YANGTZE DELTA DIVISION

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1 Sino Tens Rugby League YANGTZE DELTA DIVISION By Andrea Zapponi

2 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

3 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 selfdiscipline, courage, friendship, generosity, sacrifice, altruism and a big respect for teammates, opponents and the rules.

4 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.

5 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.

6 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

7 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.

8 Why YDD School programs and Junior matches are foreseen, to boost the game and get the students passionate for the sport.

9 Who Nanjing Rockets RFC Nanjng Hangzhou Harlequin RFC Hangzhou Wuhan Baiji RFC Wuhan

10 Who Nanjing Rockets RFC Nanjng 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.

11 Who Nanjing Rockets RFC Nanjng

12 Who Hangzhou Harlequin RFC Hangzhou 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 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.

13 Who Hangzhou Harlequin RFC Hangzhou

14 Who Wuhan Baiji RFC Wuhan 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.

15 Who Wuhan Baiji RFC Wuhan

16 Where

17 Where Nanjing -'Southern Capital'- is one of the historical Yangtze River capitals of China, and the many imperial tombs and architectural remains in the city and its environs reflect its grandiose past. Today, the city is the capital of Jiangsu Province and the second-largest commercial centre in the East China region after Shanghai. Its industries include machine-building, automotive, electronics, petroleum, iron and steel, textiles, shipbuilding and foodstuffs. A double-tiered road and rail bridge, completed in 1968, spans the Yangtze at Nanjing. Hangzhou is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China and the center of the Hangzhou Metropolitan Area, which is the fourth-largest metropolitan Chinese area. A core city of the Yangtze River Delta, Hangzhou has a position on the Hangzhou Bay 180 kilometres (110 mi) southwest of Shanghai that gives it economic power. It has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, due in part to its beautiful natural scenery. The city's West Lake is its best-known attraction. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers. Arising out of the conglomeration of three cities, Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, Wuhan is known as "the nine provinces' leading thoroughfare"; it is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways passing through the city. It is recognized as the political, economic, financial, cultural, educational and transportation center of central China.

18 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.

19 When In 2013 the guest cities will be: Wuhan - 13 th of April Hangzhou 8 th of June. The two best teams of the YDD will join the Finals Phase of Sino Tens League In Shanghai in October.

20 Developments A Barbarians Team composed by the players of the division; The enlargement of the division to other teams in the Yangtze Delta Area