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
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Korea rugby in mourning!!!
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.....
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.....
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Korea rugby featured in documentary
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)
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
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
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.
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.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Hopes fade for Korea Rugby
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....
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....
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Arabian Gulf bow out on a historic high in HSBC Asian 5 Nations 2010
[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.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
IRB RWC 2011 Asian qualification process becomes clearer after Week 3 of HSBC Asian 5 Nations
+tracks+down+Kazakhstan+captain+Timur+Mashurov+(with+ball).jpg)
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.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
International Touch Seoul (ITS) 2010 - 4th of September
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/
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Korea 10s League Kicks Off in Seoul on Saturday
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.
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.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Arabian Gulf keep a5n Asia Five Nations rugby tournament wide open!
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.
[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
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)