Training with JKTraining with JKTraining with JKTraining with JK

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

M A R C H 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 2 I S S U E 1

IN BR I E F :

• Training is on at Jamwon Rugby

Pitch every Saturday at 10am. As per usual.

• An optional training session is

being organized for Wednesday evenings. Keep on an eye out for the latest info.

Maybe Next Weekend

CONTENTS :

Page 2: JK Dinner, Lost Survi-

vors.

Page 3: Player Profile - James

Tucker.

Page 4: Old articles.

Page 5: Survivors Mailbag.

Page 6: Busan Trip, Pitch Di-

rections.

WEBS ITE :

www.survivorsrfc.com

• Full contact rugby teams are

springing up all over the pen-insula. To participate in your local area check out the ‘Expat Rugby’ link at the Survivors website.

• Dues for the year 2010 are

50,000 won. There will be a dispensation for those who register later in the year. You will receive a complimentary Survivors tie once they come on line.

• First YSC game April 24th in

Guangzhou.

By Kurt Taogaga

In a huge coup for the Oakwood Seoul Survivors,

the team was able to hold a training session on a

chilly Wednesday night at the Seoul Foreign

School under the tutelage of All Black legend

John Kirwan. Hero of the 1987 Rugby World Cup

and the face of depression awareness in New

Zealand, Kirwan enjoyed a career in rugby that

straddled both the amateur and professional eras

and has experienced the upheavals and the op-

portunities that money brought to the game at that

crucial juncture.

Unsurprisingly, the turnout was strong for a

chance to train under the current coach of the

Japanese national squad. Bolstered by an enthusi-

astic contingent of Colts players, the Survivors

were immediately put through their paces with

warm-up variations on touch rugby designed to

keep players moving at maximum speed and

thinking on their toes at all times. JK, as he is

affectionately known, also introduced a series of

drills that he uses with the Japanese national

squad to develop those players’ core skills in

passing, catching and tackling. The drills have

already been enthusiastically adopted by the Sur-

vivors’ coaching staff and players alike. JK re-

ferred to these drills as the Japanese players’ ‘rice

and miso’, meaning that they were the basic staple

of the Japanese national squad’s training sessions.

If the Survivors adopt these practices as their ‘rice

and kimchi’ perhaps the squad can go one better

in the Yellow Sea Cup for 2010.

John Kirwan demonstrates new defensive techniques to an attentive Survivors outfit.

By Jacob Leonard

How many “Rugby Legends” have you

met? For a few lucky Survivors, that

number is at least one. On the 18th of

February, the New Zealand Chamber

of Commerce presented “A Night with

John Kirwan.” The dinner was held at

the Grand Hyatt, a place Survivors

usually do not frequent. First, the

guests were treated with heaps of free

or complementary beers and wine.

They spared no expenses to provide

the best of both. “Captain Cooker”, a

fine Manuka Beer, and Hunter’s wine

(Simon’s stash) were given to all who

attended. Following introductions,

attendees were graced with a J.K.

speech. He spoke about life as an All

Black and how tough times can be

made easier with the help of others.

The guests were then treated to an

outstanding spread. During that lamb

and beetroot jam feast, big screens

flashed highlight footage of J.K.’s days

as an All Black. Rugby World Cup

together, nearly 4.5 million won was

raised to aid in the future of rugby.

Finally, guests were able to chat and

drink the night away. They were able

to ask the “World Cup Winning

Winger” his thoughts on rugby and life.

(Continued on page 6)

scenes from 1987 made the dinner a

special night for everyone especially

the Kiwis in the house. Following

dinner and the “gay Auckland winger”

highlights, an auction was held to raise

money for rugby for foreign children

here on the Korean Peninsula. All

A Legendary Night with JKA Legendary Night with JKA Legendary Night with JKA Legendary Night with JK

The Oakwood Seoul Survivors have taken some hits this year. In 2009 and early this year, we have lost or are about to

lose the services of some longstanding Survivors as well as those who were only here briefly but contributed what they

could in the time they were with us.

Let’s see this as an opportunity to blood new players on the field and in organizational roles and recruit others to join our

great club and keep the momentum going this year. If I have missed anyone from the list below, please forgive me.

Best of luck to all these Survivors in all their future endeavours!

Nick Abas

Cameron Bolstad

Jonathon Decesari

John Goddard

Aisea Hoeft

Sebastian Ibarra

Richard Jones

David Judge

RJ Karas

Rawiri King

Juan Nieto

Justin Painter

Hendrick Perry

Rafael Valdez

Alexander Walsh

Returned to Canada

Returned to New Zealand

Moved to Mexico

Moved to Hong Kong

Moved to Italy

Returned to the USA

Returned to New Zealand

Returned to England

Moved to Australia

Moved to Taiwan

Returned to Venezuela

Moved to Turkey

Moved to Hawaii

Returned to Paraguay

Returned to New Zealand

Survivors Rebuilding in 2010Survivors Rebuilding in 2010Survivors Rebuilding in 2010Survivors Rebuilding in 2010

Survivors toast the night with former All Black legend John Kirwan.

Nickname: The Stain

Position: Centre

Birthdate: 21/03/1983

Hometown: Wendover, England

Player Profile: James Tucker

James “The Stain” Tucker has anchored the Survivors

potent backline throughout 2009. His no-nonsense at-

tack and confrontational tackling style earned him the

respect of his peers and a starting spot in this season’s

big fixtures. An unusual sternum injury punctuated his

season, leaving The Stain sideline for much of the Fall.

Having recuperated in time for the 10s at Yonsei, he’ll

be looking to confirm his spot in a competitive 2010

line up.

First rugby memory:

The wing is no place to be during English winters.

What are you doing in Korea?

Teaching and rearing kids.

Favourite thing about Korea:

The food and the cost of living.

Least favourite thing about Korea:

Litter and shoddy architecture and a lack of proper ba-

con.

What do you enjoy about your position?

Crash ball and tackling.

What don’t you like about your position?

Not a lot right now.

Do you have a good luck charm/ritual for games?

A good strong cuppa a few hours before.

What do you miss most about home?

Mates, family, London.

What do you like most at training?

Tackling practice.

What do you like least at training?

Realising how uncoordinated and unflexible I am during

Jonny’s drills .

What are your interests outside rugby?

I do a lot of painting.

Do you have a favourite quote or saying?

The whole of the British Empire was built on cups of

tea and if you think I’m going to war without one,;

you’re mistaken, mate – Nick Moran, “Lock, Stock and

Two Smoking Barrels”.

How would you like to improve yourself off the

rugby field?

Better disciplined and more driven.

If you were to die tomorrow, what would you be

remembered for?

Being a good mate, a good Dad and for my painting.

The Survivors Travelling Road Show By Brian Bruckman

On October 10th a small contingent of

boys from Seoul left their lair to sup-

port rugby in the small town of Gumi,

which is just outside of Daegu.

Originally the game was planned as a

friendly game of 15s but numbers

were quite surprisingly weak, espe-

cially from the Seoul side. With

numbers being a problem, the game

was changed to four quarters of 10s.

With just two subs on each side after

Seoul donated two, the game began.

Playing against a hardy foreign side

that was quite evenly matched the

game was quite competitive. The first

try was scored quite unknowingly as

there were no lines on the grass field

that was in the middle of farm country.

A huge lifting tackle by the defense

actually brought the ball down in the try

zone, unknown by the ball carrier, which

was more intent on not loosing the ball in

contact than to worry about actually

scoring.

The game was filled with huge

hits, loads of stolen ball and a bunch of

nice tries on both sides. By the second

half, the sub situation was looking grim as

injury started to creep in. Both sides

showed excellent potential and rugby was

the real winner of the day. The final score

was 3 tries Seoul, 2 tries Gumi. (We

could have seen a higher scoring game if

someone would have known that you

can’t run the ball out of the try zone!) No

worries the infraction was punished later

at the sponsor bar.

Off to the bar and apart from

excellent rugby, the Gumi team really

knows how to have a social. The local

team combined the after party with Ok-

toberfest celebrations. What a novel idea,

large amounts of beer to be consumed

with a bar full of rugby players. Need-

less to say it was a hit. After numerous

boat races, nail hammering competitions

and the occasional dance display, the

boys turned in. All waiting until the next

time we meet up and play the boys from

Gumi.

A special thanks to those who

made the trip. (Wish there were more.) It

is imperative that we as a team support

all rugby in Korea, especially smaller

teams just trying to make a start. If we

can foster good relations and support

other teams, they will prosper in return

and give us more of what we want.

RUGBY!

Stories From Last Year... Due to technical difficulties a number of stories went unpublished last year. They will be reproduced here for posterity.

Survivors Overcome Spirited BeijingSurvivors Overcome Spirited BeijingSurvivors Overcome Spirited BeijingSurvivors Overcome Spirited Beijing By Kurt Taogaga

The Oakwood Seoul Survi-

vors capped off what is likely

to be their final Yellow Sea

Cup match for 2009 with a

hard-fought 22-3 victory

over long-time rivals the

Beijing Red Devils.

In a later than usual 4pm

kickoff, the Survivors made

tough work of their fall out-

ing as the light dimmed over

Seoul’s Jamwon rugby pitch.

The undermanned Beijing

showed huge mettle in de-

fence and good tactical nous

to lead 3-0 at the break via a

penalty chance from one of

the Seoulites’ numerous ruck

infringements in the first half.

A torrent of penalties against

the locals and poor handling

skills contributed to a lack-

lustre opening half and Seoul

did itself no favours when

hardy warhorse Brian Bruck-

man was binned before the

break for dangerous play.

The home team spurred

itself into action in the sec-

ond half, down to 14 men

and under huge pressure

from the crowd, managing

to slot their own penalty

opportunity and level the

scores at 3-3 through the

boot of five-eighth Richard

Jones. Rolling the reserves

ten minutes into the second

spell worked wonders for

the Grey and Blacks with

massive bench contributions

from forwards John God-

dard, Jeff Rands and wreck-

ing machine Tobias Jerling

ensuring the home squad

front foot ball and turning

Jeff Rands leads the forward pack on another Survivor foray into the Beijing defence.

Survivors’ Mail BagSurvivors’ Mail BagSurvivors’ Mail BagSurvivors’ Mail Bag Surprisingly enough the mailbag was a bit empty this week ... although with the holidays and whatnot it is understand-able. Remember, any questions that you might have for any member of the Survivors are welcome at:

survivorsmailbag@gmail.com. Do you want to know where The Stain got his nick name? What’s up with the landing strip on Dan Grover’s chin? Maybe you’d like to know the proper way to straddle a sheep ... God knows we have enough Kiwis on the team to figure that one out. Again, any question is a good question!!! For now, though, we will leave you with a brief bit of humor at Australia’s expense...

“Robbie Deans takes the Wallabies out for a

training run and first up he tells everyone to

assume their

normal position.

So they all go

and stand behind

the goalposts

and wait for the

conversion.”

around a previously stagnant effort. Also,

some incisive running from debutant

fullback Adrian Konstant off the bench

brought much needed attacking focus in

the backline.

The improved performance lead to Seoul

finally breaking the deadlock midway

through the second half when captain

and man-of-the-match Simon Walsh

regathered a lucky bounce to score from

15 metres out and send a ripple through

the crowd. Walsh’s try signalled a dip in

fortune for the Devils and prompted the

Survivors to throw around a lot more

ball and successfully find space in a

tired Beijing defensive line. A brilliant

team movement was finished off by cen-

tre Kurt Taogaga juggling a Walsh re-

verse flick pass to barge over the line

and send the game almost out of the

Devil’s reach. Number eight John God-

dard then put the final nail in the coffin

showing great strength and vision to

crash down and send the supporters into

overdrive and allow the home side to

remain without loss at Jamwon in 2009.

Nevertheless, the local boys were lucky

to come away with such a scoreline

which rather flattered the Survivors and

wasn’t a fair indication of the Devils

excellent defensive effort. Had the Dev-

ils travelled with a full complement of

players, the outcome could have been

very different. The Survivors will take a

few hard lessons from the game, while

Beijing will take heart in the fact that

they kept a normally rampant Survivors

scoreless for 40 minutes with only 17

players to call on. Despite the win, the

Survivors lack of a bonus point leaves

the fate of the Yellow Sea Cup out of

their hands. The Devils now face favour-

ites Shanghai in the Chinese capital. All

the Survivors can do is watch and wait.

Survivors Overcome Spirited Beijing (Continued from page 4)

Credits

Editor: Kurt Taogaga

Co-editor: Ali McCannell

Contributing writers: Brian

Bruckman, Jacob Leonard

and Kurt Taogaga

Photos: JK Training, Beijing -

Robin Ash; Busan - Sunny

Myung. Jacob Leonard struggles against Beijing’s smothering defensive line.

Public Transport: Public Transport: Public Transport: Public Transport:

Apgujeong Station (#335) Exit 6. Walk down the road for about 500 meters and then turn right between Shinsa Middle School Apgujeong Station (#335) Exit 6. Walk down the road for about 500 meters and then turn right between Shinsa Middle School Apgujeong Station (#335) Exit 6. Walk down the road for about 500 meters and then turn right between Shinsa Middle School Apgujeong Station (#335) Exit 6. Walk down the road for about 500 meters and then turn right between Shinsa Middle School

and Hyundai High School. Walk to the end of the road and turn left at the Tand Hyundai High School. Walk to the end of the road and turn left at the Tand Hyundai High School. Walk to the end of the road and turn left at the Tand Hyundai High School. Walk to the end of the road and turn left at the T----junction. Keep walking, after 75 meters there is junction. Keep walking, after 75 meters there is junction. Keep walking, after 75 meters there is junction. Keep walking, after 75 meters there is a a a a

tunnel on your right. This takes you under the Olympic Expressway and brings you out in a car park by the river. The rugby pitunnel on your right. This takes you under the Olympic Expressway and brings you out in a car park by the river. The rugby pitunnel on your right. This takes you under the Olympic Expressway and brings you out in a car park by the river. The rugby pitunnel on your right. This takes you under the Olympic Expressway and brings you out in a car park by the river. The rugby pitchtchtchtch

is on the right of the car park.is on the right of the car park.is on the right of the car park.is on the right of the car park.

Driving: Driving: Driving: Driving:

Go south over Hannam bridge over the Olympic Expressway, turn right towards Apgujeong Stn. The road loops around and you Go south over Hannam bridge over the Olympic Expressway, turn right towards Apgujeong Stn. The road loops around and you Go south over Hannam bridge over the Olympic Expressway, turn right towards Apgujeong Stn. The road loops around and you Go south over Hannam bridge over the Olympic Expressway, turn right towards Apgujeong Stn. The road loops around and you

head east parallel with the river but south of the Olympic Expressway. After 500m turn left at the traffic light between Shinhead east parallel with the river but south of the Olympic Expressway. After 500m turn left at the traffic light between Shinhead east parallel with the river but south of the Olympic Expressway. After 500m turn left at the traffic light between Shinhead east parallel with the river but south of the Olympic Expressway. After 500m turn left at the traffic light between Shinsa sa sa sa

Middle and Hyundai High schools. Go to the end of the road, turn left and after 75m turn right through the tunnel under the Middle and Hyundai High schools. Go to the end of the road, turn left and after 75m turn right through the tunnel under the Middle and Hyundai High schools. Go to the end of the road, turn left and after 75m turn right through the tunnel under the Middle and Hyundai High schools. Go to the end of the road, turn left and after 75m turn right through the tunnel under the

Olympic Expressway. The rugby pitch is on the right of the car park.Olympic Expressway. The rugby pitch is on the right of the car park.Olympic Expressway. The rugby pitch is on the right of the car park.Olympic Expressway. The rugby pitch is on the right of the car park.

Most that attended stayed until all the

wine bottles fell empty. Special thanks

go out to the New Zealand Chamber of

Commerce for promoting rugby here in

Korea, Dan Grover for the Survivors

table, Simon Walsh for the great mi-

crophone work, Ian and Roddy for

buying a couple of awesome jerseys for

charity, and J.K. for his time. A great

rugby player, a great night, and a per-

fect cause made “A Night with John

Kirwan” a perfect evening.

A Legendary �ight with John Kirwan (Continued from page 2)

By Kurt Taogaga

The weekend of the 27th of February,

the Survivors took an expanded squad

to Korea’s second city to take on the

Busan National University Eagles and

the Maritime University on an unex-

pectedly cold and windswept day in the

peninsula’s south. The Eagles proved a

worthy opponent for the Survivors us-

ing their speedy backs to score the first

try and threaten the line on numerous

occasions throughout the match. How-

ever, the Survivors were too large and

well-drilled for the relatively novice

Eagles and managed to eke out a win by

a couple of tries over the Busanites.

The Survivors also took on the Mavrik

Jeon-coached Maritime University in

10s after the Eagles match. Both

matches were played in good spirits and

refereed very professionally. The Sur-

vivors were also complemented by

players from the Gyeongnam Night-

hawks and the Ulsan Panthers through-

out the day. The Panthers also had a

good 10s hit out against the Samsung

Old Boys Club and look to have some

very talented players on their roster.

The co-operation between the three

expat sides and the quality of the play-

ers from Gyeongnam and Ulsan bode

well for the future of the game among

expats in South Korea.

Post-match, the teams met up for a

fantastic meal of Busan Samgyeopsal

and refreshments further cementing the

links between the clubs. Hopefully this

encounter will provide all the clubs

involved the incentive to organize more

quality rugby matches throughout the

country.

Survivors Take the Show to Busan