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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

Falcons beat Tigers in Women’s Premisership

USRC Tigers ran unbeaten Gai Wu Falcons close at So Kon Po, losing a tight encounter, 12-0. In the weekend’s other Women’s Premiership match Kowloon beat City Sparkle 21-0. The match between Valley Black and HKFC Ice was postponed. For the National league 1 & 2 results click here.

The tight contest between last year’s second and third places finishers saw the Tigers trail 5-0 at the break despite Falcons exerting a strong territorial advantage in the first forty minutes.

“We played superb rugby in the first half,” said Falcons coach Lai Yiu-pang. “We kept Tigers under a lot of pressure and penned them back in their half for most of the opening period. We knew that the game was going to be a physical test and we matched up with them well. I think they only managed to get the ball in our half one or two times in the first half.”

Lai credited his forward pack, laden with Hong Kong fifteens and sevens stars, as the difference makers this afternoon, saying, “Our forwards did really well in both attack and defence. We have a lot of sevens players in the backline who are just coming off their international season and I think they need to develop their fifteens-sense a bit more as we made a lot of errors in the backline today.”

The Falcons had their full compliment of 13 national squad representatives available including Aggie Poon Pak-yan who played for 65 minutes in her first fifteens game of the season, after being injured in the Asian sevens series.

Despite the loss, Tigers coach Liu Kwok-leung was proud of his team’s efforts: “Compared to our game against Valley [a 32-3 loss] last weekend we played much better today. The girls took the lessons from last week to heart and showed a big improvement.”

Ahead of the game, Liu had warned his side of the importance of closing down Gai Wu’s speed and attack in open play. That comment proved true as Gai Wu pulled away for good in the second half after capitalising on a rare defensive miscue by Tigers, when a botched clearance kick failed to make touch and was returned by Falcon’s speedy wing Chong Ka-yan for a try that put the game out of reach for Tigers.

Liu also bemoaned his side’s inability to convert their chances saying, “We had a lot of possession but we couldn’t take our opportunities to score. The game was really close especially in the first half with both teams’ defences playing very well and forcing a lot of errors.

Our defensive effort was top notch. We really shut them down in the first half and our line speed and communication on defence was really good, but we just lacked some composure on attack.”

“We are looking forward to the second round of matches and will analyse our early performance with the players, but there is a lot we can build off from this match. I think we may need to refine some of our patterns and structures when we play against the top teams like Valley and Falcons, but it is coming together well,” Liu added.

The Falcons’ win brought its hot streak to five matches, during which they have only conceded a single unconverted try. Next up they taken on Valley Black for what promises to be the match of the season so far next week. While the Tigers now prepare to take on Football Club.

Kowloon collected its first win of the season, 21-0 over Premiership debutants City, who were hunting for their first win in Hong Kong Women’s Rugby’s top flight.

Additional reporting and image: HKrugby

Women’s Rugby Results – 5 November, 2016

Premiership

USRC Tigers 0-12 Gai Wu Falcons
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 16:30

Kowloon 21-0 City Sparkle
@ KG V, Kick-off: 18:00

Valley Black v HKFC Ice – Postponed
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 18:00

National League 1

Valley Red 0-22 Tai Po Dragons
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00

HK Scottish v Revolution SRC
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 18:00

USRC Tigers 0-26 Gai Wu Fawkes
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 18:00

National League 2

Kowloon 7-34 CWB Lammergeier
@ KG V, Kick-off: 16:30

Gai Wu Hawks 17-20 Tai Po Dragons
@ Tai Hung Tang, Kick-off: 16:30

HKFC Fire 39-0 University Pirates
@ Sandy Bay, Kick-off: 16:30

Police Sirens 46-0 City
@ Police Boundary Street, Kick-off: 18:00

Image: HKrugby

Women’s Rugby Fixtures – 5 November, 2016

Women’s Rugby Results – 29 October, 2016

Premiership

USRC Tigers 3-32 Valley Black
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 15:00

Gai Wu Falcons 65-5 HKFC Ice
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 18:00

Kowloon 0-12 CWB Phoenix
@ KG V, Kick-off: 18:00

National League 1

Revolution SRC 10-15 Gai Wu Fawkes
@ KG V, Kick-off: 16:30

HKCC 10-81 Tai Po Dragons
@ Tai Hung Tang, Kick-off: 16:30

USRC Tigers 10-12 HK Scottish Kukris
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00

National League 2

Uni-Pirates 5-27 Kowloon
@ KG V, Kick-off: 15:00

City 0-22 Tin Shui Wai
@ Tin Shui Wai, Kick-off: 15:00

Gai Wu Hawks 12-20 CWB Lammergeier
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 16:30

HKFC Fire 0-19 Police Sirens
@ Police Boundary Street, Kick-off: 18:00

Photo: HKRU

Women’s Premiership Preview – 29 October, 2016

This weekend’s Women’s Premiership features clashes between the league’s four remaining unbeaten sides. The title contenders will meet for the first time this season when USRC Tigers host Valley Black at Kings Park (3pm) and Gai Wu Falcons travel to Sports Road to play HKFC Ice in Saturday’s second tie between unbeaten sides at 6pm.

In the day’s third match, Kowloon will face off against SCAA Causeway Bay Phoenix at KGV, (6pm), with both sides having come close to their first wins of the season in recent weeks.

Valley Black have extended their historic two-year unbeaten streak into a third season, scoring 154 points in their three matches to date; third-ranked Tigers have posted a similarly impressive 126 points over their three victories this season.

The Tigers, who finished second in the league last year before being edged out of the Grand Championship stakes, have clear ambitions to figure in the top two this time around, but will be tested heavily on Saturday.

The scrutiny will go both ways as Valley are under no illusions as to what they can expect, with coach James Elliott calling Saturday’s match a “tough exam.” “None of the games are going to be easy, especially against Tigers, Football Club or, of course, Gai Wu. It is still just the start of the season so we need to be ready for anything.”

Despite facing their first real threat of the season, it’s business as usual according to Elliott.

“Our preparation has been nothing special, we have done some contact work and kept up on our fitness. We’re missing a couple of players, so there will be a bit of a reshuffle, particularly in the pack, but we have no major injuries.”

Spectators should be in for some exciting running rugby as two of the league’s premier backlines enter Saturday’s match. The Valley backline features a number of Hong Kong Sevens squad members and nearly the entire group was invited to trial for the National XVs earlier this week.

“Our backline performance will be hugely important. Tigers also have a great backline, and that is where the competition will be – I’m expecting an open, running game. It will be a fast game, which is fine for us, fine for both teams actually,” Elliott added.

Valley’s already imposing backline will be bolstered by the addition of sevens squad mainstay Colleen Tjosvold as she gets her first fifteens action of the season after being on international duty for Hong Kong early in the season. Tjosvold will join her sevens teammates Adrienne Garvey and Amelie Seure in the squad.

Valley captain Olivia Coady is excited about the challenge ahead; “We watched Tigers play last week [a 49-0 win over Kowloon]. They looked really strong. There has been some good competition already this season, but this weekend will be our biggest test so far.

“I’m also expecting a fast, running game, perhaps even a high scoring one. We don’t care about necessarily winning big, just winning,” Coady added.

Tigers coach Liu Kwok-leung agrees that the Premiership is about to get much more challenging for his team. “It’s the time to test the players in the field. Valley is a top team and I expect to learn a lot about our players, and about Valley, tomorrow. And they will learn a lot too. Every season when we play them, it exposes something, and I hope it will be positive for us tomorrow.”

National team players Natasha Olson-Thorne, Nam Ka-man and Lindsay Varty are all back from duty and are set to start for Tigers, and with only a couple of injuries to disturb his selection options, Liu expects a tight match saying, “It will be really close but we don’t feel too much pressure.”

Having earlier in the season expressed concern over his charges’ ability to maintain focus for the full 80 minutes, Liu believes there is enough in his team to give champions Valley a real fight.

“We’ve done a lot of work on our defence and our players have grown a lot since last season. We will focus on our defensive patterns, and if we can maintain them and convert defence into attack smoothly, it’ll be a really exciting game that brings out the best in both teams.”

Gai Wu will take their perfect record to meet fellow unbeatens HK Football Club. On current form they should have the upper hand, however, their hopes to add a league-leading fourth consecutive shutout could be in jeopardy against a battling Football Club outfit.