Download - Survivors Newsletter 105
Survivors Take On The Philippines
S E O U L S U R V I V O R S S E O U L S U R V I V O R S S E O U L S U R V I V O R S S E O U L S U R V I V O R S
R U G B Y F O O T B A L L C L U BR U G B Y F O O T B A L L C L U BR U G B Y F O O T B A L L C L U BR U G B Y F O O T B A L L C L U B
J U N E 1 8 2 0 0 9 V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 5
IN BR I E F :
• Training at Jamwon rugby
pitch scheduled for 10am
Saturday. Make your own
way there or meet Kurt out-
side Itaewon Paris Baguette
at 9:15am. Please be there
before 10:00am and ready to
go on the dot. Remember to
send your apologies if not
available.
• There will be free beer for
the Scrooge Pub relaunch
from 5pm till 12am this Fri-
day night. It is also Aisea’s
farewell, so be there to sup-
port Mr. Ken and see off the
big man.
• Dragon Boat Race: July 11,
we need a handful more guys
and a small photo from eve-
ryone participating to make
this happen. See Kurt at trai-
ing.
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
Maybe Next Weekend
assured anyone with more
game in them can have as
much as they can take!
Our team will be a very
mixed team of youth, experi-
enced, very experienced and
guys who have not played for
us in a long while but have
stayed true to the “Once a
Survivor always a Survivor!”
mantra. True, we are missing
many of our Kiwi brethren
and I am not sure if any Aus-
sies are even stepping upto
the plate, but our team will be
aptly represented by Canadi-
ans, Americans, South Afri-
cans, some Kiwis and a token
Brit. Just wish there were
more! Look for our team to
have some excellent talent in
the backs and as always a
strong performance in the
forwards. Win or lose, this is
an opportunity one should not
miss.
ora of emails and vigorous
recruiting, a thinner squad than
expected has signed up and
will take the field come June
20th 2009. Three weeks before
the game was set to be played,
Matt Cullen told Brian Bruck-
man (a long time Seoul Survi-
vor) that there will be two
games or more for us to enjoy
when we came, followed by a
BBQ party with the local expat
team and of course the team
we are set to play. At that time,
the role call for more players
was mandated and yet another
intensive drive was sent forth
to recruit. Some of the new
guys picked up the charge and
will be joining us there. Sens-
ing a lighter than expected
turnout, another team has been
put together to play the second
national squad taking the bur-
den of two full games off the
Survivors. However, I was
By Brian Bruckman
Long time friend and head
coach of the Philippine National
Rugby Football Club, Matt Cul-
len asked our own dear dictator,
Ted Gray if the Seoul Survivors
would be keen for a game
against his squad. The main
thrust of this friendly game
would be for the coach to see
his players in real action for
selection purposes. (I person-
ally think that Matt was im-
pressed with the Seoul Survivor
performance in the Manila 2009
tournament, where we as a team
gained the respect of many
teams who watched our game,
judging from the hardy applause
given to us after our final game).
Ted Gray agreed and sent out
emails recruiting players to play
in this once in a lifetime oppor-
tunity. Quick to answer were
some of the older “seasoned
veterans” of the club. They
knew from experience that this
opportunity seldom arises and
should be taken very seriously.
From the very beginning we had
a small crew of players but as
time progressed interest grew
from the younger generation in
our ranks. With Yellow Sea Cup
commitments many players had
to make a choice as to what and
where they can play. The result
is many fine rugby players will
have to simply live vicariously
through those brave enough to
travel to Manila. With a pleth-
P ITCH D IRECT IONS :
• 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 fol-
lowing the highway embank-
ment until you can enter the
River Park area about 50
metres ahead on your right
through the tunnel. Look for
the rugby posts.
The Survivors will hope to replicate form from the Manila10s played earlier this year
Survivors Make Statement Against Rams By RJ Karas
�eeding a result desperately to stay in
contention for China Pub Company’s
2009 Yellow Sea Cup, the Seoul Survi-
vors took to the pitch against the
Guangzhou Rams and did not disap-
point. From the opening whistle the Survivors
seemed to have an inherent motivation
that many long-time Hanbok supporters
had never seen before. It was almost as if
the Rams had kicked the Survivors puppy.
In the aftermath of the 71-0 dismantling of
Guangzhou speculation was running ram-
pant ... what was the spark that ignited
Seoul’s offensive outburst?
Some supporters pointed to the overall
team effort as key to the resounding vic-
tory, “All of your efforts were mighty!
Cohesion in the backs rewarding out-
standing forward play ... it was a pleasure
to watch”, said Survivors Treasurer Les
Edwards. The captain for the day, Rich-
ard Jarvis, said simply, “we finally man-
aged to pull all the individual talent to-
gether into a great team performance.”
One unnamed supporter also credited the
Survivors Social Chairman for his efforts
to be as hospitable as possible to the
visiting Rams the night before the match.
Looking at the standings it is clear what
has spurred the current resurgence of the
Hanboks.
Although Seoul leads the five-team tour-
nament in points scored with 79 through
two matches the more telling statistic is
that the Survivors are just as strong
without the ball as they are with it. At
the midpoint of the 2009 campaign the
Hanboks have allowed a staunch ten
points to its opposition. The Survivors
are clearly taking pride in their defense
and creating points from the mistakes
that their opponents are making.
With the full allotment of points in hand
the Survivors now only three points away
from the top of the table. With two
matches still to come the Yellow Sea Cup
is by no means out of reach. Although
Seoul does not control its own destiny
there is nothing but sunshine on the hori-
zon as the Survivors head into beach
season eager to stay fit and focused on
bringing home China Pub Company’s
2009 Yellow Sea Cup.
China Pub Company Yellow Sea Cup
Prop Justin Jackson charges against the Rams defence with Jacob Leonard (obscured), Richard Jones and David Judge
A rare sight: a Rams player in possession shadowed closely by David Judge and Simon Walsh (in tights)
Yellow Sea Cup Standings 18/06/2009 Played W D L PF PA PD BP Pts
Shanghai Hairy Crabs 2 2 0 0 50 30 20 1 7
Seoul Survivors 2 1 0 1 79 10 69 2 5
Beijing Devils 2 1 0 1 68 31 37 1 4
Guangzhou Rams 2 1 0 1 17 77 -60 0 3
Macau Rugby Club 2 0 0 2 36 102 -66 1 1
vors faced off against
players that were
much older and more
physically mature
some who were al-
ready 20 years old.
Despite going down
36-12, Captain Louis
Galtié was satisfied
with the inexperienced
Colts’ performance
stating, “We focused
on our strong points
and put up a good
fight”. He noted that
although the Koreans
were larger they shied
away from the physi-
cality of the match.
The Colts’ two tries
were scored by lofty
Centre Florent Darrou.
By Kurt Taogaga
The SSRFC Colts had
their first hit out against
a Korean high school
squad in a 10s match as
the curtainraiser for the
England Counties vs.
KRU President’s XV.
The Colts fought
bravely with many nov-
ices to rugby among
their ranks.
Backed by a good num-
ber of supporters includ-
ing family, friends and
Survivors, the Colts
were excited to put their
training into practice.
Disappointingly, bthe
Colts weren’t able to
gain a level playing field
from the very beginning.
Ranging in age from 14
to 17, the young Survi-
The first one coming
off an Antoine Peren-
nou chip kick and the
second after a skilful
draw-and-pass move-
ment with Galtié that
ran almost the length
of the field.
Coach Dan Grover
also expressed satis-
faction with the efforts
of his young charges
expecting this match
to lead to more games
and a better schedule
for the Colts in Korea.
Name: Jean-Baptiste
Paquereau
Nickname: JB
Position: Flanker; Hooker
Birthdate: 04/07/1976
Hometown: Arvillard, France
Player Profile Brave Colts Go Down In Debut
The man from the French Alps, JB, injured
his shoulder early in the season. Despite
his misfortune, he has continued to sup-
port the club closely and, presently on the
road to recovery, will look to claim some
game time over the coming months.
First rugby memory:
Jean-Pierre Rives bleeding after complet-
ing the Grand Slam in 1981 during the five
nations tournament.
What are you doing in Korea?
I’m an engineer for Bosch Diesel System,
in charge of making sure Korean cars ex-
ported to Europe meet new emissions
standards.
Favourite thing about Korea:
The rugby family friends, shops witch are
open 24 hours a day and the safety in
Seoul.
Least favourite thing about Korea:
I will never understand why Koreans have
to domesticate each wild part of their
country. I hate stairs when I am climbing
the mountains.
What do you enjoy about your posi-
tion? When I’m playing flanker, definitely
tackles. When I’m playing hooker, scrums.
What don’t you like about your posi-
tion?
I’m getting older, so I’m sometimes
wounded during contacts as I am currently.
Do you have a good luck charm/ritual
for games?
Unfortunately, I am not superstitious. I
have also to break a rumour: even if we
are French, we don’t drink wine before a
game (not always)!
What do you miss most about home?
My mountains, the Genepi flowers, cheese
and French wine.
How would you like to improve
yourself off the rugby field?
Big program! I have to be more
tolerant towards my host country.
I would like to improve my English
skills. I have to save money to
repair my chalet in the French
Alps. After that you are all wel-
come to visit me.
If you were to die tomorrow,
what would you be remem-
bered for?
The love my parents gave me all
life long and the unforgettable
moments I had with my wife since
I met her 15 years ago.
What do you like most at train-
ing?
Meet my friends, have a break
from the reality during a couple of
hours.
What do you like least at train-
ing?
It is too short, never enough. I
would like at least one more train-
ing during weekdays.
What are your interests out-
side rugby?
Mountain climbing, ski, surf.
Do you have a favourite quote
or saying?
“On the first ruck, the opposite
team has to talk with the moles”.
Jake Attawell restarts the match for the Colts
The Colts are now taking a break for the Summer.
Counties Match A Fizzer
By Kurt Taogaga
The England Counties
match against the KRU
President’s XV came and
went the night before our
fixture against Guangzhou.
The game was all over as a
contest by the twenty min-
ute mark. The Koreans,
shorn of their top line play-
ers due to Japanese club
commitments, went down
without so much as a
whimper against a slick,
battle-hardened England
Counties outfit. Down 61-0
at halftime, the much
hoped for Korean fight back
never materialised and the
Counties boys blew out the
score to 108-10. Korea’s
only try came from winger
Choi Si-Won in the 60th
minute.
The crowd was the largest
in Korean rugby history
thanks to some great pro-
motion, especially to the
expat population who
turned out in force. How-
ever, supporters would have
been disappointed not to
have seen a better and more
competitive match from the
hosts.
Survivors News Page
The Survivors Bucket BBQ
took place on Sunday and
drew a good number of guys
many of whom were still
recovering from the revelry
of the night before. The
weather held out for the most
part and all had an enjoyable
day swapping tales and eat-
ing good grub. Big thanks to
Dan Grover and partner Emi-
lie who were kind enough to
host the event at their hillside
pad. Thanks also to Nathan
Farren, Roddy Bancroft and
Tim O’Connor who turned
up earlier to prepare the food
and tend the brai.
Bucket BBQ
Ed: How can an event where there’s free booze, table-dancing, dress-up and someone drinking their own blood ever be consid-ered a failure?
By Justin Jackson
Well, The Seoul Survivors
once again attempted to play
a round of pub golf on Satur-
day June 13th. Things got
off to a rocky start with only
two people showing up at
the proper time and every
one else showing up when
they felt like. Luckily, peo-
ple still dressed up so hearts
were in the right place. After
much deliberations, pub golf
was cancelled and the idea
was put forth to go to Jin's
opening party and drink free
beer. This was put forth in a
vote, ratified and decided to
be agreeable by all parties.
Beer was drunk, tables were
danced on and much fun was
had by all. And thus ended
the First Annual Survivors’
Pub Golf Adventure; it died
before it ever got a chance to
live. To date, the Seoul Sur-
vivors are 1 for 4 in pub golf
attempts. That’s one success
and 3 failures. Maybe Next
Weekend!
Pub Golf Fails To Fly, Fun Still Had
Survivors meet at Scrooge in movie dress-up for Pub Golf
Veteran Survivor Aisea Hoeft is
departing the Peninsula for
greener pastures. Although his
official Survivor farewell was at
the Guangzhou aftermatch, his last
night in Seoul will coincide with
Scrooge Pub’s relaunch tonight.
After their Korean experience,
Aisea, wife Charlotte and new-
born son Jagger will recuperate in
Florida before heading to their
new posting in Italy. All the Sur-
vivors wish Aisea and family our
warmest wishes on their new jour-
ney.
Farewell Aisea
Credits
Editor: Kurt Taogaga Co-editor: Ali McCannell
Contributing writers: Brian Bruckman, Justin Jackson, RJ Karas and Kurt Taogaga
Photos: Manila10s - Paul Mancktelow; Guangzhou Match - Louis Galtié; Pub Golf - �ick �eumann
Aisea’s farewell drinks kick off at Scrooge at 6.30pm.