The opening episode of "The Winning Try" unfolds amidst the electric atmosphere of a rugby match between Korea and Japan at the Seoul Asiad Stadium in 2022. Ju Ga-ram, the team's star player, orchestrates a thrilling victory for his side, captivating the crowd with his exceptional skills. Yet, the triumph is quickly overshadowed by a doping scandal that envelops Ga-ram, forcing him to surrender his hard-earned gold medal and reluctantly retire from the rugby union.
Three long years later, the scene shifts to Ga-ram's alma mater, where coaches from his former school, led by the vice principal, are lobbying passionately for the dismantling of the rugby program. The team has languished in a winless streak for years, and as of now, stands without a coach to guide them. The vice principal proposes shifting the rugby players to other sports or, alternatively, transferring them to different schools, painting a picture of dire necessity for the program's dissolution.
While the vice principal presents a persuasive argument, Principal Kang Jeong-ho has already taken matters into his own hands by hiring a new coach. At this juncture, Ga-ram enters the meeting, and with a stroke of drama, the principal introduces him as the newly appointed coach of the school's rugby team.
The teachers voice their objections, citing Ga-ram's controversial doping scandal. However, despite his dismissal from the union as an athlete, Ga-ram possesses the requisite certification, legally qualifying him to coach. Just as tensions escalate, a call arrives from the rugby stadium where the team finds themselves stranded, their practice match halted due to the opposing coach's refusal to play without a designated coach. Ga-ram and Principal Kang rush to the stadium to address the crisis.
Upon arriving and revealing Ga-ram as their new coach, the scene takes a dramatic turn. The team captain, Seong-jun, in a show of disappointment and disrespect, forfeits the match on the spot and instructs his teammates to abandon the field, leaving Ga-ram to confront the aftermath of his tarnished past and the challenge of regaining the trust of his former peers.
Later, within the confines of the rugby room, an unchanged relic from his days at Hanyang High School, Ga-ram finds himself lost in nostalgia tinged with melancholy. Once stricken by an ailment that curbed his mobility and compromised his respiratory system, he now confronts an additional burden: the scorn of his teachers and teammates, coupled with the fiery wrath of his estranged lover, I-ji. It had been three long years since Ga-ram abruptly vanished from I-ji's life, leaving her in limbo. In a bitter jest, Ga-ram claims that since no official breakup was ever initiated, I-ji remains, technically, his girlfriend.
In a frenetic twist, Ga-ram flees the scene just as I-ji bumps into Jeong-ho, the stern shooting head coach. Jeong-ho berates her for the BB pellets scattered haphazardly across the floor, scorning her perseverance in the sport despite falling far short of the prowess exhibited by Woo-jin and Seol-hyun, the top shooters. He assigns her the menial task of cleaning their firearms and demands a ride home later, as he plans to unwind with a few drinks.
The rugby team finds itself amidst a dire crisis. With Coach Kim's departure and Ga-ram's expulsion from the union precluding him from penning recommendation letters, the players' aspirations for college admission or professional team inclusion have become solitary endeavors. Desperate to revert their fortunes, they hatch a plan to reclaim their coach. The following day, they daringly skip school and trek to Daesang High to confront Mr. Kim.
Suspecting school pressure forced Mr. Kim's resignation, the players are taken aback to learn it was a self-preserving exit on his part. He reveals their repeated losses had spared his coaching career from ruin. For years, the team has remained victorious in name only. Ga-ram's sudden arrival interjects, championing their cause against Mr. Kim, albeit not from altruistic motives but out of necessity; skipping school meant collective punishment, and he sought not to face it alone.
A sinister conspiracy unfolds as Vice Principal Heung-nam, aerobics coach Nak-gyun, and shooting coach Jeong-ho collude to expunge the rugby team from the school's roster. The coaches yearn for the rugby team's budget to be reassigned to their respective programs, whereas the Vice Principal sees an opportunity to elevate his position to school principal.
After failed negotiations with the principal, they resolve to wield leverage through Mr. Na, a formidable parent who doubles as the PTA head and deputy superintendent of education. With a petition for Ga-ram's dismissal in hand, Mr. Na presents it to the principal, marking a dramatic escalation in their quest to save the rugby team from oblivion.
The vice principal and Nak-gyun groveled at Mr. Na's feet, catering to his every whim, including indulging the demands of his daughter, Seol-hyun. When she requested a training partner, they coerced Woo-jin, who had already fulfilled her daily training quota, into accompanying her against her will.
During the meeting to establish the rugby team's practice schedule, the other coaches and captains browbeat the team mercilessly. Ga-ram, daring to voice the team's plight, was met with a swift suspension decreed by the vice principal, citing a PTA motion against him. Hence, he was barred from representing the rugby team pending a vote that would seal his fate.
Furthermore, the revelation that the team captain harbored resentment towards Ga-ram stemmed from a surprising twist: Seong-jun once idolized Ga-ram. He had attended the Korea-Japan finals, cheering Ga-ram on with fervor. However, the subsequent scandal shattered his admiration for rugby. Unbeknownst to Seong-jun, Ga-ram's doping had been coerced by the coach, who refused to risk losing the final despite Ga-ram's health concerns.
The following day, the rugby team resumed practice at the field's outskirts, only to be embroiled in a brawl initiated by the track and field team. The squabble culminated in a trip to the teacher's office for punishment, leading the vice principal to impose an indefinite ban on rugby team training.
Deprived of a coach and practice sessions, and with Seong-jun's vote against Ga-ram, the rugby team was left to fend for itself in preparing for the rite of passage ceremony. The vice principal, bent on dismantling the rugby team, denied them a seat at the table.
Yet, Ga-ram refused to exit stage left quietly. In a defiant and dramatic gesture during the ceremony, he executed a precision six o'clock pass, embedding the pig's cake directly into the vice principal and Nak-gyun's faces, drenching them in icing and cream.
