Current season 2023 Korea Super Rugby League | |
Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
Formerly known as | Korea Rugby League (2003–2008, 2018-2021), Korea Spring League (2008-2018) |
Inaugural season | 2003 |
Number of teams | 10 (4 Corporate teams), (5 University teams), (1 Military team) |
Country | South Korea |
Champions | KEPCO Rugby (2022) |
Most titles | (6 titles) |
Website |
The Korea Super Rugby league (formally he Korea Rugby League and Korea Spring League) is a semi professional rugby union league based in South Korea. It is run by the Korean Rugby Union. KEPCO Rugby is the reigning champion of the 2022 season.
The season was split into two stages, the first stage will have the four corporate teams face of and the four university league teams face off against each other separately. It will run from March 25th to 8th April.
The second stage will be composed of three levels; the Top 4 (level one) and will have Hyundai Glovis, KEPCO Rugby, POSCO Rugby and KAFAC or OK Financial Group Okman. Division 2 (level two) which will be composed of the top two university teams as well as the OK Financial Group Okman or KAFAC. Division 3 (level three) which will be composed of the bottom two university teams and the champion of the Spring Rugby League 2023. The second stage will run from May 6th to May 20th. [1] [2]
In 2003 with Japan, South Koreas creates rival, having a much larger player pool and the possible liquidation on Koreas largest club (KEPCO) the South Korean rugby federation decides to merge the corporation and university championships to form a single league: The Korea Rugby League. The announcement was made on the 29th of April 2003 with the championship launching in May that year. With 7 teams with a single round robin format Samsung SDI became inaugural champions of the Korea Rugby League.
In 2008 the Korea Rugby League merged with the National Spring League, to for the Korea Spring League. Unfortunately in 2010 Daesim rugby (joined in 2007) filed for bankruptcy causing them to leave the league, POSCO Rugby (formally Pohang Steel) replaced them as the 4th team in the 2010 season.
In January 2015, Samsung SDI decided to dissolve its rugby team after record losses from the parent company. Samsung SDI was the backbone of South Korea's national team and was composed of many professional players.
The club thus had an annual budget of 1.5 million euros. Its loss caused great difficulty for South Korean rugby, which was then on the verge of disappearance. In December 2015 there was the launch of the Hyundai Glovis. [10] The latter will primarily recruit many players from the missing Samsung SDI rugby team. However it was not enough and the league was suspended for 2 years.
The championship returned three years later in 2017 with three teams: KEPCO, POSCO and Hyundai Glovis. KEPCO won its 4th title, the 3rd consecutive. From 2018, the championship renamed back to the Korea Rugby League.
From 2020, South Korean rugby is hit like all of Asia by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Korea Rugby League will be reduced to two games, a semi final and a final since POSCO was forced to forfeit. Hyundai Glovis won its 3rd title.
In 2021 Korean Rugby Union President Choi Yoon decides to create a new league: The Korea Super Rugby League.
The season takes place over six days, with each club playing six games (regular round trip phase). The numbers of the teams increase to at least 30 players (with the reinforcement of university players) to ensure the smooth running of the championship.
The new league will also be able to rely on the mass return from Japan of South Korean internationals such as Na Kwan Young and Chang Yong Heung who signed for KEPCO. [11]
President Choi Yoon announced that the Korea Rugby Union, now with a large budget thanks to nearly 30 major sponsors of major national companies, will issue the package financially in 2023. [12]
2003, 2004 - 7 teams: Samsung SDI, Pohang Steel, KAFAC, Korea University, Yonsei University, Kyung Hee University and Dankook University.
2005 - 8 teams: Samsung SDI, Pohang Steel, KAFAC, Korea University, Yonsei University, Kyung Hee University and Dankook University, KEPCO.
2006 - Season not played, to allow the national team to focus on 2007 RWC qualification.
2007 - 6 teams: Pool A (Daesim, Korea University and Yonsei University) and Pool B (KAFAC, Dankook University and Kyung Hee University).
2008 - 5 teams: KAFAC, Samsung SDI, KEPCO, Pohang Steel and Daesim. Renamed Korea Spring League.
2009 - 3 teams: KAFAC, KEPCO and Daesim.
2010, 2011 - 4 teams: KAFAC, KEPCO, POSCO and Samsung SDI.
2012 - 4 teams: Incheon City Sports Association, KEPCO, POSCO and Samsung SDI.
2013, 2014 - 3 teams: Samsung SDI, KEPCO and POSCO.
2015, 2016 - Does not take place due to financial difficulties.
2017 - 3 teams: KEPCO, POSCO and Hyundai Glovis.
2018,2019 - 4 teams: KEPCO, Hyundai Glovis, KAFAC and POSCO. In 2018 the league was renamed back to Korea Rugby League.
2020 - 3 teams: KEPCO, Hyundai Glovis and KAFAC.
2021 - 2 teams POSCO and KEPCO.
2022 - 4 teams: KEPCO, Hyundai Glovis, POSCO Rugby and KAFAC.
2023 - 10 teams: Corporate Division (KEPCO, Hyundai Glovis, POSCO and OK Financial Group Okman), University Division (Korea University, Yonsei University, Kyung Hee University, Dankook University) and teams set to feature in stage two (KAFAC, Champion of the Spring Rugby League 2023).
Season | Champions |
---|---|
Korea Rugby League | |
2003 | Samsung SDI |
2004 | Samsung SDI |
2005 | KAFAC |
2006 | Tournament not held |
2007 | KAFAC |
2008 | Samsung SDI |
Korea Spring League | |
2009 | KEPCO Rugby |
2010 | POSCO Rugby |
2011 | POSCO Rugby |
2012 | Samsung SDI |
2013 | KEPCO Rugby |
2014 | KEPCO Rugby |
2015 | Tournament not held |
2016 | |
2017 | KEPCO Rugby |
2018 | Hyundai Glovis/KEPCO Rugby/KAFAC |
Korea Rugby League | |
2019 | Hyundai Glovis/POSCO Rugby |
2020 | Hyundai Glovis |
2021 | POSCO Rugby |
Korea Super Rugby League | |
2022 | KEPCO Rugby |
2023 | Hyundai Glovis |
The Pohang Steelers are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 April 1973 as POSCO FC, named after the steel company POSCO, which still owns the club today. They are one of South Korea's most successful teams, having won the K League five times and the AFC Champions League three times.
The 1998 Korean FA Cup, known as the 1998 Sambo Change Up FA Cup, was the third edition of the Korean FA Cup.
2000 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2000 Seoul Bank FA Cup, was the fifth edition of the Korean FA Cup. It was the first competition to give high school teams qualifications, and two high schools participated.
The 2001 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2001 Seoul Bank FA Cup, was the sixth edition of the Korean FA Cup.
The 2002 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2002 Hana-Seoul Bank FA Cup, was the seventh edition of the Korean FA Cup.
The 2004 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2004 Hana Bank FA Cup, was the ninth edition of the Korean FA Cup.
The 2009 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2009 Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 14th edition of the Korean FA Cup. It began on 1 March 2009, and ended on 8 November 2009. Suwon Samsung Bluewings won their second title, and qualified for the 2010 AFC Champions League.
The 2010 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2010 Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 15th edition of the Korean FA Cup. It began on 6 March 2010, and ended on 24 October 2010. The champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings qualified for the 2011 AFC Champions League.
The 2011 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2011 Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 16th edition of Korean FA Cup. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma became champions and qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League.
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The 2013 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2013 Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 18th edition of the Korean FA Cup. Pohang Steelers became champions and qualified for the 2014 AFC Champions League.
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The 2015 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2015 KEB Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 20th edition of the Korean FA Cup. FC Seoul became champions and qualified for the 2016 AFC Champions League.
The 2016 Korean FA Cup, known as 2016 KEB Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 21st edition of the Korean FA Cup. Suwon Samsung Bluewings won their fourth FA Cup title after defeating defending champions FC Seoul in the final, and qualified for the 2017 AFC Champions League.
The 2017 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2017 KEB Hana Bank FA Cup, was the 22nd edition of the Korean FA Cup. The champions Ulsan Hyundai qualified for the group stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League. This edition introduced video assistant referee (VAR) system for the first time in Korean FA Cup history, using in the semi-finals and the final.
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Jeong Yeon-sik is a South Korean rugby union and sevens player who plays for Hyundai Glovis in the Korea Super Rugby League.
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