South Korea staged a strong second-half rally to defeat Sri Lanka 38-34 in a nail-biting start to the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025 at the Racecourse Grounds, Colombo.
Fresh off a dominant 59-19 playoff victory over Malaysia to book their spot in the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2025, Sri Lanka welcomed South Korea to Colombo in what doubled as a Rugby World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifier.
South Korea’s Kimin Kim got the game underway with the kickoff, and though Sri Lanka initially collected and cleared the restart, it was all one-way traffic from there. The visitors unleashed five minutes of relentless pressure. The Tuskers defended valiantly, but the Korean attack eventually broke through when Jeongmin Jang dotted down in the left corner. Hyungoo Jang nailed the tough conversion to give South Korea a dream starts. (SL 00-07 KOR)
Sri Lanka responded well after weathering the storm. Back-to-back Korean infringements allowed the hosts to march into the 22. Off a slick first-phase move, captain Tharinda Ratwatte found winger Pasindu Bandara, who offloaded brilliantly to fullback Mursheed Doray. Doray sliced through the gap and touched down under the posts. Ratwatte added the extras to level the scores. (SL 07-07 KOR)
Buoyed by the momentum, Sri Lanka continued to put pressure on Korea, who were repeatedly penalized at the breakdown. Opting for points, Ratwatte slotted a straightforward penalty to give the hosts three points lead. (SL 10-07 KOR)
However, the visitors soon found their rhythm again—especially at scrum time, where their forwards began to dominate. Their physicality earned crucial penalties and field position, moving from deep in their own half to the Sri Lankan red zone. After sustained pressure, flanker Okgi Noh crashed over for Korea’s second try, which Jang converted to retake the lead. (SL 10-14 KOR)
Just before halftime, Sri Lanka had one final opportunity. A penalty at the halfway mark gave them territory, and a powerful carry from Ratwatte set the platform. Quick hands from Heshan Jansen to Doray, and then a precision pass to Bandara, allowed the winger to finish under the posts. Ratwatte converted again, giving Sri Lanka a slender lead at the break.
Half Time: Sri Lanka 17 (2T,2C,1P) – South Korea 14 (2T,2C)
Sri Lanka came out firing in the second half. Skipper Tharinda Ratwatte’s restart was collected cleanly, and a poor clearance kick from Korea’s Hyungoo Jang was charged down brilliantly by flanker Lahiru Thilakarathne. Showing sharp awareness, Thilakarathne followed up with a neat grubber kick and dived on the ball over the line for a sensational try. Ratwatte added the conversion as the Tuskers surged ahead. (SL 24-14 KOR)
The momentum stayed with the hosts. Playing with freedom and flair, Sri Lanka began to dominate the tempo. Centre Adam Gauder made a powerful break through the Korean defence, linking up with Ratwatte, who offloaded to scrum-half Heshan Jansen. Jansen showed great pace to finish off a sweeping move and score Sri Lanka’s fourth try. Ratwatte, however, missed the relatively straightforward conversion, which would later prove costly. (SL 29-14 KOR)
Riding high on confidence, Sri Lanka began taking more risks—perhaps too many. A lack of discipline and poor decision-making in their own half turned the tide. A kick downfield with no chase gave Korea a chance to counter. A fluid passing sequence orchestrated by Namuk Kim opened space for winger Yeonsik Jeong, who returned the favour with a pass back to Kim, allowing him to slice through defenders and score under the posts. Jang’s conversion narrowed the gap. (SL 29-21 KOR)
The Korean comeback gained steam as Sri Lanka’s defensive structure faltered. Once again, it was the duo of Namuk Kim and Yeonsik Jeong who carved through the Tuskers’ defence, bringing play inside the five-meter line. Replacement forward Seokhwan Jang then crashed over for another try, and suddenly Korea had the upper hand. (SL 29-26 KOR)
Under pressure and pinned in their own half, Sri Lanka struggled to clear their lines and find touch. Korea seized the opportunity, launching a clinical counterattack. Namuk Kim made another line break, drawing in defenders before offloading to Jeong, who sprinted down the wing to give Korea the lead for the first time since early in the match. (SL 29-31 KOR)
Scrum dominance became a decisive factor. Korea consistently chose scrums from penalties, exploiting Sri Lanka’s weakness. A powerful push near the 10-meter mark resulted in a collapse, leaving the referee no choice but to award a penalty try to Korea and issue a yellow card to Heshan Jansen. (SL 29-38 KOR)
Despite the setbacks, Sri Lanka refused to back down. Deep inside the Korean 22, Lasindu Karunathilake initiated a quick-tap attack. A series of well-structured pick-and-drives ensued, and Karunathilake again played a key role—this time offloading to winger Dinal Ekanayake, who finished smartly in the corner to set up a dramatic finish. (SL 34-38 KOR)
However, Sri Lanka couldn’t regain possession after the restart. Their ongoing issues with clearing the ball resurfaced, as they conceded a penalty for holding on. Korea maintained composure in the dying minutes, retaining possession and winding down the clock to seal a thrilling but hard-fought victory over a valiant Sri Lankan side.
Full Time: Sri Lanka 34 (5T,3C,1P) – South Korea 38 (6T,4C)
- Player of the Match: Hyungoo Jang (South Korea), Lasindu Karunathilake (Sri Lanka)
Points Breakdown
Sri Lanka 34
Mursheed Doray 1T, Pasindu Bandara 1T, Lahiru Thilakarathne 1T, Heshan Jansen 1T, Dinal Ekanayake 1T, Tharinda Ratwatte 3C,1P
South Korea 38
Jeongmin Jang 1T, Okgi Noh 1T, Namuk Kim 1T, Seokhwan Jang 1T, Yeonsik Jeong 1T, Hyungoo Jang 3C, Penalty try.
