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Andrew McNicol

With the Dettol Men’s Premiership well under way, round two promises another rust-shaking outing with a particularly tasty match-up between new-look sides KPMG Hong Kong Scottish and Societe Generale Valley in Shek Kip Mei on Saturday.
Both have yet to kick into full gear, as Scottish suffered an end-to-end 30-22 loss to Kroll USRC Tigers ﻿in their opening game. Valley fell to arch-rivals Natixis HKFC 29-14, with head coach Mark Fatialofa returning to his squad having missed most of their preseason due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
“The transition may not be easy, but it will be good for the club long term. We’ve got a lot younger,” he said, referring to the departure of veterans and coaches in the off season.
New co-captain and number 8 Sion Bennett is tasked with leading the line against Scottish in what is his third season at the club. The addition of former Kowloon captain James Cunningham and former Tigers coach Sam Hocking, among others, has helped to steady the ship while Fatialofa was in quarantine.


“We’re getting used to each other again after such a long lay-off. The guys came to training with the right attitude this week and trained really well. But you get paid for what you do you Saturday,” Fatialofa said.
“We know [Scottish] will trouble us in different ways … They are dangerous. After Football Club, we know that if we keep our systems we’re quite efficient. We just failed to deliver the killer blow last week.”


Elsewhere, men’s teams ImpactHK HKU Sandy Bay take on Football Club at the So Kon Po Recreation Ground after losing 18-12 to DAC Kowloon in round one. Tigers meet Kowloon in King’s Park Sports Ground.
In the Dettol Women’s Premiership, Gai Wu Falcons take on Valley Black Ladies – also in Shek Kip Mei – as the pair look to sharpen their performances from round one and build from the extended time off.
Heach coach Bella Milo’s Valley edged HKFC Ice 12-11 in an entertaining back-and-forth, while Gai Wu struggled to find their pre-pandemic form in a 22-0 loss to Tigers Ladies.

“HKFC was one of the best first games we could have had, physically and mentally. There was a bit of rust and first jitters but it was a really good game,” Milo said.
“We have got a bit more clarity now in our game plan this weekend. With the talent that other clubs have retained and brought in, I think we will have a lot more games like that. I really think all six teams are capable of upsets. 15 rounds of games like that will be a real marathon.
“That was in the back of all the coaches’ minds – we’re all thinking ‘oh it’s tough’ and physical and managing players is going to be massive. Not just the attrition but the mindset, week to week. That will be the challenge.”

With “positive and calming” new captain Jessica Eden taking over and the introduction of former Black Ferns players Justine Lavea and Olivia Coady, Valley hope to make it two in two against perennial contenders Falcons.
“Jess as been with us since she was a youth player. I have seen her mature and when [former captain Claudia McMeekin] took maternity leave Jess was a strong choice. Her work around the pitch, not just in the huddles but in play and around the players on the field is excellent,” Milo said.
Elsewhere SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay Phoenix hope to make amends from their 55-0 loss to Kowloon last week as they meet HKFC Ice in So Kon Po. Tigers Ladies are looking to repeat their 22-0 win over Gai Wu but must do so against an impressive-looking Kowloon in King’s Park.




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Valley ahead of their first game against Hong Kong Football Club in the men‘s Premiership 2021-22 season. Photo: Hong Kong Rugby Union

Valley Black Ladies player Olivia Coady in a game against HKFC Ice in the women's Premiership 2021-22 season. Photo: Hong Kong Rugby Union

Gai Wu Falcons vs Borrelli Waslsh USRC Tigers Ladies during round 4 of KPMG Women’s Premiership 2020 - 2021 at Kings Park Sports Ground, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong, on 28 November 2020, Hong Kong SAR, China. Photo by : Ike Li / Ike Images

HKRU Men’s Premiership 2021-22 season preview: coaches and captains talk revamps, transitions and recruits

Hong Kong men's team captains and representatives at the HKRU Dettol Premiership 2021-2022 season launch at the Hong Kong Football Club in September. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong Football Club fly-half Glyn Hughes steals the show with a drop goal to maintain the team's unbeaten run this season. Photo: Ike Images

Societe Generale Valley's Mitchell Purvis breaks away from the DAC Kowloon players to score a try. Photo: Ike Images

Valley captain Sion Bennett (second from left) speaks at the HKRU Dettol Premiership 2021-2022 season launch at the Hong Kong Football Club in September. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong Scottish''s Charlie Morgan (Centre) in action during HKU Sandy Bay (white and red uniform) vs HK Scottish at King’s Park Sports Ground in Jordan. 07NOV20 SCMP/Xiaomei Chen

HKU Sandy Bay star Luke van der Smit runs into a powerful Tigers defensive line in the men's Premiership round three on Saturday. Photo: Ike Images

Tigers player Lawrence Miller gets in between Dean Roussow and Alex Post of HKU Sandy Bay. Photo: Ike Images

Herbert Smith Freehills HKU Sandy Bay vs DAC Kowloon during round 4 of Saxo Markets Men’s Premiership 2020 - 2021 at Kings Park Sports Ground, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong, on 28 November 2020, Hong Kong SAR, China. Photo by : Ike Li / Ike Images

HKRU Women’s Premiership 2021-22 season preview: coaches and captains hungry to return to normality

Team captains and representatives at the HKRU Dettol Women's Premiership 2021-2022 season launch at Hong Kong Football Club in Causeway Bay in September. Photo: Ike Images

Societe Generale Valley Black Ladies vs Borrelli Waslsh USRC Tigers Ladies during round 2 of KPMG Women’s Premiership 2020 - 2021 at Kings Park Sports Ground, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong, on 14 November 2020, Hong Kong SAR, China. Photo by : Ike Li / Ike Images

HKFC Ice's Fion Got scores a consolation try against Kowloon in the women's Premiership in Hong Kong Football Club. Photo: Ike Images

SCAA Causeway Bay Phoenix players after a pre-season training at King's Park. Photo: SCAA Causeway Bay Phoenix

Kowloon winger Anjalika Ybema scores a try against HKFC Ice in round three of the domestic women's rugby league on Saturday. Photo: Ike Images

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Braxton Walker on the charge for Kowloon. Photos: Phoebe Leung

Photo: Phoebe Leung

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Sandy Bay captain Lewis Wilson gets a grip on the new HKRU Premiership season. Photos: Ike Li

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Priya Pun, Sahin Gurung, Justine Lavea and Smriti Rai at King’s Park. Lavea said girls need the chance to try out sports to help them develop as children. Photo: Dickson Lee

Former New Zealand women's rugby player Justine Lavea teaching rugby clinics to IBEL secondary school students at King's Park. 30AUG21. SCMP/ Dickson Lee

Justine Lavea. Photo: Handout

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Hong Kong

Rugby

Fifteens

Men's HKRU Premiership

Women's HKRU Premiership

Hong Kong Rugby Union


Fatialofa’s Valley confident in first win of the season against Scottish – ‘we just failed to deliver the killer blow last week’
Valley Black Ladies take on Gai Wu as head coach Milo hopes to shake out final ‘rust and first jitters’



Mark Fatialofa’s Valley confident in first win of the season against Scottish after ‘failing to deliver the killer blow last week’, while Valley Black Ladies take on Gai Wu having felt some ‘rust and first jitters’.


HKRU Premiership

Women’s Rugby

World Rugby