‘Ultimate Rugby’ captures the unwavering passion of rugby players in South Korea, a country where rugby is still developing.
The Netflix variety show ‘Ultimate Rugby: Win or Die’ (hereafter referred to as Ultimate Rugby) finally begins its month-long journey today (10th) to determine the strongest rugby team in South Korea.
‘Ultimate Rugby’ is a sports survival show that showcases the true competition of rugby players who throw themselves into the game for the glory of victory. It promises to convey the unyielding passion and sincerity of rugby players in South Korea, a country where rugby is still in its infancy. The show will support players who refuse to give up on rugby in South Korea, which has only one league, featuring four corporate rugby teams and ten university rugby teams.
Episodes 1-4 will see the seven teams participating in the Ultimate Rugby tournament face off in a fateful match-up, sparking fierce competition. The tournament will be conducted in a knockout format, with each team vying for advantageous match-ups. It is expected to be a time to witness the three most important elements in rugby: scrum, try, and kick competitions.
From the scrum, known as the flower of rugby and a contest of strength, to the try, which is the scoring method in rugby, and the extreme kick competition that even surprises rugby players, the first match of the Ultimate Rugby tournament will kick off an exhilarating world of rugby that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Directed by PD Jang Si-won, who has garnered love from viewers through authentic stories in shows like ‘Ultimate Baseball’, ‘Steel Troops’, and ‘City Fisherman’, the show captures the intense spirit of rugby players.
PD Jang Si-won stated, “Rugby is a truly rough sport,” adding, “It’s a sport where you must move forward to win, and even if you’re scared, you have to face it head-on. That’s the unique charm of rugby. I wanted to show a new world of rugby where players throw everything in as if it’s always the last chance.”
‘Ultimate Rugby’ is a sports survival show that can captivate not only sports fans but also viewers who love survival variety shows.
PD Jang Si-won emphasized, “I focused on making it enjoyable even for those who don’t know rugby,” and he dedicated himself to conveying the rough charm of the sport.
He also shared, “To convey the sounds of players’ bones clashing and the heavy breathing of 100kg athletes sprinting for 80 minutes, we had to create new equipment and establish a new filming system,” revealing the behind-the-scenes effort that took a year and a half from planning to production.
The production team deployed a record 140 cameras, including 40 game cameras and 100 stationary cameras, the most ever in rugby broadcasting history. They created ultra-compact, high-function special audio equipment for vivid on-site audio. Each of the approximately 200 players from the seven participating teams had equipment tailored to their body types to effectively convey the excitement of the sport.
PD Jang Si-won added, “To capture the energy of the players on-site, we conducted audio mixing to create a sound that is completely different from the balance of existing content.”
‘Ultimate Rugby’ features seven representative rugby teams from South Korea, including Korea Electric Power Corporation, Hyundai Glovis, POSCO E&C, OK Uman Rugby Team, the Military Sports Unit, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Sports caster Jung Yong-gum and the only international rugby referee in Korea, Seo In-soo, will be responsible for the commentary, while YB's Yoon Do-hyun serves as the music director, adding dynamic music. Episodes 1-4 will be released today (10th) on Netflix.
