Pics from Hong Kong Sevens

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

Touch in Korea

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

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

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

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

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

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