Seoul Sisters Rugby

History

May 1 2005 the Seoul Sisters Rugby Club held their inaugural practice with 21 players in attendance. The group was recruited using all media available and targeted the ex-pat community in particular.

Since then the club has formed a 3 team league, including West End Girls, Seoul Central and the Korean National ladies team. The club is also planning their 11th and 12th tours this year! We have definitely come a long way in 5 years!

In 2005 , the club trained weekly and prepared for their first tour to Hong Kong in September for the Kowloon 10s. The women put up some stiff competition for the seasoned local sides and were only scored on once during the tournament, finishing as a finalist in their first International Tournament. Not a bad showing for a first outing.

After returning from Hong Kong, the Seoul Sisters began encouraging the Beijing Devils Rugby Club to form their own Women’s Team.

The club toured again in February 2006 for the Guam 7s. Once again the touring side competed against excellent international competition, such as the national women’s 7s teams from Guam and Japan. The Team again showed their mettle; beating Guam in one match and scoring the only try of the tournament against the well drilled Japanese side. All in all a remarkable feat as the novices competed against several more experienced teams.

In May 2006, the Seoul Sisters traveled to Beijing to play the Beijing She-Devils for their inaugural match. Both teams performed well on the day with the Seoul Sisters securing a solid victory against their Chinese neighbors.

In November 2006, the Seoul Sisters toured Hong Kong to play a friendly against the Hong Kong National Women’s Team who were preparing for the Asian Women’s 15s. The Seoul Sisters put up some good competition for the majority of the match, but game fitness proved to be the decider with the girls losing control in the last 10 minutes.

In February 2007, the Seoul Sisters toured Guam for the International 7s Competitions. This time the team brought home the hardware, winning their first 7s championship. This year also saw several other exciting tours to Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bankok. In December the club was honored to sponsor the Hong Kong National Team in Seoul for a friendly match. The Team gave Hong Kong and tough game and was commended by the players and leadership for their skills and tenacity.

2008 was a busy year as well. The club introduced two new teams, the West End Girls, and the Touchesses to round out the club. In April 2008, at the invitation of the Hong Kong National Team, a combined touring side (West End Girls and Seoul Central) traveled to Hong Kong to provide the National Team a warm up for their upcoming Asian Championship season. Another spirited game was played with the well drilled HK side securing the victory.

2009 saw the cub host two tours from Hong Kong. The first side to arrive on our shores was Causeway Bay. The game was well played by both sides and ended in a draw. The second team to grace our shores was City Rugby Club. A newly formed Chinese side from Hong Kong that brought its men’s team, junior boys and a ladies side which played 7s. The Sisters managed a solid victory as did their friends in the Korean national team who celebrated their first ever victory on home soil.

In 2009 the Sister’s headed over to Tokyo to play what turned out to be the Japanese national team. The girls fought hard but were overcome by a more experienced and well drilled national side. By November, the Sisters combined efforts of both their teams yet again and headed back to Hong Kong for a mini 7 a side tournament. After a weekend of fun and general debauchery the side managed 1 win and 1 loss a result that was repeated by their touring companions the Korean National Ladies team. Well done ladies!

Throughout 2008 and 2009, regular games between interclub rivals, Seoul Central and West End Girls with the occasional match against the developing Korean National team were held. This proved to be an excellent method for keeping the spirit of competition alive and ever developing our player skills set.

2010 promises to be another action packed year with the first tour of the season in Shanghai to play the newly formed Shanghai Sharks team. Hats off to former Seoul Sister Claire Wilkins, now residing in Shanghai, who managed to get this badly needed side off the ground. A return visit from the Shanghai Sharks occurred in late May when the Sisters hosted the team along side the Seoul Survivors who played their annual Yellow Sea Cup match against their male counterparts. The next planned tour is to Beijing to play the She Devils in June.

We are always welcoming new players with and without experience. If you are interested in playing or becoming involved in any way, please contact us at seoulsisters827@gmail.com.