 | | Team Photo |
How does one mark a rugby season? Does the season begin when training begins again? Does it begin when contact is brought up and committed to? Does the season begin when the kit arrives, or is it when you run in anticipation of practice? Or, does the season truly begin when your team is tested for the first time against an unknown? When you stare across the lines at another group of men, and prepare to test your mettle against them?
For over a decade, the Seoul Survivors have sent a team down to the Manila Tens to escape the harsh climate of a cold Seoul winter to brave an even greater danger: Paradise, and to participate in what is “probably the best social rugby tournament on the planet”. So, in an annual pilgrimage, the men of the Seoul Survivors pack their bags, rush from work or school to the airport, and brace for what Manila has to offer.
In a curious twist of fate, the Survivors only brought North Americans with them. Several Americans, Several Canadians, and one very confused Puerto Rican, who consistently claimed he was something called “Korean”, which, although not found on any map, must be some sort of barrio the white man's maps cannot reach. Such was the team that was brought to bear against the weight of the social world.
 | | In Action |
The tournament was well attended this year, with a divisional structure that suited it well. The games were short, but fast paced, and the Survivors were placed into the second division. Saturday started off with a match against the hosts, a group of young ruffians called the Manila Nomads. Well suited to the climate, and using a strange custom called “subs” they prevailed.
The loss to the Nomads, however, would not be soon followed. The team congealed well, picked up some journeyman players who were looking for a good time from several teams, and strung together some well played ball to win their second match against the Taipei Baboons. Using the backs superior speed, pitch Capt. Zylstra and Perry and Keoni made big runs, and gave the Survivors an early lead. The Baboons fought back hard to tie it up, but a last minute try saved the game for the Survivors.
After a brief, yet inspirational poolside chat, involving the eternal advice “You guys were winning, until you weren't,” the Survivors went out onto the pitch again. A late addition to the Survivors line up, Rookie Jake Crabbs, had the debut that many would lust after, with “a monster of a tackle” (Zylstra) and a “Beautiful, beautiful try” (Zylstra). The game was not without a sour moment however, when a young Mr. Jang (Puerto Rico) separated his shoulder on a well contested hit, sidelining him for the rest of the tournament.
 | | Party |
With time expiring on the first day of the Manila Tens, the Survivors were 2-1, looking at a good playoff berth. The only thing standing in their way was, in order of importance, low numbers, Saturday night, injuries, people being to brave to not sit down when they are injured, and Manila. As they rode off into the sunset, they did not know when they would play again, except that it would be tomorrow at around 10:40.
Sunday, at around 10:40, the boys took the pitch again against a severely weakened Cebu Dragons team. Two hours before the match began, an announcement was heard requesting players for the team, and knowing Manila, most of their team probably hadn't figured out that it was daytime yet. Or their own names. Or what a rugby was. They found enough boys to fill out their ranks, including some of the Survivors own journeyman players, or as we like to call them, “turncoats” (or Benedict Arnolds). The Survivors played well against a diverse team, and won out in the end, on some brilliant plays by the backs, and some solid play in the forwards.
Later in the day, in the Semi-finals, the Survivors were ritually massacred by the Alabang Eagles. The less said about it the better. :weeps softly:
A small measure of justice was achieved when the Taipei Baboons ritually massacred the Alabang Eagles, thus catapulting the Survivors into a race to see who would be the first to say the phrase “technically second place”.
After a lovely meal in downtown Makati, court was held, and the boys loaded onto a plane to come home.
Honorable Mentions:
- Ibe - Man of the Tour
- Crabbs - Rookie of the Tour
- Perry and Keoni - Furthest Distance Traveled
- Bruckman - Forward of the Tour
- Keoni - Back of the Tour
- Jang - Best Puerto Rican
Injuries:
Thanks to:
- Bruckman, Grey and Day for their invaluable experience and wisdom and putting up with everything in getting the tour together, and getting it to run smooth.
- All Our Journeymen who helped us not get repeatedly crushed and actually scored tries like mad for us.
- Bruckman for doing pretty much everything except abandon his family to take care of us.
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