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 The 2010 Yellow Sea Cup is official! In its 6th year, the YSC will be a 5-team tournament. Seoul Survivors, Beijing Devils, Shanghai Hairy Crabs, and Guangzhou Rams will all be returning to compete for the coveted trophy - currently held by the Hairy Crabs. This year, they will be joined by newcomers Jinan Rocks (click here to watch a video about the new team), from the Shandong Province in China.
This year will see the Survivors start on the road again - with a trip to Guangzhou on the weekend of April 24th. This will be closely followed by a visit from the reigning champions, Shanghai, on the weekend of May 29th. After the summer break, the Survivors will be hosting the Jinan Rocks team and visiting Beijing.
Last season saw the Survivors set a couple of YSC records with the highest ever score and also the most tries scored in a game, both against the Guangzhou Rams. But, this time around, the game should be a very different matter, as at home, the Rams are able to call upon a host of Chinese Military based players who find it difficult to travel - this is a game not to be underestimated!
The game against Shanghai should also be very interesting. This was the Survivors' first game last season, and they definitely got off to a slow start. Their defence was solid as always, but their offence wasn't firing - and even though they had the lion's share of possession - they couldn't win the game. The Survivors gave Shanghai their closest game, since the Crabs last lost (to Beijing in April 2007), and will be hoping to go one better this year and break the Crabs' winning streak and get one hand on the YSC (not won by the Survivors since the inception of the competition in 2005).
After the summer break, the Survivors will be returning to action with a visit from Jinan Rocks - a new entry to the competition, but a very strong prospect! Rocks are an all Chinese team, drawing in players form all across the Shandong Province in China. Although, geographically, the closest team to Seoul - crossing the Yellow Sea is always a daunting prospect, and the Survivors will be hoping to put in a solid performance.
And of course, there is the visit to Beijing. The Survivors started their 2008 season with an embarrassing visit to Beijing - posting their worst ever result in the YSC (5 - 42). In 2009 the Survivors turned this around at home with a confident 22 - 3 win. They will be hoping to repeat this result in 2010 and hopefully secure the return of the YSC to the Korean peninsula.
2009 saw a surge in the Survivors' performance in the YSC - scoring the most points (126) and conceding the least (13, including only one try). If early training session attendance is anything to go by, 2010 should be an equally positive season. If the Survivors can take their home form of 2009 on the road with them this year - they should be a very daunting prospect in the YSC - and must be very confident in their chances of reclaiming the Yellow Sea Cup. |
