Hong Kong China qualifies for the Rugby World Cup for the first time
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Hong Kong China qualified for its first men's Rugby World Cup after beating host South Korea 70-22 to win the Asia Championship on Saturday.
Hong Kong China is only the second Asian nation after Japan to reach the World Cup in tournament history.
It booked a spot in the 2027 tournament in Australia, expanded to 24 teams for the first time.
'It is pretty overwhelming, and I am super proud of our group, our management and coaches and everyone involved,' captain John Hrstich said.
Hong Kong China just missed out on the 2019 and 2023 World Cups after reaching the final qualifying tournaments.
On Saturday, Hong Kong China was too good for South Korea even through a 20-minute red card to center Ben Axten-Burrett just before halftime for head-on-head contact.
It also swept aside Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates to win the Asia Championship for a sixth straight time.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
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