South Korean ​National Men’s Rugby Sevens ‌Team Heads to China for 2024 Asia Rugby Sevens Series

The Korea Rugby Association announced that the South Korean national men’s rugby sevens team has ⁤departed for the second round of the 2024 Asia Rugby Sevens Series (ARSS) in Hangzhou, China, scheduled to take place from⁤ the 21st to the 22nd.

The team, comprising 13 players from the domestic professional team ‘OK Rugby Team’, will‍ be accompanied by head⁢ coach ‍Lee Myung-geun and OK Rugby Team coach Oh Young-gil, who will support player condition management and coaching throughout the tournament.

A total of ​16 men’s and women’s national teams ​from 9 countries, including South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore,⁤ the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Japan, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and ⁣Hong Kong, ‍will participate in the competition.

Competition ⁢Schedule

Korea is in Group A of the men’s division and will face Thailand (11:00 AM, Korean time), ⁣Singapore (2:20 PM), ‌and⁤ Hong Kong (6:05 PM) on⁢ the⁤ 21st. The‍ main matches​ and⁤ ranking matches ⁣will be held on the 22nd, ‌based on the group rankings.

Asia Rugby Sevens Series (ARSS)

ARSS is the ⁤top⁢ international sevens tournament in Asia, held three times a ⁤year. The overall ranking is⁢ determined by ⁢qualification to the ‘World Rugby Sevens ⁢Challenger Series’, where ⁢the best ⁤teams⁣ from each continent gather.

South Korean ⁣National Team’s Performance

The national team previously took ‍4th place in the⁣ first competition, earning 6 ⁢points. ​Depending ​on the results of the 2nd and 3rd competitions, they are in a position to win⁣ not ‍only the overall second place but⁢ also the championship.

In the 2022 ARSS, they earned a total of 22 points by taking 6th place, 3rd place,⁤ and 2nd place in the 1st to 3rd competitions, and took 2nd place ⁤overall after ​Hong Kong.

In addition, the national team ⁢achieved second ⁤place ​overall in the 2021 ARSS and successfully advanced to the 2022 South Africa‍ Rugby Sevens World Cup finals. Although they achieved a disappointing fifth⁤ place overall in the 2023 ARSS, they proved‍ their potential as an ‘Asian rugby sevens ‍powerhouse’ by winning a silver medal in the rugby sevens at⁣ the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games.

Korea Rugby ‌Association⁤ Chairman’s Statement

Korea⁣ Rugby Association Chairman Choi Yoon expressed his gratitude to the OK Cricket⁤ Team players for joining⁤ the national team as a single team. He emphasized ‍the ⁣importance‌ of the tournament as an ‍opportunity for the players ⁢to grow as rugby players and reminisce about the spirit of rugby.

Chairman Choi Yoon also emphasized ​the need for⁢ support from⁤ rugby fans, stating that the experience gained on ⁣the international stage will be crucial⁣ in achieving⁢ the⁣ goal ⁣of advancing‌ to ‍the World Cup ‌finals for the first ​time ever at the 2025 Asian Rugby Championship.

Live Streaming

All matches of the ‍’2024 ARSS 2nd Tournament’ will ⁣be live streamed on the official Facebook ‍and YouTube of the Asian ⁣Rugby ​Federation.