asian Games to feature Rugby as a competition sport.

The East Asian Games is open to nine countries and territories in the region including hosts Hong Kong, China; China; Chinese Taipei; Guam; Japan; Korea; DPR Korea; Macau, China and Mongolia.

The Rugby Sevens competition promises to be a cracker as the teams participating represent the elite teams in Asian sevens. Five of the six men’s teams hold the top five spots in Asian Sevens while three of the top five women’s sevens teams in Asia are taking part.

With the inception of the Asian Rugby Football Union’s (ARFU) new Asian Rugby Sevens Series in 2009, the men’s teams enter the competition with more match seasoning and more head to head experience than at any time in the 42-year history of ARFU.

Adding to the excitement, the organisers of the East Asian Games have announced that Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, will attend the Rugby Sevens competition and present the Gold medal to the winning men’s team. The presence of Count Rogge is indicative of Rugby Sevens’ status as the world’s newest Olympic Sport with its inclusion into the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Brazil.

Japan’s men’s team is the heavy gold medal favourite after finishing top of the table on the Asian Rugby Sevens Series. Japan finished with a silver and gold medal from the two ranking events in the series’ first year, (Shanghai and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia), and also won the Sri Lanka Sevens in November. Their fine performance on the series places them as the current number one in both sevens and fifteens rugby in Asia.

Runners-up on the series Korea won the historic first Asian Rugby Sevens Series tournament in Shanghai, beating Japan in the final. Korea is benefiting from a cohesive squad that features many of its key fifteen aside national team stars like hard-charging No. 8 Han Hun Kyu who promises to be a fan favourite with his impressive pace for a big man and his trademark throwback headgear.

The third place team in the Asian series is the hosts Hong Kong, who finished with a bronze medal in Shanghai and reached the final in Kota Kinabalu before bowing out to Japan. Hong Kong has used the series and their appearance at the World Games and Singapore Cricket Club Sevens to identify some promising young players.

The home side has beaten all of its competitors on the series this year and will be hoping that vociferous support from the over 12,000 strong crowd will propel them to a historic first ever Team Gold medal for the Hong Kong SAR in the East Asian Games.

Captained by Jeff Wong Chun Kiu and lead by former Wales Sevens coach Dai Rees, the local side will be looking to go one better than its silver medal performance in Malaysia this weekend.
National Coach Rees said, “We are entering the competition in better shape than any tournament we have played in this year. There is a real belief we can medal and do something special for Hong Kong by winning a team gold.”

“Our preparation went well,” says captain Wong, Chun Kiu, “The team has been training hard and we are hopeful for a gold. If we manage to play like we train we won’t be far off.”
“Personally, I am deeply honoured to captain the team on this ooccasion,” added Wong, “If we bring gold home, I think rugby will become even more popular in Hong Kong and a lot more young kids and students will take up the sport. I can promise that we will do our very best.”

China and Chinese Taipei are also threats to break through to the medal podium on any given occasion. Both teams enter the competition with veteran sides. China will be lead by the inspirational Zhang Zhiqiang, a local favourite from his many Hong Kong Sevens appearances, while Chinese Taipei will be captained by long-time skipper Wang Kuo Feng.

The East Asian Games represents a unique bookend for Chinese Taipei as they started their sevens campaign back in July with the hosting of the World Games in Kaohsiung where they finished as the best performing Asian team overall.

In both the men’s and women’s competitions, the teams from the island of Guam, known locally as “the Rock”, can be counted on to punch above their weight and competitors will overlook them at their peril.

In the four-team women’s competition, China will run out as the clear favourites after their inspirational Bowl championship at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009, a performance which they followed with an undefeated showing at the Asian Women’s Sevens championships in June in Pattaya, Thailand, to rank as the top women’s side in Asia. Japan and Hong Kong will battle for the spot against China in the final. The Rugby Sevens competition at the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games will take place on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2009 at the Hong Kong Stadium. Matches are from 10.00 to 16.00 on Saturday and 11.30 to 17.30 on Sunday. For more information including live results please visit: www.2009eastasiangames.hk

Seoul Sisters rugby get their kit off (again)

2009-11-18T01:40:00.000-08:00

They have once again published their tasteful calendar and it isn't this one http://www.ssrfc.com/indexeng.htm
Can anyone let an interested conniseur know where to source this item?

Korea Touch gets plaudits for Shanghai performance

2009-11-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.urbanatomy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2430:touch-of-class&catid=145:daily-blog&Itemid=13

Koreans; go to Australia, learn rugby and then come back home and play!

2009-11-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

This is how you do it!
http://www.rugbyinasia.com/korea/547-22/australian-study-work-and-rugby-opportunities-beckon-for-korea

Women's rugby in Korea at a crossroads?

2009-11-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

Sources suggest that the KRU plans to create a new women's rugby team for Korea and not build on the existing team which has been formed a couple of years ago. Does this make sense? It would certainly be good news that the sports governing body made a serious commitment to women's rugby in Korea, but does it make sense to throw out what already exists? And does the KRU have the resources to build from scratch?

Korea Touch shines in Shanghai

2009-11-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

Sounds like the teams that were sent to Shanghai did Korea Touch Association www.koreatouch.com proud last weekend, winning the mens and finishing runners up in the mixed. Shanghai now claims to be the biggest Touch competition in Asia, something that ITS once was able to boast in Seoul. This means that the results are very good for Korea Touch and an indication of progress in standards in Touch in Korea.

Survivors back in reckoning for Yellow Sea Cup

2009-11-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

Survivors saw off visitors Beijing Devils but now have to wait for the result when Shaghai visit Beijing....full story on Rugby in Asia http://www.rugbyinasia.com/feature/560/survivors-can-only-watch-and-wait

New Zealand minister bigs up Korea Rugby

2009-11-03T02:01:00.001-08:00

New Zealand's foreign minister talked up Korea's prospects in rugby in his visit to Korea http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/11/02/200911020048.asp
Apparently, Murray Mcully believes that Korea has a bright futire in rugby according to this interview in the Korea Herald...GREAT!!

Korea drop to second place in Asia Sevens rugby

2009-11-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

Following Japan's win in the latest tournament, Korea have now dropped back to second place as they finished third in the tournament. After two tournaments that "count" the top three are Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. With HK having beaten Korea in both of the tournaments, they'll obviously be looking to exchange places with their big rivals in the overall standings. However, the gap between HK and Japan stays pretty large, whereas Korea did the double on Japan twice in Shanghai although they had little luck in Kota Kinabalu.

The big question I ask is, why don't Korea host one of the tournaments? They'd get much bigger crowds than Shanghai for sure....and what better way to showcase Olympics newest sport?

Korea rugby sevens falls behind Japan and Hong Kong

2009-11-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

Japan beat Hong Kong 38-14 in the final of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series event held yesterday and today in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Japan was the form side of the tournament from the opening kickoff, posting 187 points while conceding just four tries and 26 points over two tournament days and six matches.
In today’s Cup semifinals, Japan edged Korea 10-7 in a tight encounter that was entirely fitting for these two Cup finalists from the Shanghai Sevens in September. This time Japan emerged victorious despite being a man down deep into injury time.
Hong Kong hobbled through to the final after a series of injuries kept much of its star power on the bench over the two tournament days. Despite the injury woes, it was a recovery story that dominated Hong Kong’s semifinal against Malaysia. On his return from a long absence rehabilitating a shoulder injury former captain Mark Wright led from the front against the hometown team, seemingly willing Hong Kong to victory to the dismay of the 3,500 thousand strong crowd.
Wright tallied two tries and set up a third in the match to help steer Hong Kong out of trouble against a talented Malaysian that looks to be a contender in Asian sevens in the years ahead. Hong Kong advanced in a seesaw match over Malaysia, 22-17.
Japan’s dominance extended into the final as Hong Kong started to show the toll of its cumulative injuries with several players taking the pitch heavily strapped. The Brave Blossoms jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes through a long ranging try to Michio Iwa.
Hong Kong’s Keith Robertson, who was playing despite a rib injury, replied in the fifth minute with an audacious up and under, catching his own ball at the 10 metres before dragging a defender over the line for Hong Kong’s only try of the first half. The successful conversion brought the score to 7-all.
Hong Kong’s defence almost held for the remainder of the half before a crucial knock on by captain Jeff Wong on his own five metre line gave an opportunity for Kenji Shomen to dive over from the ensuing scrum, bringing the score to 12-7 at halftime.
In the second half, Japan put paid to Hong Kong’s hopes for a comeback with two tries in the first two minutes to Usaku Kuwazuru and Atsushi Tujiya bringing the score to 26-7. The third Japanese try came in the fifth minute to Japan’s Michio Iwa, giving him a brace for the final, and bringing the score to 31-7. In the seventh minute, Kensuke Iwabuchi finished Japan’s scoring with a try that was converted to bring the score to 38-7.
Hong Kong winger Salom Yiu Kam Shing added a last bright moment for the losing finalists with a 60m sprint that he converted himself to bring Hong Kong to 14 points. The whistle blew a moment later ending the match at 38-14 and giving Japan its first title on the new Asian Rugby Sevens Series. In the Bronze Medal (3rd/4th place) match, Korea surpassed a tired Malaysian side 31-7.
Japan’s win sees them clear to the top of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series with 23 points, one ahead of Korea and two in front of Hong Kong.
The Plate final pitted China against an unexpected Philippines team that entered the tournament ranked 10th and was competing in just their second Asian Rugby Sevens Series event after last week’s run in Brunei.
The Philippines’ had formed a habit of unseating favoured opponents over the weekend, ushering Chinese Taipei into the Bowl competition on day one and beating the Thais today to reach the Plate. But the streak ended in the Final as a comprehensive display by China saw the favourites romp home 31-0. China finished in fifth place overall in the Borneo Sevens and in fourth spot on the Series table with 16 points.
In the Bowl final Chinese Taipei took its revenge for a weekend of injury setbacks and disappointing results to beat India 19-0. Chinese Taipei finished 9th overall and will be ruing missed opportunities after entering the tournament as fourth seed and in fourth place on the Asian Rugby Sevens Series table. After the weekend’s results, Chinese Taipei slipped to fifth place on the table with 13 points.
Another surprise package this weekend was Guam in its debut Asian Rugby Sevens Series event. After running Korea close in the opening day and consistently scoring against Hong Kong throughout the weekend, Guam took its chances well to upend a favoured Thailand 24-7 in the 7th/8th place playoff today. Their performance in Borneo was good enough to elevate Guam to sixth place on the Series standings.
In the Bowl Semifinal Chinese Taipei beat Indonesia 40-0 while India beat Brunei 19-10. Brunei then beat Indonesia 26-7 to finish in 11th place with Indonesia rounding out the 12 Asian teams in the final spot. Brunei and Indonesia charted two and one points on the Series table respectively.
The Borneo Sevens is the last of two ranking events on the inaugural Asian Rugby Sevens Series. The final table rankings will be effective for the remainder of 2009 and will be used for ARFU competitions, multi-sport games and IRB World Sevens Series events when applicable.

About the Asian Rugby Sevens Series:
The Asian Rugby Sevens Series was launched in September 2009 with the first event being in Shanghai in September. Two of the five events on the inaugural calendar (Shanghai and Borneo) have been awarded official Rankings Status. The Asian Rugby Sevens Series is sanctioned by the Asian Rugby Football Union and International Rugby Board.
2009 Asian Rugby Sevens Series Schedule
Shanghai Sevens, China - September 12-13
Brunei Sevens - October 24-25
Borneo Sevens, Kota Kinabalu - October 31 - November 1
Kish Island Sevens, Iran - November 20-22
Sri Lanka Sevens, November 28-29

Day One Results of Borneo Sevens

2009-10-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

Japan, Hong Kong and China top Pools after Day One of Borneo Sevens

[ARFU.COM]: Japan, Hong Kong and China topped their respective pools after the first day’s play in the Borneo Sevens in sunny Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Japan finished the day with an unblemished record of three games, three wins, scoring 105 points and conceding none in today’s play. The Brave Blossoms were particularly impressive in blanking an in-form Malaysia 22 – nil in today’s final Pool A game. Malaysia went two and one from its three matches on the way to posting a points for and against of 66 to 22, good for second place in the pool.

The loss was Malaysia’s first of the day after both of the top two Pool A seeds surpassed Thailand and Indonesia. Thailand took its revenge for going winless throughout the day with a 41-0 victory over Indonesia, a side that is competing in its first Asian Rugby Sevens Series event of the year and its first sevens tournament as a national team in several years.

An injury racked Hong Kong topped Group B today after edging Korea 14-12. Korea was the winners of the Shanghai Sevens, the other ranking event on this year’s Asian Rugby Sevens Series, in September. The Koreans can take solace by the fact that in Shanghai they also lost to Hong Kong in the pool round before going on to win the tournament, beating Japan in the final. The thrilling win put Hong Kong into clear first place with an undefeated record and a plus +83 points total for the day.

Another team making its debut on the new Asian Rugby Sevens Series today, Guam put in a highly creditable performance today. Guam ran Korea close in the first Pool B match losing just 14-19. Guam also put points on the board against Hong Kong losing 38-14 and beat Brunei 38-5 in its 3rd/4th seed pool match to make its way into tomorrow’s Cup competition.

Top seed in Pool C China neatly dispatched its main opponents in the pool Chinese Taipei with a 40-14 win. Both teams made short work of their pool mates, beating India and Philippines easily.

Philippines, the runners-up in the Brunei Sevens a week ago (losing in the finals to Malaysia) continued their strong form giving up just 14 points to China in its opening match. The Philippines Volcanoes then nearly upset the formbook today as they were leading third seed India 7-nil until letting the Indians cross over for the game winner deep in injury time to concede the draw.

The performances from Guam, the Philippines and Malaysia, (winners of last week’s Brunei Sevens), all of whom are participating in their first Asian Rugby Sevens Series ranking event continue to point out the parity in Asian Sevens and bode well for the continued development of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series.

At the end of day one, Japan, China and Hong Kong topped the points table with perfect records and nine points, followed by Korea and Malaysia on seven. Philippines occupied sole position on 6 points with its draw against India while Guam, Thailand and Chinese Taipei finished with five points. India ended on four points and Indonesia with three. Thailand advanced to the Cup competition ahead of Chinese Taipei with a +2 points differential.

The results see Japan and Thailand in the first Cup Quarterfinal that will kick off at 10.00 tomorrow (Malaysia time). Korea take on the Philippines, Hong Kong face Guam and China meets Malaysia in the other three Quarterfinals which will be held at 10.20, 10.40 and 11.00 respectively.

Chinese Taipei will face Indonesia and Brunei and India meet in the Bowl Semifinals.
In today’s women’s competition, Thailand, the second ranked team in Asian women’s sevens overpowered India and Malaysia 39-0 and 52-0. In their game, India beat Malaysia 21-10.
Borneo Sevens Day One results

Chinese Taipei 24 India 0
China 14 Philippines 0
Korea 19 Guam 14
Hong Kong 62 Brunei 5
Malaysia 34 Thailand 0
Japan 57 Indonesia 0
Chinese Taipei 5 Philippines 24
China 45 India 0
Korea 56 Brunei 0
Hong Kong 38 Guam 14
Malaysia 32 Indonesia 0
Japan 26 Thailand 0
India 7 Philippines 7
China 40 Chinese Taipei 14
Guam 38 Brunei 5
Hong Kong 14 Korea 12
Thailand 41 Indonesia 0
Japan 22 Malaysia 0

Asia Sevens marches on, next stop Kota Kinabulu

2009-10-29T06:04:00.001-07:00

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASIAN RUGBY SEVENS SERIES VISITS BORNEO
Competitive new Series will be even tighter with inclusion of Malaysia
[Hong Kong, October 28 2009]: The Asian Rugby Sevens Series rolls into Malaysian Borneo this weekend. The Borneo Sevens is hosted by the Malaysian Rugby Union at the Likas Stadium in Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, 2009. Borneo is the second ranking event on the Series after the Shanghai Sevens in September.
Borneo is the world’s third largest island and an important natural refuge for a tremendous array of plant and animal life including Orangutans, Asian Elephants, Sumatran Rhinoceros, and Bornean Clouded Leopards; the rugby action promises to be equally wild this weekend as 12 of Asia’s top sevens nations contest the final ranking event in the inaugural year of the series.
The success of the Shanghai Sevens in September proved the viability of an Asian sevens series concept as in China all of the top five teams were in with a strong chance of winning, producing a thrilling weekend of rugby. The Series has also been given a significant boost by the IOC's decision to include Sevens in the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2020.

In Borneo, the challenge will be even greater as the top teams from Shanghai return to action alongside a rampant Malaysian team that swept last weekend’s Brunei Sevens without a loss and is hitting peak form for their home event.
The participating teams in Borneo are Japan (1st seed), Hong Kong (2), China (3), Chinese Taipei (4), Korea (5), Malaysia (6), Thailand (7), Guam (8), India (9), Philippines (10), Brunei (11) and Indonesia (12). The seedings for Borneo are the same as those for the Shanghai Sevens and are based on the results from the Asian Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifiers in October 2008.
The teams have been grouped into three pools of four with a round robin pool round followed by knockout matches. The pools for Borneo see Japan, runners-up in Shanghai, squaring off against Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in Pool A. Pool B is headed by Hong Kong, bronze medallists in Shanghai, with Korea, gold medal winners in Shanghai, Guam and Brunei. Pool C sees third seed China taking on fourth seed Chinese Taipei, India and the Philippines.
One of the key objectives of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series is to provide a sevens-specific ranking of Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) nations. This ranking will be used for future ARFU tournaments and multi-sport events when applicable and will be a major factor in identifying participating teams from Asia for IRB World Sevens Series events. In the first year of the Series only the Shanghai and Borneo Sevens have been awarded ranking status.
Asian Rugby Sevens Series rankings are based on 12-team tournaments. The rankings see the gold medal winners receive 12 points, silver medallists 11 points, bronze medalists ten points and so on down to the last placed team that receives one point.
Mr Jarrad Gallagher, IRB General Manager for Asia said, "The Series started with a bang and the interesting thing that came out of Shanghai was that there were five teams who could have won it. Right from the start it has been extremely competitive and now Malaysia has thrust itself into the mix in Brunei and represents an unknown quantity for the teams that played in Shanghai. We are expecting another exciting tournament this weekend in Borneo.”
"We've already got five events in 2009. Next year we'll have India knocking on the door with their test event for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, so we're providing a great platform for our Asian teams to have competitive matches on a regular basis. I believe that in the space of one or two years we will see a marked improvement.”

The Asian Rugby Sevens Series event at the Borneo Sevens will be played concurrently within a wider club based tournament that also features women’s rugby. Match results and photos will be distributed at end of day Malaysia Time.

About the Asian Rugby Sevens Series:
The Asian Rugby Sevens Series was launched in September 2009 with the first event being in Shanghai in September. Two of the five events on the inaugural calendar (Shanghai and Borneo) have been awarded official Rankings Status. The Asian Rugby Sevens Series is sanctioned by the Asian Rugby Football Union and International Rugby Board.
2009 Asian Rugby Sevens Series Schedule
Shanghai Sevens, China - September 12-13
Brunei Sevens - October 24-25
Borneo Sevens, Kota Kinabalu - October 31 - November 1
Kish Island Sevens, Iran - November 20-22
Sri Lanka Sevens, November 28-29

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