With two weeks remaining in the Premiership season the hunt is on for coveted spots in the final standings as Hong Kong’s elite men’s and women’s rugby teams jockey for post-season positions in the hunt for Grand Championship glory.

For the six men’s Premiership clubs, second place in the league table, (Societe Generale Valley have already wrapped up the league title), will secure a first round play-off bye and additional recovery time for their push to make the Grand Championship final. The remaining four clubs will enter a quarter-final stage to determine who advances to the semi finals alongside the teams that advanced with byes.

At present, the battle for second is a two-way race with Leighton Asia HKCC currently clinging to the runners-up position with 37 points, followed by Natixis HKFC in third on 32 points. Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers lie in fourth on 27 points, followed by Sabre Kowloon in sixth place on 18 points. League champions Societe Generale Valley are in first place with 54 points.

Hong Kong Football Club will be out to make it four wins on the trot when they face Tigers at Sports Road at 15.00. HKFC handed Valley its first loss of the season just prior to the cessation of the league for the Natixis Cup and the Chinese New Year holiday, a win that will have added some momentum to their push to secure that first-round bye.

“This is another important game for us,” said HKFC coach Phil Bailey, “the result will help clarify how it all comes out in the wash. We have aspirations to finish second and get a week off otherwise we will have to leave our fate up to others.”

HKFC has been preparing hard for their showdown with Tigers. “Obviously you do your research [on the opposition] but we are focused on our own game. Tigers are a similar side to us and I expect it to be a fast game, especially if the good weather holds,” Bailey added.

As has been the case for most of the season, HKFC are still juggling line-ups due to injury concerns. “We’re still struggling to have enough of our players fit. As soon as one or two are good, others seem to pick up injuries that keep them out,” said a frustrated Bailey.

There is at least a glimmer of light on the forwards front for Football Club, as back rowers Dan Falvey and Eddie Botha are both fit to play after the holiday break, with Falvey in particular coming off a lengthy injury.

Tigers are coming off their most successful league season in three years and coach Craig Stewart is now intent on focusing his side for the post-season.

“Like all of the clubs, we’re looking towards the end of the season now, starting with the quarter finals. This game against Football Club is important as we go into the next couple of weeks. We’re pretty happy with our attack. We’ve found a way to attack that suits us but as the competition becomes more intense, we need to be a lot sharper defensively,” Stewart said.

Stewart is expecting all of the clubs to raise their level once again with the play-offs looming.

“Moving into this end of season period, the level of rugby will increase. All teams are working to build momentum, hitting that path into the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and hopefully the final. Like other Premiership teams, injuries and availability have affected us and we haven’t been able to field a consistent team but that’s rugby,” added Stewart.

Ahead of the clash at Club, prop Dan Barlow has been ruled out with injury for the Tigers while Calvin Hunter will start from the bench after not being able to fully train this week. Centre Braam Gerber has returned to playing fitness adding to Tigers’ options out wide.

Leighton Asia Hong Kong Cricket Club will travel to Kings Park to face off with Sabre Kowloon tomorrow at 16.30. It will be the second consecutive meeting for the two-sides after they met last week to fulfill a previously scheduled fixture that was rained out in round 8. HKCC ultimately emerged victorious from that delayed contest, winning 38-15, but will now be called upon to replicate that result if they are to keep their hopes of a runners-up league finish intact.

Adding to the spice of this weekend’s clashes is the fact that wins for both Hong Kong Cricket Club and Hong Kong Football Club will keep them neck-and-neck before an ultimate decider between the two sides in Round 15 at Football Club.

Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish has the massive task of taking on Societe Generale Valley – after they suffered their first loss of the season two weeks ago. More re-shuffling in the Scottish line is on the cards for tomorrow as Jonny Healey earns the start in the back row alongside Harris Grant and Kane Boucaut. Ben Cullen moves up the line one position as he shifts from outside to inside centre to rest Lex Kaleca while Rob Cleary will start at outside centre. Scottish have also called upon Aaron Harris, Zac Dickinson and Chris Gist, all on loan from Discovery Bay Pirates, for the clash with the league champions tomorrow at Happy Valley 8 (16.30).

First place is all that matters in the seven-team HKRU Women’s Premiership competition, meanwhile, as the league champion earns an automatic bye to the semi-finals. The remaining six teams will contest the quarter-finals to produce the final pairings for the semis.

At the moment, defending league champions Societe Generale Ladies have the upper hand on their perennial rivals CPM Gai Wu Falcons. Valley is atop the league with their perfect 10 win, no loss record putting them on 48 points.

Falcons, who have a bye this weekend, are a close-run second with nine wins and two losses for 41 points leaving them the slimmest of mathematical possibilities to claim the top spot in the league – but also leaving them needing help from Transact24 Tai Po Dragon Ladies to put an end to Valley’s perfect record this weekend. That will be a big ask for the Tai Po outfit, who are presently tied for sixth place alongside Sabre Kowloon. Tai Po Dragons will face Valley on Saturday at KGV at 18.00.

Fourth-placed Natixis HKFC Ice will face off against fifth-ranked SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay Phoenix at Football Club (18.00) following the men’s Premiership game, while third placed Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers take on Sabre Kowloon Ladies who are tied-sixth with Tai Po Dragons at the bottom of the table. That match will be played at Kings Park 2 at 18.00.

With the Women’s Premiership league title looking like it will stay in the Valley for another season, all eyes will focus on the Grand Championships, which could be a rematch of last year’s final between Valley and Gai Wu.

Any questions about how that match will be settled could be answered in the 14th and final round of the HKRU Women’s Premiership on 20th February when the two sides face off in the last league match of the season.