Hong Kong pull out the stops to defeat South Korea

Hong Kong opened their account in the Asia Rugby Championship in Incheon on Saturday, defeating South Korea 34-27 in a thrilling contest.

Both teams fought hard but it was Hong Kong who stood up when it mattered, with Ben Rimene crossing for the winning try with four minutes remaining.

Rimene was one of Hong Kong's best all day and finished with 19 points, while Alex McQueen scored two tries for the victors.

Hong Kong coach Leigh Jones said he was pleased with the result, but the team still had more work to do.

"The boys did well to hook in there and dig out the win, but our scrum is pretty ordinary at the moment," he said.

"It's making us work really hard for games that we should have put away quite easily."

The match got off to a frenzied start, with both sides pinging the ball around and attacking relentlessly.

It took only two minutes for the first score, with Hong Kong's Ryan Meacheam releasing McQueen for a try.

South Korea replied soon after through Lee Jae-Bok before the match transformed into a slog, with errors aplenty.

Two Rimene penalties gave Hong Kong the upper hand and they held a 13-5 lead for much of the first half, before Kim Sung-Soo crossed in the shadows of half-time.

Lee Soop-Yeong successfully converted to leave the contest perfectly poised at 13-12 at the break.

The game opened up after half-time and South Korea took the lead briefly, before a yellow card for Kim Jin-Hyeok gave Hong Kong a chance to regain the ascendancy.

McQueen's second try and a try to Jamie Hood gave the visitors a 12-point lead, before Lee and Na Kwan-young crossed for the home side to level the score at 27-27.

Both sides had their chances in the dying stages but it was Hong Kong who delivered, cementing themselves in second place in the standings behind Japan. (AFP)