By Bridget Tunnicliffe
Contributing Writer
The countdown to Korea's historic game against the well travelled England-Counties rugby team is looming and for those who don't know much about the sport, they may well find themselves impressed if they get along to the game.
The England Counties Rugby Union team is the representative flagship of the game outside the national premiership. They're preparing for a ground-breaking trip to Korea where they'll play against a Korea President's XV at Seongnam Stadium in Seoul on June 5.
The excitement is building for England Counties XV Team Manager Danny Hodgson, who is on the verge of selecting his squad to play against Korea for the first time.
``Rugby's boundaries have expanded dramatically over the years,'' Hodgson said. ``We know what to expect from countries like France, Ireland, Argentina and even Japan, but there is always an added dimension of uncertainty and expectation when we find ourselves making new friends in developing Rugby nations like Korea.''
``Playing Rugby in Korea and visiting the country will tick all those boxes and I'm as excited as any of the players about the trip.''
Professor Ko who's been involved in Korean rugby for a number of years, said it will be a major milestone for Korean rugby, which is still a developing IRB country. ``It's the first ever representative team from any of the major rugby playing nations to visit Korea,'' he said.
``The Korean team has a lack of experience playing against foreign players, it's a very good opportunity to have experience against big guys. Games like this will hopefully help the Korean side move up the international rugby rankings, where we're currently sitting at 22.''
He said the England-Counties side will also conduct an outreach program which will include a coaching session for children, a session for coaches, and one for referees.
Professor Ko predicts it could be a close game. ``I understand the England-Counties side in recent years beat a U.S. selective side and Chile selective side. It won't be easy for the Korean team. Their advantage is they have big mass compared to Korea.''
One devoted rugby fan, Jeremy Burks, an expat from England, is looking forward to the game. ``England Counties is the best representative team ever to visit Korea from one of the top flight rugby nations. Both sides are committed to playing attacking rugby, it should be an amazing match… all out attack from two strong sides''
He's encouraging non-rugby followers ― expats and Koreans to see the game. ``Rugby is an intense game; you'll see skill, athleticism, artistry and high impact clashes non-stop for 80 minutes.''
The game will kick off at 7 p.m. For more information, visit https://rugby.sports.or.kr/