Living up to their promise to avenge last week’s pasting from Gai Wu, SCAA Causeway Bay Phoenix earned a hard fought 12-5 win over fourth-placed HKFC Ice.
The game mattered for both sides and the commitment showed. Through much of the first half, Football Club – missing a number of key players through injury and travel – struggled to gain and keep possession. Good movement from an energised Causeway Bay backline paid off midway through when quick hands out of the ruck fed the ball through to right wing Hau Sin Man who showed sustained speed to score. A solid conversion from hooker Chin Po Po put the home team in control.
Late in the half, Football Club rallied somewhat but couldn’t convert the possession to points, and the 7-0 scoreline stood at the break.
Both sides restarted well but the energy and accuracy of the CWB kept the pressure on Football Club. With around three-quarters of the game played, another win from the ruck brought the result within reach. The ball was quickly distributed through the backs via a deft switch back to the blindside. Another strong run from Hau Sin Man finished the move and saw Phoenix’s into a 12-0 lead.
HKFC looked to respond and the final 15 minutes was easily their strongest period of the game. On the 70 minute mark Ice’s no.8 Mei Nam Chow broke through the line and looked set to score, but an infraction earned her side a penalty try instead, which wasn’t converted, 12-5.
Football Club continued to press, but Phoenix’s defence held firm and the hard-fought game ended with smiles on Causeway Bay faces.
Coach Ocean Chow had no doubt the victory was well earned. “We executed our plan on defence, and built on that. Our scrum was strong today, earning us several turnovers. We have been working on our tackling, and today made a lot of good tackles, keeping low. We played our own style: quick ball and quick out of the ruck without overcommitting.”
Chow credited the win to his players attitude, saying, “they are fit and believe in themselves. They really wanted to win this one, after our record of going close against Football Club.”
HKFC’s long-serving national team forward Royce Chan Leong Sze said, “Causeway Bay were catching us with fast breaks, putting on pressure [that led to points]. We simply didn’t have enough possession to win the game.”
The loss changes the complexion of the rest of the season for Football Club, as their third-place/fourth-place tussle with USRC Tigers, against the two strongest sides in the Premiership, runs the risk of being replaced by a battle to hold on to fourth against a resurgent CWB.
Chan observed, “It’s going to be challenging going into the last four games, up against the top teams, and with us having to cope with a number of injuries. This game gave us notice that we must toughen up and move on.”
The USRC Tigers solidified their hold on third place in the table, ahead of HKFC, pounding Kowloon 61-10.
Kowloon coach Jonathan Ho was nevertheless pleased with his side’s defensive line speed, which he said caused Tigers problems, and led to their two second-half tries.
In the other Women’s Premiership game, Gai Wu Falcons topped last week’s high-scoring win with a rampaging 94-0 victory over bottom club City Sparkle, scoring eight tries in the first half alone and fulfilling coach Lai Yiu Pang’s directive to his players to keep focused on making the most of every opportunity.
Full women’s rugby results here
Additional reporting and photo: HKRugby