La jugada ganadora

The 1st episode sets up the premise.

The 2nd episode gets interesting. The story goes deeper into the meaning of sports/rugby that can be applied to life. It is exciting to see how the underdogs will overcome all odds.

Overall, the drama covers serious social & system issues, peppered with humour. Lastly, tons of eye-candies.

The promotional posters would have you believe The Winning Try is a feel-good rugby sports show. It's kinda not.

Instead, what you get is a massive amount of school drama with some rugby on the side. Rugby is just icing on the cake. The actual screen time of rugby being played is shockingly low.

Rather, what's really here is a bunch of old crusty men scheming episode after episode with annoying little plans to set themselves up for promotions and to get rid of Joo Gam-ram (ML) from his coaching job.

Then there is the entire storyline the female lead goes through as an air pistol coach. Of course there's romance between the ML and her. But you can't forget that each individual player on the rugby and air pistol teams needs development too! Don't forget, the ML has his own problems he has to deal with alongside trying to keep his job every episode. Did I mention the entire air pistol sport takes just as much screen time as the rugby segments?

Simply put, the show is doing too much with so little time.

If you manage to enjoy the different storylines, it is rather enjoyable.

The kids have heart, and the ending is satisfying.

To be honest, I'm getting tired of the female lead in this drama. She comes across as too weak-always wanting recognition from others but not respecting herself. The storyline itself also feels draining and not very entertaining. I was really hoping that since this is a sports drama, it would highlight more of the spirit of sportsmanship.

A thoroughly entertaining and (for the most part) well-crafted series. Rugby is so little known in some countries that the opening show feels the need to carefully explain how the game works. Fortunately we get past that quickly and into this very physical sport and understanding the boys who play it. But the rules of rugby are not what this drama is about. It's about people, trust, and caring.

The secondary plot about the shooting team appears to be there so that the show is not exclusively about male bonding and to introduce the mandatory romances. It is OK, but minor.

Most of the members of the seven member rugby team are fully written, but by the end of the series we realize we know very little about some of them - a mistake or a deliberate choice? Some blank canvases there waiting to be fully painted.

I couldn't wait for each new episode, so it clearly worked for me. But I have one technical quibble: why does this director (and a number of others in Korea) ignore or deliberately break the 180 degree rule (sometimes know as "crossing the line")? It exists for a good reason, and has served movies and TV well for many decades. Is it ignorance of the rule, or a desire to be different? It certainly bothered this viewer.

Nevertheless, a very entertaining series. Congrats.

I like the characters of this drama, whether they be the good ones or the bad ones. Each drama needs a protagonist and an antagonist to give some flavor to the story.

We see that the new coach, because of his past drug problem, was unwelcomed in the high school. There are quite a lot of opposition - the Vice Principal, the shooting coach, the aerobics coach, even the students and some parents are up against this Ju Garam. But Ju Garam is mature enough to stand his ground even if he only has the backing of the principal.

This drama gave us so much life lessons: 1. Stand your ground against oppositions who even try to destroy you.

2. Show what you are worth. True talent will truly rise up.

3. Rugby is a team sports, and so we see more than just playing sports - we don't just see the love of the game, but also the love for each other, to build each other up, to work hard and be a team. Though they were hurt, there is so much joy, because the victory is a shared victory.

4. Side with what is right. In the end those who acted maliciously have received their just course.

5. Aim high - aim for the Nationals.

6. It is ok to lose as Garam told the boys. It is not just about the medal; it is about playing fair and square.

No matter what negatives others see about the drama, the positive outweighs them all.

I wish there is a Season 2 for this. Whether Garam comes back or not, we still have four other students, and one was just introduced at the end of the last episode.