Touch, Tag and Rugby in Korea: August 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Big day of rugby in Korea Saturday 29 August

Teams are up from HK and games will be played with the Survivors, Sisters and Colts all in action....wow, things are looking up for rugby in Korea....touring teams galore in August.

There will be more visitors when the International Touch Seoul ITS 2009 takes place on Sept 26th see www.koreatouch.com for more details.

Monday, August 17, 2009

International Touch Seoul starts building!

Looks like there will be a distinctly "International" feel to this fixture of the Seoul sporting and social calendar! Sounds like the Japanese will be there in force with teams over from Tokyo and some of the home-grown variety too. Also Shanghai are coming again and the tournament begins to build across all the age groups (juniors and above) and in the men's women's and mixed too.
For those wanting to get teams signed up or to get involved in anyway then all the contact details are on www.koreatouch.com and as a reminder, the tournament is on Saturday 26th September in Taerung (east side of Seoul).

Saturday, August 15, 2009

MBC features footage of England Counties rugby v Korea

http://imnews.imbc.com/replay/nw1700/article/2414227_2735.html

In the coverage of the rugby and golf (OK, they were emphasising golf more than rugby), MBC showed footage from the recent England Counties game here in Korea....

Rugby in the Olympics? That changes everything....

So the IOC looks set to include rugby sevens in the Olympics from 2016 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8196956.stm This should be wonderful news for the development of rugby in Korea. The Koreans have always punched above their weight in sevens and with 7 years to prepare, have the time to turn around sluggish performances in recent HK sevens tournaments by putting in place the infrastructure to attract and then develop the players they need. Let's hope they don't drop the ball because despite 7 years sounding a lot of time, it means that Korea's 2016 Olympic rugby contenders are already teenagers.

The KRU would do well to look overseas for talent, and that could still be Korean nationals, since so many Korean kids are studying in rugby hotbeds like NZ, Australia and the UK....not to mention Canada and even South Africa. These youngsters will be well drilled and could raise the tide for all of Korean rugby if the system were more open here and allowed them to repatriate their skills.

With the 2019 RWC to be held in Japan too, it now gives Korean rugby something to go at....a target that could well galvanise the disparate factions and get everyone pulling (or perhaps pushing) in the same direction!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Rugby in Korea; "The British are coming"

August 22nd, Jamwon; REME v Seoul Survivors...wow, things are hotting up...then the following weekend, it is Hong Kong and several matches at Jamwon....

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Free beer and Touch and rugby

Tomorrow, Saturday 15th August, will be your correspondents last run out before departing for China....beer will be served at the Jamwon ground after Touch.

Korea Touch in Seoul is open to all comers, newbies to veterans (and super-vetereans like me)....so please come down and see how much you'll enjoy playing.

For contact rugby, alongside you'll see Seoul Sisters and Seoul Survivors training....