appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

SCMP Sport

It was a heavyweight slog-fest in the Dettol Hong Kong men’s Premiership round five as Societe Generale Valley held off ImpactHK HKU Sandy Bay 16-7 at a scorching Happy Valley on Saturday.
The mid-table tie got off to a high-energy start with Valley’s notorious front pack shining and set-piece pressure counting against an stubborn HKU Sandy Bay defence.
An early penalty broke the deadlock for Valley, who looked comfortable with scrum-half Ruan du Plooy back in position, before dependable forward Domenico Hegglin scored from good interplay – his second in two games.
But from then it became a seriously scrappy affair, with penalties, unforced errors and tired legs halting momentum throughout. HKU Sandy Bay key man Luke van der Smit bulldozed one back, bringing it to 10-7 by half-time.

Though it wasn’t the prettiest of second halves, the pair showed grit to neutralise each other’s bruising attacks. It became a case of who would concede fewer penalties in a fault-filled outing. New Valley fly-half Thomas Smith took advantage of HKU Sandy Bay’s mistakes, adding three penalties to his opener to bring the score to within arm’s length.
Neither coach would likely be very pleased with the overall displays but it nonetheless showed the fine margins in this season’s top division.

“A lot of positives and a lot of things to work on. But at the end of the day we got the win which is the main thing,” said Valley captain Sion Bennett.
“They are known to be a big pack but I thought we held our own in the scrum. The last couple of game [our] set-piece has been really dominant, and today it was actually quite nice to get the win while our set-piece wasn’t.
“There was no point in the game that we were worried we were going to lose. They had a couple of dominant carriers but our defence was good and we didn’t look too threatened.”

Valley, like the rest of the league, now have a one-week break before their next-round duel with rivals Natixis Hong Kong Football Club.
“We’ve got a bit of a rest, then Football Club. That’s always a good game and it’s in the Hong Kong Stadium as well. No matter how you prepare for that, it’s always going to be intense,” Bennett said.“ It’s still a long season, so as long as you’re firing at the back end. We’re showing some good things in some games and others in other games. So it’s trying to piece all of that together.”
HKU Sandy Bay captain Lewis Wilson lamented the team’s consistent handling errors, but is very confident that they will get back in the win column with time and a reinforcement or two.


“It was disappointing. We’ll need to look back at that, but not happy at all. It was pretty poor from us. It’s the same story as the last few weeks. Simple mistakes, playing in the wrong areas, and putting ourselves under pressure through unforced errors and a penalty count. We don’t feel challenged by any of the other teams in the league, but we put pressure on ourselves,” Wilson said.“ I can’t fault the effort. The boys put in the work and were in absolute bits coming off the pitch. The lack of accuracy is killing us but we can fix that.”
Meanwhile, KPMG Hong Kong Scottish won their first game of the season against DAC Kowloon 21-20, while Football Club silenced their doubters with a 52-10 humbling of Kroll USRC Tigers while returning to a familiar first place in the league standings.
In the Dettol women’s Premiership, in-form Valley Black Ladies outclassed SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay Phoenix 54-0 at Happy Valley.

Player-coach Bella Milo and former New Zealand international Olivia Coady proved too much, with Milo scoring a hat-trick and Coady a brace.
Causeway Bay, who handed out debuts to several national under-20 players, were at times defensively sound, stopping constant attacks to hold Valley to 40 points until the last few minutes.
But it was clear from Valley’s commanding lead 26-0 at half-time that Phoenix’s winless run this season will continue into the Hong Kong Stadium Series starting in round six.

Valley captain Jessica Eden gave credit to their resilient opponents, who have lost four games on the trot by more than 50 points.
“They gave us some trouble in the set-piece and line-out, but our forwards corrected that in the second half. We turned to the bench and got some combinations going and they held up pretty well,” Eden said.
“We’re building nicely and feeling good. We’ve won all our games and we identify fixes after each one. If we keep improving those thing we will end up where we want to be at the end of the season.”


Causeway Bay coach Prince Wong Tsz-ying was very encouraged by the young team despite the humbling defeat.
“This was our best game of the season by far. The environment, effort and commitment of the entire team was right on,” Wong said. “We improved a lot. We made some real breakthroughs. Unfortunately, after all that hard work, our mistakes ruined any momentum and we stopped us from taking advantage of our opportunities. We defended well for 79 minutes but lost the focus and gave up two easy tries. That’s not what we’re about. I want my team focused through to the final whistle.
“We won’t take [the week off] easy, we will work hard in the break and I’m sure the team will have shown improvement for the rest of the season. I can’t say a win is coming soon, but our first try is definitely on the way.”
Elsewhere, Gai Wu Falcons drew 22-22 with Kowloon, while Tigers Ladies beat HKFC Ice 17-10.
Both the men’s and women’s Premiership will return on October 30 at Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po.


Hong Kong Football Club seal double with narrow win over Valley RFC in men’s premiership final

Hong Kong Rugby Premiership: Kowloon see off Scottish in scrappy opening encounter

Sandy Bay land Toronto Arrows second row Adrian Wadden under talent transfer deal between Hong Kong and Canadian rugby

Hong Kong Football Club name New Zealander Logan Asplin as rugby head coach

HKRU Premiership

HKRU Premiership: Valley hold off surging Sandy Bay as Valley Black dominate Causeway Bay Phoenix

Valley winger Whiria Meltzer in a game against HKU Sandy Bay in the men's rugby Premiership. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong sevens team captain Max Woodward plays his first game of the men's rugby Premiership season for Valley. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong national sevens star Chloe Chan in a game for Valley Black Ladies against Causeway Bay Phoenix in the women's rugby Premiership. Photo: Phoebe Leung

Valley Black Ladies captain Jessica Eden in a game against Causeway Bay Phoenix in the women's rugby Premiership in Happy Valley. Photo: Phoebe Leung

Valley player Hugo Stiles returns from the Hong Kong national sevens team's tournament in Canada last month. Photo: Ike Images

Valley player Ruan Duplooy in a game against HKU Sandy Bay in the men's Premiership in Happy Valley. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong rugby Premiership: HKU Sandy Bay relish Valley test as coach admits ‘frustration’ with early struggles

Sandy Bay captain Lewis Wilson against Kowloon in the men’s rugby Premiership. Photos: Ike Images

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

SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay Phoenix in a scrum against Kowloon Ladies in the women's rugby Premiership new season round one in King's Park Sports Ground. Photo: Phoebe Leung

Valley Black Ladies number 8 Olivia Coady against Tigers Ladies in a Hong Kong women's rugby Premiership round three game in King's Park. Photo: Phoebe Leung

HKU Sandy Bay player Gair Currie against Kowloon in round one of the men's rugby Premiership new season in King's Park Sports Ground. Photo: Ike Images

Government quarantine exemption for Hong Kong rugby sevens team ‘best for the sport’, says star player

Hong Kong men’s rugby sevens player Liam Herbert in action against Fiji in a friendly match before the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens event. Photo: Ike Images

Edmonton Sevens: Hong Kong's Max Denmark looks to strip Mexico of the ball in Edmonton

Members of Hong Kong 7S after at the end of the match against Mexico, HSBC World Rugby Seven Series at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. On Saturday, 25 September 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Hong Kong Football club take on Scottish in rugby Premiership round four – ‘Go big or go home’

Hong Kong Football Club player Charlie Kingham celebrates after a try in their win against Valley in the 2020-21 season. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong Scottish player Sean Taylor scores against Valley defence in the men's 2021-22 Premiership round two at Shek Kip Mei. Photo: Phoebe Leung

Gai Wu player Chow Mei-nam against Valley Black Ladies in the women's Premiership 2021-22 round two in Shek Kip Mei. Photo: Phoebe Leung

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

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

HKRU Premiership: Tigers’ new director of rugby Lewis Evans outlines long-term vision after stellar pro career with Dragons

Former Dragons captain and Wales international Lewis Evans, Tigers director of rugby and head coach of the men's Premiership team, at the 2021-22 season launch in Hong Kong Football Club. Photo: Ike Images

Tigers teammates congratulate substitute Craig Lodge after scoring the game-winning try in King's Park. Photo: Ike Images

Hong Kong fan favourite Salom Yiu Kam-shing runs past South Korean opponents in an Asia Rugby Sevens Qualifier men's match in 2015. Photo: HKRU

(From left) Tigers Ladies coach Fan Shun-kei, Tigers Ladies captain Emily Underwood, Tigers captain Lawrence Miller and Tigers coach and director of rugby Lewis Evans at the HKRU Dettol Premiership 2021- 2022 launch at the Hong Kong Football Club. Photo: Ike Images

HKRU Premiership: Tigers overcome injuries and sin bins to beat Valley as Black Ladies hold on in nail-biting win

Tigers forward Jamie Chipman digs in against Valley in the HKRU Men’s Premiership round three clash in King's Park. Photo: Phoebe Leung

Tigers Ladies' Nam Ka-man against Valley Black Ladies in the Hong Kong women's rugby Premiership round three in King's Park. Photo: Hong Kong Rugby Union

Tigers player Joshua Henderson against Valley in the Hong Kong men's rugby Premiership round three in King's Park. Photo: Phoebe Leung

Tigers men's captain Lawrence Miller against Valley in the Hong Kong rugby Premiership round three in King's Park. Photo: Phoebe Lenug

Sport

Hong Kong

Rugby

Fifteens

Men's HKRU Premiership

Women's HKRU Premiership

Hong Kong Rugby Union


Valley secure scrappy 16-7 victory over HKU Sandy Bay – ‘they are known to be a big pack but I thought we held our own’
Valley Black out-play Causeway Bay Phoenix 54-0 – ‘We’ve won all of our games and identify fixes after each one’



Valley secure a scrappy 16-7 victory over HKU Sandy Bay, while Valley Black out-play Causeway Bay Phoenix 54-0 before next round’s important Hong Kong Stadium Series.


Hong Kong China Rugby

Women’s Rugby