Asia Rugby Championship: McNeish penalty in dying seconds seals thrilling win for 14-man Hong Kong
- Hong Kong battle back in Incheon after squandering 15-point lead to claim nail-biter 23-21 against South Korea
- Victory was third successive ARC title for Hong Kong, who now face Tonga in World Cup qualifier
Hong Kong won the Asia Rugby Championship by the narrowest of margins on Saturday, beating South Korea 23-21 in the dying seconds of a pulsating encounter in Incheon.
Gregor McNeish’s penalty with the last kick of the game sealed a remarkable victory for Hong Kong, who battled for 79 minutes with 14 men after wing Charles Higson-Smith was sent off for a high tackle on full back Jeong Yeon-sik.
Moments earlier McNeish’s kick behind the defence had allowed Nathan de Thierry to score Hong Kong’s third try of the afternoon, putting them back in front at 20-18.
Replacement fly half Oh Jim-yeong, who had marshalled his side’s recovery from trailing 15-0 at half time, nudged Korea back in front, before De Thierry missed a long-range penalty with only minutes left.
From the restart Korea became their own worst enemies, and committed a series of offences that allowed Hong Kong to work their way back to a lineout inside their opponents 22.
Korea then promptly infringed again, and with time up McNeish coolly slotted the ball between the posts before being mobbed by his teammates.
“It was a huge, huge kick,” Lewis Evans, the Hong Kong coach, said. “I was very confident he could do it, he is that type of player and those X-factor moments, that’s what he brings. I was just so pleased for him and so pleased for the boys.”