Hong Kong wary of South Korean backlash
Hong Kong can expect a huge backlash as a young and hurting South Korean team aim to make a strong statement in the HSBC Asian Five Nations Top Five competition at Football Club today.
Hong Kong can expect a huge backlash as a young and hurting South Korean team aim to make a strong statement in the HSBC Asian Five Nations Top Five competition at Football Club today.
Korean rugby's self-esteem nosedived two years ago when they were relegated from the elite group. To make matters worse, while they were battling to gain promotion last year, their long-standing No2 position in Asia, behind Japan, was taken by Hong Kong.
South Korea captain and blindside flanker Youn Kwon-woo yesterday labelled this encounter a 'new start' for his country.
'Being demoted from the Top Five was a huge blow for us and we are determined to make amends for that. Hopefully this is a new start for Korean rugby. We are determined to win,' said Youn, who will be making his captaincy debut.
South Korea coach Seo Chun-oh, who played as a centre in the mid-1980s when Korea frequently defeated Japan in the now-defunct biennial Asiad, said the demotion had served as a wake-up call for people back home.
'I think it was a blessing in disguise. We had become complacent and the relegation was a tough but very important lesson for us,' Seo said. 'Our ego was hurt. We were the No2 in Asia for a long time and we want to win that back. It is a new beginning for Korean rugby.'
Hong Kong will enter the game with their only point of reference on the Koreans being a 32-8 victory two years ago at Sports Road.
But while the Korean team will have nine players from that 2010 squad, the make-up of the team that will run out today will be somewhat different as the visitors have included seven players who play professionally in Japan in the Top League, only two of whom played in that 2010 game.
'They are a big and athletic team but an unknown quantity, and not knowing anything about them is a bit of a concern,' said Hong Kong senior coach Leigh Jones. 'We know they have a number of players who figure in Japan and tomorrow's result will hinge upon the Hong Kong team beating the Korean individual. We have to make sure our team ethic overcomes those individuals.'
While last week's 85-10 victory over the United Arab Emirates in Dubai was a pleasing scoreline, Jones was unhappy about the collective team performance, a factor which will be important especially at the breakdown, if Hong Kong are to back up their claim to being No2 in Asia.
'Last year when we finished second, we caught everyone cold. Now we have to prove it all over again. If we defeat Korea, we will be playing for first or second spot against Japan in two weeks. If we lose, we will be playing for third or fourth spot which goes to show how huge this game is,' said Jones, who has rung the changes, including giving flyhalf Mike Glancy his first cap.
Yesterday the visiting team took part in the HSBC/ARFU coaching tour's grassroots programme and met 200 schoolchildren from the Korean International School before getting down to the serious business of a final training session.
'Our preparation has been limited to a three-week training camp,' said coach Seo. 'In recent years we have gone backwards while Hong Kong have improved a lot. But we will be aggressive [today] and go out to win.'
