Trailer Released For New Netflix Rugby Show
A new elite production from Netflix will examine the world of from the Korean perspective. Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die is a new reality series that will air on December 10th.
The series will feature seven different Rugby teams battling it on the pitch and in various challenges as well in a month-long campaign that will take viewers both on the pitch and off-field as we follow the lives and struggles of the players.
“I tried to show scrum, try, and kick in the league table-determining match because I thought that viewers would enjoy the games more if they understood the basic rules,”said Producer Chang Si-won.
Jung Yong-keom is Korea’s leading sports announcer who is featured in the series. The series also features Rugby commentator Seo In-soo. In-soo will provide much technical commentary as he is Korea's only international rugby referee. Yoon Do-hyun, lead singer of the group YB is the music director of this series.
“It wasn’t difficult to think of Yoon Do-hyun as the music director fit for tough rugby,” says Producer Chang, noting Yoon’s dedication to understanding the players’ stories and team dynamics.
Rugby was likely first planted in Korea during the period of Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945. It received an unlikely boast during the Korean War when a lot of Rugby power houses participated. Rugby mad France, South Africa as well the full complement of CANZUK nations: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all sent deployments to the Korean War (1951-1953). In this era a Rugby ball or two found their way to the rear areas for these United Nations soldiers.
Today the roughly 25,000 American troops in Korea continue that tradition with “Stars and Stripes” and “Seoul Survivors” being regulars of the Korean rugby circuit. Rugby is also big in the Korean military and at one point Korea wasn’t far behind Japan as the second best in Asia. The semi-professional Korea Super Rugby league has received renewed financial interest in recent years.
This year the national team finished 3rd in the Asia Rugby Championship. South Korea has won the tournament five times in 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, and in 2002 the year South Korea hosted the FIFA World Cup in football. The Women’s Rugby team has competed in the Asia Games on multiple occasions.
At a popular level, the sport isn’t as well-known as American football and has largely been confined to elite universities and schools (often buttressed by international staff from Rugby playing countries).
Producer Chang Si-won has worked on other notable Netflix content, including A Clean Sweep, Steel Troops, The Fishermen, and the City.
Hopefully, Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die will help popularize the sport within the country and potentially beyond. For international rugby fans, it serves as a delightful appetizer ahead of the next season of Six Nations: Full Contact while offering its unique charms and a distinct visual take on Rugby.
