Yellow Sea Cup
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Sea Cup (formerly known as the China Pub Company Yellow Sea Cup) is an annual rugby union
competition currently involving clubs from four cities in China
and South Korea
.
The competition was launched in 2005 by Simon Drakeford, Ted Gray and Mark Thomas. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport. The Yellow Sea Cup was sponsored by China Pub Company in seasons 2008–09 (that is when its official name was "China Pub Company Yellow Sea Cup").
In total, four teams contest the league. The tournament is held from April to November, with various stages scheduled around domestic club competitions. There were plans to start a second division from 2010, but the idea was abandoned due to lack of sponsorship.
The 2010 tournament was won by Devils of Beijing
in Shanghai on November 13 in a match against their arch-rivals, Shanghai Hairy Crabs. This victory made Beijing Devils the most successful team ever, winning the competition three times.
, Beijing
and Shanghai
had found it difficult to play regular rugby
games. Games that were truly competitive were even harder to find.
The regular fixtures tended to be against the same local opposition which while a lot of fun was repetitive. Other matches were either hosting touring teams or going on tour around Asia and beyond.
With this background, the Chairman of the Beijing Devils Rugby Club, Simon Drakeford, and the President
of the Seoul Survivors Rugby Club, Ted Gray were chatting at the annual Manila 10s
tournament in March 2004 and quickly agreed we needed to organise a tournament. They quickly brought in one of the founders of the Shanghai Hairy Crabs Rugby Club, Mark Thomas and started hatching plans for a league
style tournament.
The plans were developed in 2004. It was envisaged that having regular games between the 3 clubs would allow each club to play a regular scheduled 4 games each year. As there was a cup at stake it was hoped that the competition would give each team a reason to train and a truly competitive game.
The format of playing home and away each year was agreed, with each half of the year having one home game and one away game. Having sorted this out the next big decision was to think of a name for the tournament. A number of options were considered, the Emperor’s Cup was an early favourite. The South East Asia Cup another. Euan “Scottish” Littleford from the Seoul Survivors first suggested the name the Yellow Sea Cup. As soon as it was mentioned, it was unanimously agreed that it was the right name. All teams would be flying over the Yellow Sea
to play their games and the Yellow Sea
linked together China
and South Korea
.
to play the Beijing Devils. In the inaugural year all games ended up being very close. Six games were played and the biggest point’s difference was only 8 points. In three of the six games the score was separated by only 1 or 2 points. The closely fought league was a perfect start to the Yellow Sea Cup. The honour of scoring the first Yellow Sea Cup try
went to long time Seoul Survivor Canadian Brian Bruckman. On the final weekend, the Beijing Devils traveled to Seoul knowing that if they won and secured a bonus point, they would win the league. If the Beijing Devils won but did not get a bonus point Shanghai
would win the league by virtue of a better points difference and if Seoul won they would win the Cup! The final result was a Seoul
win and they became the first Yellow Sea Cup champions. The first year’s tournament was deemed to be hugely successful and provided an excellent launch for subsequent years.
2006 Fixtures
2007 Fixtures
2008 Fixtures
2009 Fixtures
2010 Fixtures
2. Beijing Devils RFC
3. Seoul Survivors RFC
4. Shanghai Hairy Crabs RFC
5. Guangzhou Rams RFC
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
competition currently involving clubs from four cities in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
The competition was launched in 2005 by Simon Drakeford, Ted Gray and Mark Thomas. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport. The Yellow Sea Cup was sponsored by China Pub Company in seasons 2008–09 (that is when its official name was "China Pub Company Yellow Sea Cup").
In total, four teams contest the league. The tournament is held from April to November, with various stages scheduled around domestic club competitions. There were plans to start a second division from 2010, but the idea was abandoned due to lack of sponsorship.
The 2010 tournament was won by Devils of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in Shanghai on November 13 in a match against their arch-rivals, Shanghai Hairy Crabs. This victory made Beijing Devils the most successful team ever, winning the competition three times.
Early history
For nearly 10 years the expatriate club teams in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
had found it difficult to play regular rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
games. Games that were truly competitive were even harder to find.
The regular fixtures tended to be against the same local opposition which while a lot of fun was repetitive. Other matches were either hosting touring teams or going on tour around Asia and beyond.
With this background, the Chairman of the Beijing Devils Rugby Club, Simon Drakeford, and the President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Seoul Survivors Rugby Club, Ted Gray were chatting at the annual Manila 10s
Manila 10s
The Manila 10s is an annual mens rugby union tournament featuring a variant of rugby union popular in Southeast Asia called Rugby tens organized annually by Nomads Sports Club in Parañaque, Manila. The tournament is held one week before Hong Kong Sevens every year, allowing clubs from around the...
tournament in March 2004 and quickly agreed we needed to organise a tournament. They quickly brought in one of the founders of the Shanghai Hairy Crabs Rugby Club, Mark Thomas and started hatching plans for a league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
style tournament.
The plans were developed in 2004. It was envisaged that having regular games between the 3 clubs would allow each club to play a regular scheduled 4 games each year. As there was a cup at stake it was hoped that the competition would give each team a reason to train and a truly competitive game.
The format of playing home and away each year was agreed, with each half of the year having one home game and one away game. Having sorted this out the next big decision was to think of a name for the tournament. A number of options were considered, the Emperor’s Cup was an early favourite. The South East Asia Cup another. Euan “Scottish” Littleford from the Seoul Survivors first suggested the name the Yellow Sea Cup. As soon as it was mentioned, it was unanimously agreed that it was the right name. All teams would be flying over the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
to play their games and the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
linked together China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
Season 2005
After much planning on 14 May 2005, the first Yellow Sea Cup game was played. The Seoul Survivors crossed the Yellow SeaYellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
to play the Beijing Devils. In the inaugural year all games ended up being very close. Six games were played and the biggest point’s difference was only 8 points. In three of the six games the score was separated by only 1 or 2 points. The closely fought league was a perfect start to the Yellow Sea Cup. The honour of scoring the first Yellow Sea Cup try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
went to long time Seoul Survivor Canadian Brian Bruckman. On the final weekend, the Beijing Devils traveled to Seoul knowing that if they won and secured a bonus point, they would win the league. If the Beijing Devils won but did not get a bonus point Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
would win the league by virtue of a better points difference and if Seoul won they would win the Cup! The final result was a Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
win and they became the first Yellow Sea Cup champions. The first year’s tournament was deemed to be hugely successful and provided an excellent launch for subsequent years.
Seasons 2006-07
The second year was also very competitive. Five of the six games were won by the home team. In the fifth game of the year, the Beijing Devils once again traveled to Seoul in the autumn knowing that a win would secure the cup. This time they won away from home and won the cup. The third year again showed how difficult it is for the teams to travel away. The inevitable costs borne by the players and the Clubs means that often the away team cannot field its best team. The tournament again went down to the last game of the year. This time the Seoul Survivors were traveling to Shanghai in the knowledge that if they won the game they would win the cup for a second time. On the other hand, Shanghai were determined to win so that they would not be on the end of 4 defeats out of 4 games. However the Crabs also knew that if they won they would hand the tournament to the Beijing Devils. The game was again very closely competed. The Shanghai Hairy Crabs won by 4 points and handed their arch rivals Beijing the Cup for the second year in a row. After 3 successful years, the founders of the tournament felt that it would be a good time to try to bring some new teams into the league. One of the few issues that had arisen in the tournament was that the clubs were finding it hard to persuade players to be visiting the same city each year. A number of different teams were approached and the Guangzhou Rams became the fourth team to join the league.Season 2008
In 2008, another tremendously important event took place. The league found a sponsor. The China Pub Company generously agreed to sponsor the tournament for a minimum of 5 years. Every year, each team is allocated a set amount by the China Pub Company. As new teams join the league the China Pub Company have committed to support each team for the same amount for as many as 10 teams. The money given to each team makes a big contribution to allow each team to more heavily subsidise players to go on tour. This in turns ensures that the traveling team is more able to field its strongest team ensuring that the competition is more closely fought. The tournament so far has been tremendously successful. The cup games have become the biggest games that the teams play each year. The teams know that to win the cup they have to train hard and travel hard. Every game has proven to be important and most of the games have gone down to the wire. Another essential part of the tournament has been the after games social activities. All hosting teams have ensured that the beer and food has flowed freely and liberally. The drinking games have been as competitive as the on field games, lasting friendships have been forged across the three (now five) clubs.Season 2009
In 2009, another team entered the fray, Macau. The opening game for the tournament saw Shanghai travel to Hong Kong and play out an impressive win in what seemed like a swimming pool for most of the game at King's Park. A surprising result was played out in Guangzhou where the Beijing Devils lost out to the Rams in a hard fought game. Next saw a strong and agile team come down to Shanghai which looked like being the decider for the tournament. In a close and often tense game the ex Taipei Baboons player Adrian scored underneath the posts to take the Crabs into half time up 10-8. The final kick of the game was retaken after one of the crabs players charged the penalty down but the kick was missed again and the Crabs won the game. The Rams were then meant to have travelled to Shanghai but could not make it and the Devils travelled to Seoul and held out for 60 minutes but the Survivors were too strong for them and came out victors. Next came the final round where Shanghai had to overcome their voodoo in Beijing by beating them to retain the cup. Having gone 9-3 down it was looking tough, but the Crabs class and power overcame a tiring Devils pack to push to victory and complete an historic double, and underline their often quoted title as 'Best Team in China'.Fixtures
2005 Fixtures| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May |  Beijing Devils |
7 – 5 |  Seoul Survivors |
| 21 May | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
12 – 6 | Beijing Devils |
| 4 Jun | Seoul Survivors |
13 – 12 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 24 Sep | Beijing Devils |
7 – 15 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 29 Oct | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
7 – 8 | Seoul Survivors |
| 12 Nov | Seoul Survivors |
22 – 14 | Beijing Devils |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Tries | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul Survivors |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 40 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Beijing Devils |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
2006 Fixtures
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
18 – 5 | Beijing Devils |
| 13 May | Beijing Devils |
Forfeited by Seoul | Seoul Survivors |
| 3 Jun | Seoul Survivors |
24 – 22 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 23 Sep | Beijing Devils |
13 – 3 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 4 Nov | Seoul Survivors |
19 – 24 | Beijing Devils |
| 2 Dec | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
29 – 5 | Seoul Survivors |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Tries | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Devils |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 40 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 47 | 10 | 1 | 9 |
| Seoul Survivors |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 75 | 8 | ||
| 4 |
2007 Fixtures
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
7 – 11 | Beijing Devils |
| 19 May | Seoul Survivors |
39 – 8 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 2 Jun | Beijing Devils |
7 – 8 | Seoul Survivors |
| 29 Sep | Beijing Devils |
22 – 0 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 27 Oct | Seoul Survivors |
3 – 16 | Beijing Devils |
| 8 Dec | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
20 – 16 | Seoul Survivors |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Tries | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Devils |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 11 |
| Seoul Survivors |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 66 | 51 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 88 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
2008 Fixtures
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May | Guangzhou Rams |
22 – 48 | Beijing Devils |
| 24 May | Guangzhou Rams |
12 – 36 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 31 May | Beijing Devils |
42 – 5 | Seoul Survivors |
| 14 Jun | Seoul Survivors |
17 – 28 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 31 Oct | Seoul Survivors |
30 – 10 | Guangzhou Rams |
| 31 Oct | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
20 – 5 | Beijing Devils |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Tries | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 34 | 10 | 1 | 13 |
| Beijing Devils |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 47 | 15 | 2 | 10 |
| Seoul Survivors |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 80 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
| Guangzhou Rams |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 44 | 114 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
2009 Fixtures
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Apr |  Macau Rugby Club |
23 – 40 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 1 May | Guangzhou Rams |
15 – 6 | Beijing Devils |
| 23 May | Beijing Devils |
62 – 14 | Macau Rugby Club |
| 23 May | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
10 – 8 | Seoul Survivors |
| 6 Jun | Seoul Survivors |
71 - 0 | Guangzhou Rams |
| 24 Oct | Seoul Survivors |
22 - 3 | Beijing Devils |
| n/a | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
25 - 0* *Forfeited by Guangzhou |
Guangzhou Rams |
| 7 Nov | Beijing Devils |
16 - 29 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| n/a | Guangzhou Rams |
0 - 0* *Forfeited by Guangzhou and Macau |
Macau Rugby Club |
| n/a | Macau Rugby Club |
0 - 25* *Forfeited by Macau |
Seoul Survivors |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 47 | 57 | 2 | 18 |
| Seoul Survivors |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 126 | 13 | 113 | 2 | 14 |
| Beijing Devils |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 87 | 80 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
| Guangzhou Rams |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 127 | |||
| 1 | |||||||||
| Macau Rugby Club |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 102 | |||
| -1 |
2010 Fixtures
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Apr | Guangzhou Rams |
20 - 25 | Seoul Survivors |
| 29 May | Seoul Survivors |
17 – 14 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| 5 Jun | Beijing Devils |
35 - 26 | Guangzhou Rams |
| 16 Oct | Beijing Devils |
25 - 17 | Seoul Survivors |
| 13 Nov | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
5 - 11 | Beijing Devils |
| 20 Nov | Guangzhou Rams |
0 - 40 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Devils |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 48 | 1 | 13 | |
| Seoul Survivors |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 28 | 3 | 7 | |
| Guangzhou Rams |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 46 | 99 | |||
| 3 | 3 |
Current season 2011
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
64 - 0 | Xiamen Typhoons |
| Void | Xiamen Typhoons |
0 – 25 *Forfeited by Xiamen |
Seoul Survivors |
| 11 Jun | Seoul Survivors |
0 - 0 | Beijing Devils |
| TBD | Seoul Survivors |
0 - 0 | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
| TBD | Beijing Devils |
0 - 0 | Xiamen Typhoons |
| TBD | Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
0 - 0 | Beijing Devils |
| Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Devils |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seoul Survivors |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shanghai Hairy Crabs |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guangzhou Rams |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team records
- Highest score: 71 points – Survivors defeated Rams 71-0, 2009
- Lowest score: 0 points - Survivors defeated Rams 71-0, 2009
- Highest combined score: 76 points - Devils defeated Macau 62-14, 2009
- Lowest combined score: 12 points - Devils defeated Survivors 7-5, 2005
- Highest winning margin: 71 points – Survivors defeated Rams 71-0, 2009
- Highest score away: 40 points – Hairy Crabs defeated Rams 40-0, 2010
- Most consecutive wins: 8 wins – Hairy Crabs, 2007/09
- Most consecutive losses: 5 losses – Rams, 2009/10
- Most tries in a match: 13 tries – Survivors defeated Rams 71-0, 2009
- Most tries in a season: 20 tries – Survivors, 2009
- Fewest tries in a season: 3 tries – Rams, 2009
- Most wins in a row at home: 4 wins – Hairy Crabs, 2007/09 (Includes bye against the Rams)
- Most wins in a row away: 4 wins – Hairy Crabs, 2007/09
Official
1. CPC Yellow Sea Cup2. Beijing Devils RFC
3. Seoul Survivors RFC
4. Shanghai Hairy Crabs RFC
5. Guangzhou Rams RFC