Korea Touch Championship Opens 2009 Tournament
By Bridget Tunnicliffe
Contributing Writer
Last year's champions put their stamp on the first Korean touch tournament of the season in Seoul on Saturday, and, given the turnout at Seoul's Jamwon rugby pitch, the stripped-down version of rugby will make an even bigger mark on the Korean sports scene this year.
The re-branded Three Alley Dutch Rudders ― formerly known as Te Wai Pounamu ― won by 4-1 over the Hangang Exiles, another team which has regularly featured in finals over the past few seasons.
The Rudders' Cody Hunter, 29, said, ``It was good to come out in the first tournament of the season and take the win after losing about four players from last season, I thought we attacked pretty well.''
The Royal Frogs were the plate winners, after beating the Inappropriate Touches, the first time the French side has won anything at the touch tournaments.
Twelve teams, and 150 competitors, is a far cry from three years ago when there were only a handful of people at the same ground.
Suzanne and Barney Hampson were among those first players and have seen the sport go from strength to strength.
``We used to come down here and there was about eight people. We had to play four-a-side games and we were being chased off every weekend by security guards,'' said Suzanne, who was the only female player at the time.
Now, organizers have secured field space, though a scarcity of facilities remains an issue.
Barney said touch is also a sport that is easy to learn and accessible to all ages and levels. ``We've got young people playing, more women, people of all ages and teams that are coming from outside of Seoul," he said.
One such team, from Ulsan, made the trip on Saturday for its first tournament. Greg Lyon, 32, is a teacher in the city, and, along with a number of other teachers, after playing socially in the area, formed a team for the tournament.
Lyon said, ``It's good to have a competition to work toward. Some of us had never played touch, but it's fairly easy to pick up and it's a social game.''
Touch is a cousin of the internationally recognized game of rugby ― but has none of the tackling and scrimmaging, and is safe to play.
Tournament director Shane Lowndes said that given the interest shown in the year's first tournament, 2009 is shaping up to be an exciting one. ``One of the pleasing aspects is the cross-section of nationalities that are now playing. We have teams littered with English, Irish, New Zealand (sic), South African, Australian, American, Canadian, French and Korean players.''
A further six to eight tournaments are planned this year, and they will again be sponsored by the Spire Group, the most ambitious schedule for the sport so far in Korea. Over the course of the season, teams will be competing for valuable points at each of the meets.
The championship follows an open format with men's, women's and mixed teams competing in the same competition.
The highlight of the season will be the ITS International Touch tournament in September, when several teams from overseas will also participate.
The next stage is planned for April 11 in the Seoul area. On May 9, the championship is on the road in Gumi when Waegook Cooks play the part of hosts.
For more details on touch in Korea, visit www.touchtagrugby.blogspot.com or e-mail koreatouch@gmail.com.