Sino Tens Rugby League YANGTZE DELTA DIVISION
By Andrea Zapponi Yangtze Delta Rugby Division Summary
About Rugby And how is developing Rugby in China
What’s Yangtze Delta Division And what’s Sino Tens League Why YDD Main objectives and Scholar programs Who participates YDD Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan teams for 2013 edition
Where The Yangtze Delta River area and brief description of the cities. When Events in 2013
Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • About Rugby
• Rugby is the world’s third most popular team sport, played in more than one hundred countries.
• A sport that is enjoyable, but also disciplined, requiring physical fitness and athleticism and, in equal parts, iron self- discipline, courage, friendship, generosity, sacrifice, altruism and a big respect for teammates, opponents and the rules. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Rugby in China
•In the last few years is increasing the number of people who want to play Rugby and the number of Teams, often in different cities.
•The need arose to meet other Teams , to play with continuity and to involve the local community. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • What’s YDD
• The Yangtze Delta Division is born as
an eastern division of
Sino Tens Rugby League.
• Founded in Nanjing in 2012, it groups
3 teams in the Yangtze River Delta area. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • What’s YDD
• The Sino Tens Rugby League is a conference style league, with separate geographical divisions independently hosted, using IRB standard tournament rules and playing laws.
• It’s the only open rugby league in China Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Why YDD
•The objective is to encourage the development of Rugby in China by creating more playing opportunities. The spirit is to have a fun and friendly competition, accessible to all. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Why YDD
•School programs and Junior matches are foreseen, to boost the game and get the students passionate for the sport. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who
. Nanjing Rockets RFC Nanjng - 2012
. Hangzhou Harlequin RFC Hangzhou - 2006
. Wuhan Baiji RFC Wuhan - 2012 Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who
. Nanjing Rockets RFC Nanjng - 2012
• During the hot 2011 summer some expatriates agreed that it would be nice to play
Rugby in Nanjing. Only few months later, a bunch of students and expatriates played
touch rugby together at the Astronautics University. After that first chance meeting,
there were others, and the idea of forming a team took shape: in June of 2012 the
Rockets team was founded, having a game against Hangzhou Harlequins as an
inauguration ceremony. With players coming from Africa, Asia and Europe, the
Team achieved others friendly matches and now is facing the new YDD challenge. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who . Nanjing Rockets RFC Nanjng - 2012 Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who
. Hangzhou Harlequin RFC Hangzhou - 2006
• Hangzhou Harlequin RFC was established in 2006 by foreign expats who just couldn’t live without the joys of
rugby. Initially the club’s founding fathers played touch rugby, before going full contact in 2008. Since then
they have competed against many teams in competitions all across China. The majority of our players come
from overseas, mainly Europe, southern Africa and Australia, along with a few American Football players
who’ve seen the error of their ways.
• The club has gained significant sponsorship with international companies, such as SDV and Air Liquide, as
well as local bars, Vineyard and Maya; perhaps appropriate for a team with a reputation for throwing a good
party. Besides regular contact training, the Harlequins stick to their roots with weekly touch sessions, which
attract a broad range of players. We also strive to promote rugby in China with additional coaching sessions
for Chinese university students and children. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who
. Hangzhou Harlequin RFC Hangzhou - 2006 Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who
. Wuhan Baiji RFC Wuhan - 2012
• Wuhan Baiji was officially founded in the summer of 2012 but originated from foreign students playing touch at Huazhong Normal University (Huashi) 3 years ago. Our players mostly originate from the Pacific Islands, Southern Africa and Western Europe.
• Wuhan Baiji has also tried spreading rugby into the local community by putting on open touch rugby sessions around the city, which were attended by many local Chinese, both male and female (we plan to do more of this in the future). We have been busy building links with other organizations in the city to help spread rugby, which includes Wuhan Time (an online expat guide who have helped put on open touch sessions) and The Toucan Irish Bar (our shirt sponsor). We have also just started a new touch rugby program in a local primary school, which we hope will be the 1st school of many to start coaching rugby. This will be our first competitive outing as a team but we have players who have played for various other teams around China, with almost all the team being experienced rugby players before coming to China. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Who
. Wuhan Baiji RFC Wuhan - 2012 Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Where Yangtze Delta Rugby Division Where
.Nanjing -'Southern Capital'- is one of . Hangzhou is the capital and largest city . Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province,
the historical Yangtze River capitals of China, of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China and the and is the most populous city in Central China.
and the many imperial tombs and architectural center of the Hangzhou Metropolitan Area, It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the
remains in the city and its environs reflect its which is the fourth-largest metropolitan intersection of the middle reaches of the
grandiose past. Today, the city is the capital of Chinese area. A core city of the Yangtze River Yangtze and Han rivers. Arising out of the
Jiangsu Province and the second-largest Delta, Hangzhou has a position on the conglomeration of three cities, Wuchang,
commercial centre in the East China region Hangzhou Bay 180 kilometres (110 mi) Hankou, and Hanyang, Wuhan is known as
after Shanghai. southwest of Shanghai that gives it economic "the nine provinces' leading thoroughfare"; it
power. It has been one of the most renowned is a major transportation hub, with dozens of . Its industries include machine-building, and prosperous cities of China for much of railways, roads and expressways passing automotive, electronics, petroleum, iron and the last 1,000 years, due in part to its through the city. steel, textiles, shipbuilding and foodstuffs. A beautiful natural scenery. The city's West It is recognized as the political, economic, double-tiered road and rail bridge, completed Lake is its best-known attraction. financial, cultural, educational and in 1968, spans the Yangtze at Nanjing. transportation center of central China. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • When
• The Division Matches are grouped in “match days” a sort of “Rugby Festivals”, with junior matches and after match party that involve the local community.
• The matches will be hosted in two cities, rotating every year. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • When
• In 2013 the guest cities will be:
• Wuhan - 13th of April
• Hangzhou – 8th of June.
The two best teams of the YDD will join the Finals Phase of Sino Tens League
In Shanghai in October. Yangtze Delta Rugby Division • Developments
•A “Barbarians” Team composed by the players of the division;
•The enlargement of the division to other teams in the Yangtze Delta Area