Rugged Rugby: Conquer Or Die: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
The South Koreans transform rugby into a 'survival' contest for this bracing show
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Rugby is a pretty intense game already, but Netflix's series ups the ante by turning it into a gruelling 'survival' contest that pits players against one another in a bruising series of clashes. Filmed in South Korea, Rugged Rugby: Conquer Or Die is a clash between seven teams, with enthusiastic commentary and dramatic music following every twist and turn as the games unfold.
The show's producer, Chang Si-won, sees rugby players as 'gladiators who give it all to win', and that perspective informs everything from the show's thundering style to the design of its arena-style stadium. The games themselves frame scrums, tries and kicks in a way that makes the rules more understandable to a global audience, while, from a British point of view, it should all feel bracingly hyperbolic.
For the casual sports fan, this offers a Takeshi's Castle-style appeal, although the sheer enthusiasm ('This is the greatest and mightiest game of all time,' yells the commentator at one point), may be hard to take for more than an episode at a time. (14 episodes)
