The Underdog Play: Netflix’s “The Winning Try” Tackles Redemption on the Rugby Field

In a strategic move targeting both domestic and international audiences, the new South Korean series “The Winning Try” has launched, airing on the national SBS network and simultaneously released worldwide on Netflix. The 12-episode scripted drama offers a story of second chances, using the niche world of high school rugby as its arena for personal and collective redemption. Production on the series was completed before its premiere.

The Creative Blueprint

The series is built upon a script by Lim Jin-a that won the grand prize at the 2021 SBS Cultural Foundation script competition, signaling a strong narrative core from its inception. Lim was drawn to rugby for its central rule: the ball cannot be passed forward. She saw this as a powerful metaphor for life, where progress often requires confronting the past and relying on others to move ahead. “Rugby is the roughest yet most human sport,” Lim stated, emphasizing the absolute teamwork required. To ensure authenticity, her writing process involved direct interviews at a sports high school.

This character-focused foundation is carried forward by director Jang Young-seok, previously a co-director on the action hit “Taxi Driver 2”. Jang’s primary goal was to make the series accessible to viewers unfamiliar with rugby. “Rather than explaining the rules of rugby in detail, I focused on intuitively conveying the charm of rugby,” he explained. By prioritizing the emotional journeys of the characters over the technicalities of the game, the direction aims to connect with a broad audience through universal themes of failure and resilience.

A Collision of Pasts and Futures

The story centers on Joo Ga-ram, a man whose life is a cautionary tale. Once a celebrated national rugby player and Asian Cup MVP hailed as a “rugby idol,” his career was destroyed by a doping scandal. Three years later, he returns as a contract coach to his alma mater, Hanyang High School. He is tasked with leading the school’s rugby team, a perpetually last-place squad known for its aggressive behavior and a dismal record of 25 losses in 26 matches. Ga-ram’s quest for redemption is complicated by his professional clashes with the team’s resentful captain, Yoon Seong-joon, and the personal fallout from his reunion with Bae Yi-ji, a fellow coach and his ex-girlfriend of ten years, whom he abandoned after his scandal broke.

A Cast Forged by Experience

The series is anchored by a principal cast whose own careers lend a unique depth to their roles.

Yoon Kye-sang as Joo Ga-ram: Yoon, who first rose to fame as a member of the first-generation K-pop group g.o.d before building a respected acting career, brings a layered authenticity to the role of a fallen “sports idol”. Writer Lim Jin-a saw him as the perfect embodiment of the character she envisioned: a “good adult” who is flawed but learns from his mistakes to guide the next generation.

Lim Se-mi as Bae Yi-ji: For Lim Se-mi, the role of the resilient shooting coach marks her first lead in a weekly television miniseries, a significant career milestone. This professional step-up mirrors her character’s on-screen journey of asserting her own agency in the face of professional pressure and the sudden reappearance of her past. Director Jang Young-seok praised her for having the “acting ability to persuade the public,” making her character a relatable anchor for the audience.

Kim Yo-han as Yoon Seong-joon: Kim, a member of the K-pop group WEi, draws on his past as a former national-level junior taekwondo champion. This background provides a deep, lived-in understanding of the physical and psychological demands of competitive sports, informing his portrayal of the hardworking team captain who is burdened by an inferiority complex toward his more successful twin brother.

The Ensemble: The director has highlighted the strong chemistry of the entire cast, noting that the friendly atmosphere on set led to natural ad-libs that were often kept in the final edit to enhance the comedic and heartfelt moments. The supporting cast includes actors Cho Han-gyeol, Kim E-jun, and Lee Su-chan as members of the rugby team.

The Underdog Sport as a Narrative Canvas

The choice of rugby union is a deliberate and thematically resonant one. In South Korea, rugby is a minor sport, overshadowed by the mainstream popularity of baseball, football, and basketball. The national team is competitive within Asia but not a global powerhouse, and many of the country’s best players compete professionally in Japan. By focusing on an underdog sport, the series carves out a unique space for itself, avoiding comparisons to other sports dramas and aligning perfectly with the story of a forgotten team and a disgraced coach fighting for relevance.

Final Judgment

“The Winning Try” uses its sports framework to tell a universal story about mentorship, community, and the difficult path to a second chance. It is a character-driven dramedy that finds humor and heart in the struggle for redemption. The writer’s stated goal was to tell a story about “running despite everything,” acknowledging that life involves numerous tackles but that the game isn’t over as long as you keep moving forward. The series suggests that the ultimate victory isn’t just winning a championship, but reclaiming a sense of purpose and self-worth in the face of failure.

All 12 episodes of the series premiered on the SBS network and were released for global streaming on Netflix on July 25, 2025.