SEOUL SURVIVORS RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
Maybe Next Weekend
IN BRIEF: • The
Survivors
host
the
Guangzhou Rams at the Jamwon rugby pitch this Saturday 6th of June. Kickoff is at 12:40pm. All welcome. Game will go ahead rain or shine. • Korea finished a disappointing 3rd place in the Asian 5 Nations. Unsurprisingly, Japan retained the title with a fast-improving Kazakhstan taking the 2nd spot. • Money urgently needed for the Philippines trip to play the national squad. Contact Brian Bruckman immediately. • Next Saturday the 13th of June will include training, a visit to our orphanage charity and a round of moviethemed pub golf. Busy, busy, busy!
PITCH DIRECTIONS:
•
Leave
Apgujeong
Station
through Exit 6. Walk straight down two blocks and turn right between Hyundai High School and Shinsa Middle School. Walk to the end of the street and turn left following the highway embankment until you can enter the River Park area about 50 metres ahead on your right through the tunnel. Look for the rugby posts.
CONTACTS:
•
Ted Gray (Club Captain) 011-287-9558
•
Roddy Bancroft (Manager) 016-494-7363
•
Simon Walsh (Pitch Captain) 010-9417-9554
•
Kurtis Taogaga (Media) 010-7263-5878
•
Rawiri King (Coach) 010-8698-4982
•
Justin Jackson (Social Officer) 010-5465-6122
V O L U M E
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Survivors Look For Strong Finish vs. Rams By RJ Karas After an epic battle with the Shanghai Hairy Crabs, which left the Seoul Survivors searching for answers as to how they let the defending champions pinch three points off of them, the Hanboks look to rebound this Saturday against a surging Guangzhou Rams side. Although the Rams are not a new opponent to the Survivors, this edition of the Rams side seems to have made several key improvements to a starting XV that was quite easily dismantled by the Survivors last October in Hong Kong. Guangzhou, who were the recipients of the China Pub Company 2008 Wooden Spoon, kicked off their 2009 Yellow Sea Cup campaign with a surprising win versus the Beijing Red Devils. The Rams walked away from the match with the full allotment of points after handing Beijing
their second consecutive loss in Yellow Sea Cup play, dating back to last year’s final. Clearly, by their initial performance, the Rams have made it known that no longer will they be known as the doormats of the China Pub Company Yellow Sea Cup. Though the Rams will have an ample amount of momentum coming into this weekend, and certainly should not be underestimated by a young and spry Survivors side, a daunting trip to the peninsula awaits for Guangzhou. Said trip has provided countless headaches to many a foe. Since the inception of the Yellow Sea Cup many opponents have found that Korean peninsula serves as a sort of kryptonite to their otherwise skilled play. Tests have shown that their is most definitely something in the water that flows adjacent to the Survivors pitch; that, compounded by the
struggles which many of the Chinese squads have always seemed to have transitioning from the easy-to -use round chopsticks, which they are so accustomed, to the flat, metal variety that are native to the land of Kimchi and Soju has lead to quite a home field advantage for the boys from Seoul. In order to take advantage of the home field the Survivors will be looking for another strong performance from their vocal leader and coach Rawiri King. Ra, as he’s known to the locals, is vital to Seoul’s success. As a selfproclaimed “utility player” Ra has the skills to play anywhere from flanker to fullback and brings a bit of finesse along with that bruising mentality that so many Kiwis are known for. Many wonder where the useful utility man finds the strength that it takes to carry such a burdensome load ... some might say it’s the fire that burns inside his heart for the game; a passion that (Continued on page 3)
England Counties vs. Korea President’s XV The England Counties team is in town and on Friday the 5th of June they will take on the KRU President’s XV at Seongnam Stadium just south of Seoul. The venue has previously hosted the Asian 5 Nations encounter between Korea and Singapore where Korea ran out convincing winners playing an expansive and clinical brand of rugby. The local boys will hope to emulate that form against a team compromised of the best amateur
players from throughout England. The England Counties team has had an indifferent start to their 2009 touring season drawing with Irish Clubs 13-13 in Dublin and going down in a hard fought match to the French Amateurs 27-19 on their Twickenham debut. Presumably, their opposition, the KRU President’s XV, will be mostly composed of the Korean national squad who will
be keen to get over a disappointing third place finish in the Asian 5 Nations campaign this year. Both sides have a lot of pride to play for and will no doubt acquit themselves well on the field. This is the biggest rugby event to hit the peninsula in quite some time and it comes at the most opportune of times for enthusiasts of the sport. Rugby is (Continued on page 3)
The Seoul Survivors RFC are proudly sponsored by:
Colts Score Curtainraiser Coup In an unprecedented honour for any Survivor side, the Seoul Survivors Colts have been invited to be the curtainraiser match for the England Counties vs. KRU President’s XV clash at Seongnam Stadium at 5:30pm Friday June 5th. In their first outing, the Colts will play a 10s match against a Korean high school side. This will be the first test for the Colts after many weeks of practice at the Jamwon pitch. The side, captained by Louis Galtié, will have a lot on their plate as
they come to grips with the expansive 10s brand of rugby. Hopefully, this exposure
for 2009. Under the guidance of Coach Dan Grover, the Colts have made good progress in training. The age of the players range from 13-18 years old and they come from all manner of rugby backgrounds. The early kick off means it’ll be a stretch for many of the Survivors to turn up in support but there will no doubt be at least a Seoul Survivors Colts handful there early Logo enough to cheer the will garner more re- lads on through their cruits for the team and first full contact game help them kick off a together. good rugby schedule
Game Tip #1: Warm-Up and Cool Down A good feature of our match preparations last week in Shanghai was our warm-up. It was thorough, vigorous and ticked all the boxes in terms of preparing the body for a game. Replicating that this weekend will ensure that our bodies are primed to perform the job, prevent injury and assist recovery.
WARM-UP Completing a warm-up before games, rugby practices, and physical conditioning sessions (eg. weights or running) prepares the mind and body for the harder activities to follow. Please note the following features of a warm-up: • •
running) to high intensity (eg. physical recovery. Please note the folsprinting) activities and exercises. lowing features of a cool-down. And: •
Duration of 5 – 15 minutes.
Incorporate movement patterns and • Intensity needs to be easy (eg. walking or jogging); dynamic stretches that are similar to what you are about to do in the session to follow. For example, com- And: plete kicking patterns if you are about to do a kicking session, or • Incorporate static stretches. body weight squat movements if you are about to do some Barbell Back Squats in the gym.
COOL-DOW/
Completing a cool-down following games, rugby practices, and physical conditioning sessions (eg. weights or Intensity needs to progress from running) allows the mind and body to easy (eg. jogging) to moderate (eg. relax and commence the process of Duration of 10 – 25 minutes.
www.coachingtoolbox.co.nz
Player Profile Name:
Jonathon Decesari
Nickname(s): Frenchy Position:
Lock
Birthdate:
14/10/1983
Hometown:
Paris, France
A native of the City of Lights, the unimaginatively nicknamed, Frenchy brings a burst of Gallic aggression to the Survivors forward pack. An ardent fan of ‘Les Bleus’, the bulky lock emulates the passionate play that his countrymen are known for. First rugby memory: The silence in the changing room before a game. And the 1999 World Cup, semi-final. What are you doing in Korea? I'm Financial Controller for Valeo, a French company which supplies air con to carmakers. Favourite thing about Korea: I would say Incheon airport and Korean barbecue! Least favourite thing about Korea: Driving in Seoul. You never know what they will do.
(Continued from page 1)
Survivors vs. Rams has drawn comparisons to the Macho Man Randy Savage of WWE fame. Others may attribute his overwhelming power to the traditional, Maori tattoos that Ra carries with pride. Those that know him, however, will be quick to point out that it is in fact Ra’s rat-tail that is the source of his strength. Historically Ra draws comparisons to that of Samson, the longer the iconic mane grows the stronger Ra becomes and it takes nothing more than a tug to get Ra’s attention. Another Survivor that will be ready to make an immediate impact will be Aisea Hoeft. The Tongan, who was unable to make the trip to Shanghai due to the birth of his son
Jagger ... who will subsequently be making his Survivors debut as a reserve on Saturday ... will be out to prove that, though a year older, he still has what it takes to anchor the forward pack at number eight. With a strong side the Survivors will look to make up some of the ground that they lost in Shanghai. With a good showing the Seoul Survivors will find themselves back in the mix for China Pub Company’s 2009 Yellow Sea Cup.
Invite all your friends and family members to the match. Cultivating a large and loyal supporter base will assist us in future fundraising efforts for our club and for our charity.
What do you enjoy about your posi- What do you like least at training? tion? Only once a week. That's why Im The ruck! getting fatter! What don’t you like about your posiWhat are your interests outtion? side rugby? Being substituted! Drinking and travelling. Do you have a good luck charm/ritual Do you have a favourite quote or saying? for games? Since I'm in Korea, I never wear underwear "When we start to lose, we start to fight." when I'm playing.
(Continued from page 1)
England Counties gradually seeping into the Korean consciousness through the popular television show Boys Before Flowers where the main character plays rugby as part of his career training. Watched by over 30% of all Korean households, it is bound to have some positive impact on the game here. Many Survivors have pledged to attend the match and should lend some vocal support to both sides as has been previously witnessed at Asian 5 Nations matches played in Korea. A bus will leave from outside the Hamilton Hotel at 5:30pm Friday to Seongnam Stadium.
If you were to die tomorrow, what would you be remembered for? Good question, but if I'm dying tomorrow, my mother will probably kill me!
The Survivors would like to thank Scrooge
Pub for its How would you like to imWhat do you miss most about home? Paris: lots of culture, lots of good food, lots prove yourself off the rugby continued field? support. of places to be. Improve my English and call my family more often. What do you like most at training? Meet you there, guys.
Credits Editor: Kurtis Taogaga
Co-editor: Ali McCannell
Contributing writer: RJ Karas