Tokyo 2020: Hong Kong men’s sevens rugby team lose to South Korea in Olympic qualifying tournament
- Hong Kong lose to South Korea in the final, but qualify for a last ditch repechage next year
- In a thriller of a game, Korea score deep into a five minute sudden-death overtime period
Hong Kong’s men’s rugby sevens team missed a glorious opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.
The team lost to South Korea in Incheon in heartbreaking fashion as the home team scored in sudden death overtime to win 12-7 and book the second Asian slot with Japan as hosts.
Coach Paul John said it was a tough game to lose after being up seven points at half-time after a try from Jamie Hood and having a real opportunity to score while deep in South Korea’s half during overtime. He said the momentum shifted quickly in overtime and Hong Kong found themselves on their heels and with one too few defenders.
“It did shift a hell of a lot,” said John about the movement in overtime. “We had our chances and we just lost our position.”
Hong Kong went undefeated up until that point in the tournament and did not concede a point until the second half of the fifth and final game of the tournament. John said it is now back to the drawing board as they prepare for a two-legged World Series qualifying tournament which will take place in February in South America.