Category: sport
Russia and Hong Kong Win
On match day two in the Cup of Nations Russia pounded Papua New Guinea, 49-19, and Hong Kong beat Zimbabwe 34-11. The victors setting up a rematch of last year’s winner-take-all clash on the 19 November, at Hong Kong Football Club.
After a narrow 19-15 win over Zimbabwe in the opening round, defending champions Russia recorded a comprehensive, seven-try victory over Papua New Guinea. Russia captain and flanker Viktor Gresev again proved an unstoppable force; scoring a hat trick of tries to add to the brace he collected against Zimbabwe. Gresev now leads all scorers with five tries over two matches.
Gresev’s first try came in the third minute as the massive Russian pack brought its weight to bear early on. Sustained Russian pressure forced Papua New Guinea to concede a penalty try for repeated infringements at the ruck in the 12th minute, before Gresev claimed his second try in the 19th minute.
Papua New Guinea got on the board with a try against the run of play from winger John Ephraim in the 21st minute. The unsuccessful conversion left them trailing 21-5.
Scrumhalf Anton Ryabov found space on the fringes of a ruck to cross over for a try in the 26th minute while hooker Valery Tsnobiladze added a fifth try moments later.
Centre Tisa Kautu added three points for Papua New Guinea with a penalty shortly before half-time as Russia took an unassailable 35-8 lead into the break.
Russia were less convincing in the second half, while Papua New Guinea got off to a flying start, scoring 11 unanswered points from two penalties by Kautu and a try to flyhalf Richard Aitsi to close the gap to 35-19.
It was the second straight match where the Russian defence went walkabout after they let Zimbabwe climb back into the round 1 match. Unsurprisingly, it was Gresev who helped quell any nerves as he and Ryabov added their third and second tries respectively to seal a 49-19 win. Flyhalf Yury Kusnarev was perfect with the boot, converting all seven of Russia’s tries.
In the second match of the doubleheader at Kings Park, the hosts jumped ahead to a 17-3 half-time lead before going on to win 34-11 win, collecting a second bonus point of the tournament to stay at the top of the table after two rounds.
A dominant set piece performance by Hong Kong gave the host the run of play in the first half. Prop Alex Ng Wai-shing scored the home side’s first try in the third minute, collecting the ball at the base of a ruck beneath the posts before crashing over from in close.
With Hong Kong’s forward pack dominating early on, the speedy backline had ample ball to work with and quickly set about testing Zimbabwe’s conditioning and defence. Although battling bravely, gaps soon appeared in the visitors’ defence and fullback Alex McQueen was the first to exploit the space when he finished off a lengthy attacking phase to touch down in the corner in the eight minute.
Hong Kong flyhalf Ben Rimene was also perfect with the boot, adding both conversions and a penalty in the first half to push his side to a 17-0 lead after 25 minutes. Zimbawe’s first points came from a well-struck penalty from flyhalf Lenience Tambwera in the 30th minute to leave the score at 17-3 at halftime.
Zimbabwe had an early lift after halftime when Tambwera nailed his second penalty in the 41st minute but Rimene replied four minutes later as the sides exchanged three-pointers.
No.8 Thomas Lamboley capped his Hong Kong debut with a try in the 53rd minute as the rangy forward took out a well-deserved reward for 80 minutes of high work rate and hard graft. Rimene’s conversion pushed Hong Kong’s lead to 27-6 with 25 minutes remaining.
Alex McQueen capped another quietly devastating performance when he completed his brace in the 62nd minute with Rimene’s conversion a formality.
Centre Riaan O’Neal spoiled Hong Kong’s final patch of play as he flashed a clean pair of heels to cross over in the 65th minute but Tambwera’s conversion was off the mark. Final score 34-11.
“It was really good to get the win,” said Hong Kong captain Nick Hewson, “But we were a bit disappointed not to take some of the chances we created, especially in the second half.
“Our set piece was good, we had a high percentage of possession and the backs were creating opportunities tonight so hopefully we can execute a few more of those chances on Saturday,” Hewson added.
“Now we can go into the game against Russia with a bit of confidence. We know it is another step up, but we are well ahead of where we were last year. We are creating more plays, our ball carriers are better and our defence is stronger. We gave them points off of our mistakes today and we can’t afford that against Russia,” Hewson added.
Russia beat Hong Kong 31-12 in last year’s effective final, the rematch takes place at 5pm on 19 November at Hong Kong Football Club. Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea will play in the curtain raiser at 2pm, entry is free.
Hong Kong v Zimbabwe:
1. Adam Fullgrabe, 2. Ben Roberts*, 3. Alex Ng Wai-Shing, 4. Finlay Field, 5. Adrian Griffiths, 6. Nick Hewson (Captain), 7. Toby Fenn, 8. Thomas Lamboley*, 9. Jamie Hood (vice Captain), 10. Ben Rimene, 11. Marcus Ramage*, 12. Lee Jones, 13. Ally Maclay, 14. Ryan Meacheam, 15. Alex Mcqueen, 16. Jw Markley, 17. Jack Parfitt, 18. Rohan Cook, 19. Will Eversfield, 20. James Cunningham, 21. Cado Lee Ka-To, 22. Rowan Varty, 23. Edmund Rolston.
*Hong Kong debut
Additional reporting and image: HKRU
Men’s Asian Hockey Federation Cup
Eight teams from across the region will compete in the 5th Men’s Asian Hockey Federation Cup which will take place from the 19-27 November 2016 at King’s Park Hockey Ground.
Hong Kong is drawn in Pool A with two time defending champions Bangladesh, Taiwan and Macau. Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan are in Pool B. The pool matches will take place from 19-24, check the full match schedule below, and the medal matches on 26th and 27th November 2016. Entry to all matches is free.
Hong Kong v Bangladesh
6pm, 19 November @ King’s Park Hockey Ground
Hong Kong v Macau
8pm, 21 November @ King’s Park Hockey Ground
Hong Kong v Taiwan
8pm, 23 November @ King’s Park Hockey Ground
The AHF Cup was first organized by Hong Kong Hockey Association in 1997 with the idea of offering opportunities for the second tier Asian teams to gain experience in international tournaments outside of the Asian Games and the Asia Cup and improve their world rankings.
Hong Kong team manager Eddie Leung is confident ahead of the tournament “We aim to get a medal in the Cup. We hope to make good use of the home advantage. When we played against Kazakhstan in March in the FIH World League 2016 Round 1, we were exposed several times but we managed to beat them 4-3 at the end. We will take that experience into the tournament.”
Siu Chun Ming, as captain says it’s important to take each match as it comes “I always encourage the team to stay calm and be tough when we play against stronger opponents. We look forward to the Hong Kong Hockey Community’s support during the tournament.”
Hong Kong Squad
Chan Ka Chun (Kelvin), Chung Yan Chun Michael, James Shepherdson, Chan Hou Fung (Matthew), Iu Chi Him (Felix), Chow Ho Yin (Boris), Poon Chun Yan (Silas), Kwok Chun Ting (Davis), Fahim Khan, Yu Chun Hin (Tony), Siu Chun Ming (Captain), Tso Tsz Fung (Chris), Tsoi Long Ting Gabriel, To Kai Chung (Stanley), Siddick Khan, Sukhmit Singh, Tse Man Chun (Allen), Tsang Kin Kan (Ken)
5th Men’s Asian Hockey Federation Cup
Date: 19-27 November, 2016
Venue: King’s Park Hockey Ground
Tickets: Free
Hong Kong Women Prepare to Chase Rugby World Cup Dream
Hong Kong Women prepare to chase Rugby World Cup dream with “both hands” according to coach Jo Hull ahead of December’s key qualifiers against Fiji and Japan. Hull’s side host the three-team tournament that will determine the final two teams from Asia/Oceania at next year’s 12-team World Cup in Ireland.
Hong Kong begin their bid for a debut World Cup appearance on 9 December against Fiji, who beat Papua New Guinea 37-10 in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship at the start of November to progress to the final stage of qualification. Japan face Fiji on 13 December before Hong Kong’s tie with the Asian champions completes the round robin fixtures four days later.
“It is an amazing opportunity to go to a World Cup that I don’t think the players have had before and there is a real belief in the team that it is not a dream anymore and we are trying to grab it with both hands,” said Hull. “These players know they need to get everything right against Fiji, which means our set pieces and most importantly the contact area and breakdown, are our key focus. The players are excited, but we know we will need to earn this.”
Hull has named an expanded 31-player squad in preparation for the December qualifiers, with Hong Kong entertaining Kazakhstan in two training games this week. Experienced forwards Royce Chan Leong-sze and Christy Cheng Ka-chi return to the squad while new additions include prop Wong Yuen-shan and back Jessica Ho Wai-on.
“We are looking at players who are performing at the moment” added Hull. “The squad has worked very hard over the summer with a series of training camps and strength and conditioning sessions to help minimise errors, but also to bring out the style of rugby we want to develop. We are very positive in our approach to the qualifiers and the Fiji game is everything as it is the first game and a win would position us very well to advance to the World Cup.”
The league-wide representative competition, the Super Series, kick-started the final preparations for the World Cup qualifiers. “The Super Series helped us draw a line in the sand as to how we wanted to play and the players were then able to take that into training,” said Hull. “It has also been encouraging to see the club games getting to a higher level, but we still need to prepare for that step up to international rugby.”
Ahead of the World Cup Qualification Tournament, Hong Kong will play two friendlies against Kazakhstan, who appeared at the 2014 World Cup in France, on 16 and 20 November as part of a key week of training and preparation.
“Kazakhstan are a tough, physical side who are good at running. We thought they would be good preparation for playing Fiji in that they will offer a similar competition to what Fiji will look like in terms of their physicality, and their desire to play an offload game and keep the ball in play as much as possible,” said Hull.
Fiji scored six tries in their win over Papua New Guinea in the inaugural Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship in Suva as the hosts played their first test in 10 years and the visitors their first ever.
“We saw that game and we are aware that rugby is in the blood in Fiji so they understand the game quite well,” added Hull. “Fiji are big and strong, so we need to go into that first game knowing how we want to play against them. We haven’t played them before in fifteens and that will pose some challenges in our preparations.”
In stark contrast, Hong Kong know Japan extremely well having lost 39-3 and 30-3 in a shortened Asia Rugby Championship earlier this year. “Japan are fast and like to play a high tempo game, but we are confident that we are approaching both games with the objective of finishing in the top two,” added Hull.
The next Women’s Rugby World Cup takes place in Ireland from 9-16 August 2017, with the winner of the qualifiers in Hong Kong going on to face the hosts, (fourth placed finishers in 2014) as well as France and Australia in pool C. The runners-up in Hong Kong will take on 2014 World Cup runners-up Canada, New Zealand and Wales in pool A.
Hong Kong Women’s XVs Training Squad:
Forwards: Karen So Hoi-Ting, Amelie Seure, Angela Chan Ka-Yan, Royce Chan Leong-Sze, Chan Tsz-Ching, Cheng Ching-To, Christy Cheng Ka-Chi, Chow Mei-Nam, Christine Gordon, Tammy Lau Nga-Wun, Lee Ka-Shun, Melody Li Nim-Yan, Sharon Tsang, Jasmine Cheung Shuk-Han, Winnie Siu Wing-Ni, Wong Yuen-Shan.
Backs: Adrienne Garvey, Candy Cheng Tsz-Ting, Chong Ka-Yan, Colleen Tjosvold, Jess Ho, Ivy Kwong Sau-Yan, Lau Sze-Wa, Lee Tsz-Ting, Lindsay Varty, Mak Ho-Yee, Natasha Olson-Thorne, Aggie Poon Pak-Yan, Rose Hopewell-Fong, Sham Wai-Sum, Cindy Yuen Lok-Yee.
Hong Kong v Kazakhstan
International Friendlies
Date: 7:30pm, 16, 20 November, 2016
Venue: King’s Park
Tickets: Free
Additional reporting and image: HKRU
Women’s Rugby Results – 12 November, 2016
Premiership
CWB Phoenix 12-5 City Sparkle
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 15:00
Valley Black 28-3 Gai Wu Falcons
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30
HKFC Ice 5-57 USRC Tigers
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00
National League 1
Tai Po Dragons v USRC Tigers
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 15:00
HKCC 5-52 Revolution SRC
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30
Valley Red 5-27 Gai Wu Fawkes
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00
National League 2
Kowloon 5-5 City
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 13:30
CWB Lammergeier v Tin Shui Wai
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 13:30
Police 71-0 University Pirates
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 19:30
Tai Po Dragons 12-5 HKFC Fire
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 19:30
Photo: Phoebe Leung
Valley Black Thrash Gai Wu Falcons 28-3
After another in a long line of hard-fought matches, Valley Black beat their fierce rivals Gai Wu Falcons, 28-3, at Kings Park. The convincing win sees Valley remain the only unbeaten side after six rounds of the Women’s Premiership. In other Premiership action, Causeway Bay Phoenix edged City Sparkle 12-5 while USRC Tigers beat HKFC Ice 57-5.
While Gai Wu remain level with Valley on the table with 24 points, Valley have a game in hand and their convincing 28-3 win left no doubt as to who is at the top of the league’s pecking order. The Falcons put up a brave fight in the first forty minutes – trailing 9-3 at halftime – three penalties from the excellent boot of Valley fullback Zoe Smith against a single penalty from Aggie Poon Pak-yan.
It was a different game in the second half as Valley stormed home with three tries and two conversions from Smith. Prop Jasmine Cheung and flyhalf Kelsie Bouttle both got on the scoresheet as did centre Adrienne Garvey who broke four tackles in a hard-charging run to get across the paint as Valley put up a significant margin on the Falcons.
Powerful performances from Valley’s elite cadre of current and former internationals; flanker and captain Olivia Coady, a former New Zealand Black Fern; Bella Milo, a former Samoa international; and Hong Kong sevens and fifteens cap Garvey, were a crucial factor in the loss for Falcons coach Lai Yiu-pang.
“Valley gave us a good, hard lesson today. They are a really good team and they have some players that are in another class, even compared with our Hong Kong players. Coady and Bella [Milo] really exposed us today,” said Lai.
Coady was tireless as she dominated the loose and kept the Falcons off balance with her aggressive forward play while Milo and Garvey used the ample possession created by the forwards to open up the attacking channels and put Falcons’ one-on-one tackling under rigorous examination.
“Before the game we talked about the ruck being a key to win but we weren’t able to secure any possession today,” said Lai.
“Coady turned us over all day long and when we did have ball we made too many basic errors. They put us under so much pressure we couldn’t get our structure in place and couldn’t build any momentum in our attack. I was happy with the way we played in the first half but they were too much for us in the second half,” Lai added.
Lai believes that the loss today will ultimately be good for both his side and the Hong Kong XV. Sixteen players from the current national training squad were in action in the match with Gai Wu boasting 13 in their starting 23.
“We all want a higher level of performance week in and week out and these games against Valley and Tigers are getting there. This game will also help the Hong Kong players get ready for their upcoming test matches as the intensity from Olivia and Bella we saw today was the level that Hong Kong players will need to reach in international competition,” Lai added.
Gai Wu and Valley will face off just once more on the last week of the league season in February and Lai says his charges now know what to expect from the defending league and grand champions Valley.
“Now we definitely know what we have to do to beat Valley and we have some time to prepare to do that but it will be up to the girls if they are willing to do what it takes or not,” said Lai.
USRC Tigers thumped HKFC Ice 57-5 to break to claim sole possession of third place after the win with Ice slipping to fourth with Causeway Bay hot on their heels.
City ran CWB Phoenix close in their hunt for a first ever Premiership victory, it was 5-all at half-time but Causeway Bay put paid to City’s hopes shortly after play resumed with a converted try to claim the win.
City coach Fung Kai-hang says despite the accumulating losses his side is battling bravely: “We are still adjusting to the Premiership environment. We need to work on doing the basics under pressure, but compared to our last few games I see a lot of improvement. If we keep doing what we are doing and work more on our basic skills we will see some success soon,” said Fung.
While the winless streak wasn’t broken, City did manage their first Premiership point today after collecting the bonus for a loss within seven points.
Additional reporting and image: HKRU
Ladies Day at King’s Park
It’s Ladies Day at King’s Park with 10 women’s league rugby matches taking place, the highlight being the first clash of the season between Premiership Champions Valley Black and the team they’ve faced in the last three Grand Finals Gai Wu Falcons – that match kicks off at 4:30pm. But the action, spread across two pitches starts at 1:30pm with the last kick-off at 7:30pm.
If there’s a negative to Ladies Day, it’s that the HKRU has done nothing to promote it. No advertising, not even a banner on Facebook or on their website. In marked contrast to men’s tournament currently taking place. Which then raises the very pertinent question when will there be a Women’s Cup of Nations?
Last season’s Grand Final was a thrilling affair with Valley scoring in the dying seconds to claim a 12-10 win. Both sides enter this match in fine form with perfect records and squads laden with Hong Kong internationals. Gai Wu (seven forwards, six backs) and Valley (four forwards, two backs) account for 19 of the 31 players in the current Hong Kong training squad preparing for upcoming matches against Kazakhstan and the Womens’ Rugby World Cup qualifiers here in December.
The Gai Wu Falcons are coming off a tough 12-0 win over Tigers last weekend while Valley Black were inactive after their match with HKFC Ice was postponed. With the unexpected break in the action, Valley coach James Elliot ensured that his team was on hand to watch Gai Wu in action as added preparation and motivation for tomorrow’s tie.
Elliot was confident ahead of the match saying, “It’s a crunch game for sure. Both teams have a lot of balance with good backs and good forwards. A lot of the Valley and Gai Wu girls play and train together for Hong Kong, so they know exactly how each other play. I think it will come down to who wants it more.”
Valley will be without winger Laurel Chor who is unavailable due to work commitments, so Elliot has called upon a few of his side’s younger players, Kelsie Bouttle and Clare Coey, to back up the team with Coey covering for Chor out wide.
Elliot expects that it will all come down to defence on the day. “The 16.30 start suits both sides. Both teams have speed and that gets more opportunity in an afternoon game so I expect some good running rugby, and some good contact too. We’ve got some muscle up front, and Gai Wu have ability there too. They are fit all over the park, so our defence has to be rock solid,” Eliott added.
“The break last week gave our Hong Kong players a bit of time to recover, especially for those that had trained with Hong Kong the day before, so I’m not worried about missing that game last week in terms of how sharp we will be. Hopefully we can spring a few surprises on Saturday,” said Elliot.
Gai Wu have one their most dangerous players back with the return of Aggie Poon Pak-yan from injury. Hong Kong rugby fans are well aware of Poon’s class and Elliot is no different. “We’re pleased that Aggie Poon will be out there. She is one of Hong Kong’s top players so you always want to see them healthy and on the pitch. With her in the side, we know we are playing their best team which fires us up,” said Elliot.
Valley enter the match with confidence but are also well aware of where they are in the season and their wider objectives. “We’re looking forward to the game. Personally, I expect to win but it’s still early in the Premiership. We are still trying new things and looking to be a bit more creative, but we’re ready to grind out a win in the Valley fashion if we have to; but it’s a nice expansive pitch and I expect a good open game.”
Elliot is also comfortable with his side wearing the mantle of favourites. “It’s not a burden. We just have to back up our reputation on Saturday,” Elliot added.
Gai Wu Falcons coach Lai Yiu-pang wouldn’t be drawn on the revenge angle, saying, “We don’t see it that way. We take every game and opponent as they come and treat each one with the same seriousness.
“Having said that, we know that Valley are one of the strongest teams in the competition. This match is hugely important to us because our goal is the league crown and Grand Championship. Valley scouted our games over the last two weeks, so I think they are under more pressure than us, as they want to maintain their unbeaten streak,” added Lai who commented that a complete game will be necessary on Saturday.
“It will start with our defence. We were really good defensively last week against Tigers and if we can maintain that then I think we can put pressure on them. We have to secure the breakdown first and foremost, and then try to build attacking momentum from there.
“We are expecting a physical game because they have some strong bodies and a few very experienced individuals. Our backline will need to put in an improved performance on attack. They need more confidence given that most of them are sevens players and need time to adapt to the fifteens play a bit.”
Lai will be able to call upon Poon for a second time this season after her debut last weekend. “Aggie is fit and ready for Saturday,” said Lai, who will still miss some of his key cogs up front with Lee Ka Suen given a rest due to a recent illness and the fact that she has been training with the Hong Kong squad this week.
“Lee was ill last week and we are concerned with her conditioning. It’s safer to give her a rest to help her recover, but luckily our front row has stayed healthy. They will have to have another key performance this weekend. We have promoted a few forwards from the second team to give us more options and bench depth and it is one of our goals for the season to get them more experience,” Lai concluded.
While all eyes will be on the top-of-the-table clash, in the other Premiership action the match between Tigers and HKFC will also impact the league standings with both sides entering the game level on 15 points, although HKFC have a game in hand on Tigers. Tigers’ two losses have come against Valley and Gai Wu in back-to-back weeks with HKFC yet to face Valley this season. City Sparkle will look to take capitalize on its game against Causeway Bay Phoenix – just one spot ahead of them on the league table – as they hunt for their first win in their debut Premiership season.
With all of the league matches this weekend taking place at Kings Park, Saturday will offer an opportunity for supporters to catch up with the action in the National Leagues 1 and 2. Highlight National League matches see Tai Po Dragons take on Tigers in what is expected to be a very tight encounter. Tai Po, who dropped from the Premiership this season, are at the top of the NL1 table with a perfect four-win, no-loss record. Tigers are in fourth place with a game in hand on Tai Po. Seventh-ranked HKCC will look to claim their first win of the season against fellow foot-of-the-table side Revolution SRC.
The National League 2 match between Kowloon and City’s second teams will offer a compelling preview of some emerging Women’s players as both teams feature a large number of players from the most recent Hong Kong Rugby Union Summer Rugby course.
Additional reporting, images: HKRU
Women’s Rugby Fixtures – 12 November, 2016