The Korea Rugby Association noted, "The men's national rugby team for the 15-player format has departed for Colombo, Sri Lanka, to play its first match against Sri Lanka in the '2025 Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship (Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship, AREC)."
This national team is being developed through participation in the 'World Championships and Other International Competitions' project by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, with financial support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation.
'2025 AREC' is the premier 15-player tournament organized by the Asia Rugby Federation, featuring a total of four countries: Korea, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), competing in a round-robin format.
Korea will begin its campaign against Sri Lanka with an away match at 7:30 p.m. (Korean time) on the 13th. Following this, matches are scheduled against the UAE on the 21st at 3 p.m. and against Hong Kong on July 5 at 3 p.m. at the Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium.
In April, a total of 23 players were selected through the '2025 Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship national team selection competition,' with the team consisting of members from major domestic corporate teams including the Army Sports Corps, POSCO, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and Hyundai GLOVIS.
The Korea Rugby Association and the national rugby team are striving for victory in this tournament to secure a spot in the finals of the '2027 Rugby World Cup.' In the previous 'ARC,' Korea won a total of five times (1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2002) and has risen to the top of Asia.
Meanwhile, the match between Korea and Sri Lanka in the '2025 AREC' will be broadcast live on the official YouTube and Facebook channels of the Asia Rugby Federation.
Shim Young-bok, president of the Korea Rugby Association, said, "This tournament is the first step towards participating in the Rugby World Cup and a starting point signaling the leap of Korean rugby in 2025. I hope the athletes can showcase their skills and all their competitive abilities to mark a good start."
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