Two years ago the Tai Po Dragons and HKFC Newedge Ice combined to field a single team for women’s 15-a-side rugby. This season, in a sign of the continued development of women’s rugby in Hong Kong, they fielded separate teams, though the camaraderie between them has never faded. Nevertheless, after two games and two losses, the Ice Ladies were determined to celebrate their first win of the season, even if it was at the expense of their old allies. And that put an extra edge on the game between the two sides that kicked off at 4:30pm on October 19 at the HK Football Club in Happy Valley.
The Ice Ladies got a boost to their confidence within the first five minutes when Royce Chan ran in a try for HKFC. That didn’t stop the Tai Po ladies putting up a strong fight, constantly competing for the ball but the Ice girls kept creating breaches in the Tai Po defensive line. Last week’s game had taught Ice that they needed more strength and aggression at the breakdown, and with that lesson firmly in mind, defending the ball in the ruck and keeping possession became the rule of the game: Daniella Means and Kim Kan scored additional tries and Helen Lee converted for a half time score of 17-0.
Going into the second half, the energy of the Ice team was peaking, and lessons learned in hard training sessions were obviously bearing fruit. But the Tai Po Dragons came back with a vengeance, determined to put some points on the board; which they did with a try. Then, as both teams started to tire, handling errors crept into the game resulting in frequent turnovers and some messy play in the middle of the half. Still, before the final whistle the Ice girls scored three more tries, two for Daniella Means (taking her to a hat trick) and another for Fiona Atkinson.
It might have been a pitched battle on the field but in true sporting spirit at the end of the tussle the two teams gathered to thank each other for a great game and hug old teammates. It was a fitting end to a competitive game of rugby.
HK Football Club
Kim Kan, Amy Kong, Ashley Dawson, Christina McLaughlin, Joelle Touchette, Fiona Atkinson, Diana Han, Allison Lee, Royce Chan, Helen Lee, Marie Gaschignard, Daniella Means, Daisy Miers, Anne McManus, Madeline Adcock, Adriana Garcia, Meghan Hayes, Caroline Lau, Bonita Leung
Tries: Daniella Means (3), Royce Chan, Kim Kan, Fiona Atkinson Conversions: Helen Lee
