In the Aug. 30 episode of SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama "The Winning Try," Joo Ga-ram guides Hanyang Sports High’s rugby squad to a storybook National Sports Festival title.
Nationals kick off with scandal as shooting coach Jeon Nak-gyun’s corruption is exposed and he’s fired on the spot. With no coach, Seo Woo-jin is barred from competing―until Bae Yi-ji sacrifices her own event to step in as his coach. Determined to leave no regrets, Woo-jin takes the line and captures gold.
Fresh out of surgery, Joo Ga-ram makes it to the rugby final. Under his watch, Hanyang Sports High goes blow for blow with Daesang High. When Do Hyeong-sik goes down hurt, he insists on staying in despite Ga-ram’s protests.
Ga-ram rallies the boys: “Your legs will turn to rubber and everything will hurt. The next seven minutes will feel like forever. But if you hang on, this moment becomes our highlight.”
Hanyang refuses to fold, and in the dying seconds the entire squad links up for a last-gasp try―sealing the National Sports Festival championship.
After the tournament, the vice principal―newly promoted to principal―shows his true colors. But a surprise audit ordered by Deputy Superintendent Na Gyu-won catches him off guard, leaving Seong Jong-man scrambling.
Earlier, Ga-ram appealed to Na Gyu-won: athletes carry the scars of tainted victories, he said, and Hanyang should value honest defeats over cheap wins―then teach kids how to rise again. He also handed over records, originally kept by former coach Jeon, showing Seong Jong-man diverting outside sponsorship funds to other programs or skimming them outright―evidence that led to Seong’s removal.
With the old principal reinstated, Ga-ram proposes to Bae Yi-ji, promising they’ll face the future together.
Wins keep coming off the field: Yoon Sung-jun earns a special admission to Yeonhui University, and Moon Woong makes the national youth team. Graduation day arrives for the seniors.
“To the team that took in a coach with a tainted past and still believed in me―thank you,” Ga-ram tells his players. “You made me a real coach.” The seniors and their coach shout one last chant together.
Romance blossoms, too: “I want to change positions―from friend to boyfriend,” Yoon Sung-jun tells Seo Woo-jin, and the two make it official.
At the graduation ceremony, the school introduces the coaches who will lead the new season: Bae Yi-ji for shooting and Joo Ga-ram for rugby―both earning roaring approval from the students.
And in a final coda, Kang Tae-poong transfers back from Daesang High to Hanyang Sports High, signaling a fresh start for the rugby team.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)