South Korea’s National Men’s Rugby Sevens Team Places Fourth in ARSS

The Korea Rugby Association announced that the South Korean national men’s rugby sevens team placed 4th in the 2nd round of the ‘2024 ARSS’ competition held at Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou, China.

The team, consisting of the domestic professional team ‘OK Jjakman Rugby Team’, won against Thailand (19-0) in the Group A preliminary round on the first day of the competition. However, they lost to Singapore (12-26) and Hong Kong (0-27), but advanced to the main competition by finishing in second place in the final group with a goal difference.

In the semifinals, Korea lost to Japan 12-35 in a fierce battle. They faced China in the 3rd and 4th place match, but lost 0-38 and finished in 4th place.

ARSS Competition and Rankings

ARSS is held three times a year as the top 7s international tournament in Asia, where the overall rankings are contested, and the right to advance to the ‘World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series’ is at stake.

Points are awarded according to ranking in each of the 1st to 3rd competitions, with 12 points for the winning team, 10 points for the runner-up, 8 points for the 3rd place, and 6 points for the 4th place.

The Korean national team continued its competition for the top spots by taking 4th place in the first and second competitions, and recording a total of 14 points, placing them in 4th place following Hong Kong (24 points), Japan (18 points), and China (18 points).

Coach and Chairman’s Comments

Head coach Lee Myung-keun said, “The second competition was an important competition that provided many challenges and opportunities for our players,” and added, “I saw potential thanks to the players giving their all until the end, and regardless of the outcome of the game, we will use the experience gained through this competition as nutrients for growth and show an even better performance in the upcoming third competition.”

Korea Rugby Association Chairman Choi Yoon said, “I send my gratitude and applause to the OK Rugby Team players who did their best without giving up and without losing their sense of mission to represent Korean rugby in the second competition as a single team.”

Future Competitions and Goals

Chairman Choi Yoon continued, “The 24th executive committee will spare no support in strengthening the national team and preparing for the competition so that our players can finish the remaining three competitions with no regrets.”

He added, “Furthermore, in order to achieve the wish of advancing to the Rugby World Cup, which was not possible with the 15-a-side tournament, unlike the 7-a-side tournament, we will not let our guard down and will do our utmost to prepare for the ‘2025 Asian Rugby Championship,’ which will determine the right to advance to the ‘2027 Rugby 15-a-side World Cup.'”