Late Ben Rimene try gives Hong Kong victory over South Korea in Asia Rugby Championship
Leigh Jones’ side hold off strong fightback from the hosts in Incheon for a 34-27 win having led by 12 points during the second half
Hong Kong got the points against South Korea in Incheon on Saturday but didn’t do enough to suggest genuinely challenging Japan is likely to happen any time soon, according to coach Leigh Jones.
Unless we get consistency across the board in our set piece, we’re always going to hop, skip and jump our way to those types of victories
That is the stark reality after Hong Kong gave up a 12-point lead in the second half and required a brilliant Ben Rimene try in the final minutes to secure a 34-27 victory.
The match itself was entertaining throughout but featured constant errors, with Hong Kong’s scrum-work again not up to the standard Jones expects.
“It’s technical issues, but if I’m significantly stronger than you, then I’m going to win that scrummage battle,” Jones said. “We need to look at improving our technique to compensate for the power deficiency.”
On the positive side, the Hong Kong players proved they are quick learners and Jones will use the coming week off to put further work into his side’s deficiencies.
“Unless we get consistency across the board in our set piece, we’re always going to hop, skip and jump our way to those types of victories,” he said.
“Our set piece, when I say set piece I’m talking specifically about our scrum, I thought our lineout improved significantly. No team in the world, at test level, can play unless their set piece is fairly solid, so that’s going to be the focus over the next two weeks.”
