Hong Kong comfortably beat South Korea 41-15, and secured second place in the Asian Rugby Championship, in the final match played in Hong Kong on Saturday June 4 at the Hong Kong Football Club.
Hong Kong outscored Korea five tries to two, and played with much more tactical awareness than their opponents. The game turned in the last five minutes of the first half, when Korea had two penalties in quick succession. The first they made a complete hash of, by over-kicking the tryline; the second one, they lost the ball from the set piece, and Hong Kong ran in an 80m breakaway try. Korea, instead of ending the half ahead of Hong Kong, they trailed by 9points, on the scoreboard, and suffered a crucial psychological blow.
Hong Kong began brightly, but it was Korea that scored first after 5 minutes, running in an excellent try by winger Soop-Yeong Lee: he converted his try to give Korea the lead 0-7. Hong Kong quickly responded, through fly-half Ben Rimene, who scooped-up a loose ball, dropped by the Korean backs, ran 30 metres evading the Korean defence, to score under the posts, and convert his own try to even the score at 7-7.
Hong Kong gradually asserted authority; gained more possession and ran the ball at Korea. A high kick, and smother tackle by Hong Kong full-back Alex McQueen, led to 35m penalty, converted by Rimene, to give Hong Kong the lead 10-7 after 20minutes.
The lead did not last long, as Korea took full advantage of slack Hong Kong defending, when next in the Hong Kong 22, and hooker, Min Kyu Kim ran in an easy try, to allow Korea to regain the lead, 10-12. The conversion was missed.
At 28 minutes, whilst the Korean centre decided an altercation with a Hong Kong forward took priority over defence, Hong Kong flanker Toby Fenn, exploited a chasm in the Korean midfield (where the centre should have been) to sprint 40m for an uncontested try, converted by Rimene. Hong Kong now led 17-12.
