The GM Cup

Last updated February 27, 2019

The Gareth MacFadyen Cup, more commonly known as the GM Cup, is a perpetual local derby-style memorial rugby union match contested on an annual basis since 2001 in Tokyo, Japan, between the two leading foreign rugby teams in Japan: the Tokyo Crusaders and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club.

Rugby union, commonly known in most of the world simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts on each try line.

Tokyo, officially Tokyo Metropolis, one of the 47 prefectures of Japan, has served as the Japanese capital since 1869. As of 2014, the Greater Tokyo Area ranked as the most populous metropolitan area in the world. The urban area houses the seat of the Emperor of Japan, of the Japanese government and of the National Diet. Tokyo forms part of the Kantō region on the southeastern side of Japan's main island, Honshu, and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. Tokyo was formerly named Edo when Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu made the city his headquarters in 1603. It became the capital after Emperor Meiji moved his seat to the city from Kyoto in 1868; at that time Edo was renamed Tokyo. Tokyo Metropolis formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture and the city of Tokyo. Tokyo is often referred to as a city but is officially known and governed as a "metropolitan prefecture", which differs from and combines elements of a city and a prefecture, a characteristic unique to Tokyo.

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.

The match is played in memoriam of Gareth MacFadyen (1976-2000), a young New Zealander who was a successful, young stockbroker and a leading player for both rugby teams in Japan during the period 1996-2000.

The Cup matches have seen some tightly-fought battles over the years, but none closer than the Crusaders' thrilling comeback to win the 2007 GM Cup by one point, after having trailed YCAC by 18 points with less than 15 minutes to play.

Gareth MacFadyen

Gareth MacFadyen's death in 2000 was widely reported through the Japanese, New Zealander and rugby news media for its untimely and unfortunate circumstances.^[1]

He died from extensive burns suffered as a result of being set alight while in costume as a prank during a Christmas work party by a colleague. His colleague was subsequently jailed for two years on the charge of manslaughter in New Zealand in 2001.^[2]

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Gareth MacFadyen was known for playing for both the Tokyo Crusaders and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club rugby teams, which are considered traditional rivals in the greater Tokyo region.

The Tokyo Crusaders rugby club retired their number 8 jumper (Gareth's preferred playing number) as a mark of respect in 2001.

History of the Cup

The Gareth MacFadyen cup was designed in Brisbane, Australia and made in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2001 as a result of sizeable charitable donations made by Tokyo Crusaders and YCAC club members.

The trophy is a sterling silver cup with winged floral handles on a polished hardwood base, measuring some 60 centimetres in height and surmounted by a golden crusader figurine.

The concepts of a trophy and memorial grudge match were proposed by members of the Tokyo Crusaders rugby club.

The trophy match itself is traditionally held at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club's ground in Yamate and is played under standard international rugby rules.

Yamate (山手) is the name of a historic neighbourhood in Naka-ku, Yokohama often referred to in English as The Bluff. The neighbourhood is famous as having been a foreigners' residential area in the Bakumatsu, Meiji and Taishō periods. While still dominantly residential in character, with views over downtown Yokohama, historic residential properties, ornamental gardens and public parks, the area is also a popular visitor destination.

Both sides contest the memorial trophy with the winner of the match retaining the right to hold and display the trophy.

Previous years events have seen the MacFadyen family flown out to Japan from New Zealand to present the winning team with the Cup. Future matches are slated to have international level referees such as Paddy O'Brien officiating.

In the years since its inception, it has become widely regarded as the most important and prestigious rugby event in the foreign community calendar in Japan.^[3]

Previous GM Cup winners and scores

Date	Winning team	Score
March 2001	Tokyo Crusaders	6-5
January 2002	YCAC	10-5
December 2002	YCAC	45-14
December 2003	Tokyo Crusaders	35-10
November 2004	YCAC	18-14
November 2005	Tokyo Crusaders	31-5
November 2006	YCAC	22-19
February 2007	YCAC	45-17
November 2007	Tokyo Crusaders	33-32
November 2008	YCAC	55-12
November 2009	YCAC	42-17
November 2010	YCAC	24-17
November 2011	YCAC	27-12
November 2012	YCAC	62-5
November 2013	YCAC	52-7
November 2014	YCAC	61-21
November 2015	Tokyo Crusaders	38-29

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References

↑ www.rugbyrugby.com
↑ Brown, Jo-Marie (25 April 2001). "Family want to hear 'sorry'". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 21 November 2011.
↑ www.yomiuri.co.jp

External links

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[1] www.rugbyrugby.com

[NZ_Herald_184627-2] Brown, Jo-Marie (25 April 2001). "Family want to hear 'sorry'". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 21 November 2011.

[3] www.yomiuri.co.jp