PUBLISHED ON 29 SEP 2025
[Hong Kong, 29 SEPTEMBER 2025]: The Hong Kong Premiership’s title sponsors AIRSIDE in Kai Tak once again played host to the league’s Season Launch, with the 2025/26 season now just five days away.
Monday evening’s event took place at Groundswell, the indoor Surf House on Level 6 of the Mall, and gave players from the city’s top teams the challenge of taking on the FlowRider wave machine.
The Season Launch also included a traditional captain’s photoshoot as men’s and women’s players showed off their club’s 2025/26 playing kits – with several new club partners taking pride of place on the jersey fronts. A player Q&A also gave guests and assembled media the chance to hear insights into each team ahead of the new season.
Nan Fung Group’s partnership with Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) is now in its fourth season, and includes title sponsorship of both the Men’s and Women’s Hong Kong Premierships. For 2025/26 the AIRSIDE brand will remain part of the league name after first being introduced last season, as AIRSIDE continues to play a key role in the growth of the Kai Tak neighbourhood, which also features the newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park.
Vanessa Cheung, Group Managing Director of Nan Fung Group, shared her excitement at the season ahead:
“Nan Fung Group and AIRSIDE are delighted to continue our strong partnership with Hong Kong China Rugby into the 2025/26 season, building on the success of our collaboration in the past three years. “Sharing the same vision with the athletes, we are committed to bringing positive impact to the community through the spirit of sports, fostering strength of the body and power of the mind. We are excited to support and nurture local talent, elevating the profile of the game and driving its growth. We look forward to another exciting season of rugby, working together to inspire and empower the next generation of athletes.”
The 2025/2026 Nan Fung Group |AIRSIDE Hong Kong Premiership will feature six men’s teams and six women’s teams, with a host of Hong Kong China representative 15s stars showcasing their skills in the league each week.
In fact, 21 of the 26 players who took to the field in the successful 2025 Asia Rugby Men’s Championship campaign, that secured a historic qualification to the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027, appeared in last season’s Men’s Premiership. On the women’s side all 28 players who travelled to the 2025 Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, many of whom will be in contention to play in the recently announced 2026 WXV Global Series, appeared in last season’s Women’s Premiership.
Dean McLachlan, HKCR’s newly appointed Executive Director, Domestic Rugby talked about the Premiership competition, and its role in the wider rugby ecosystem in Hong Kong:
“The Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Premiership serves as the pinnacle of our rugby ecosystem in Hong Kong, where men’s and women’s players ply their trade in preparation for the world’s biggest rugby stages.
“The historic qualification of the Hong Kong China Men’s XVs team for the 2027 Rugby World Cup is a moment of great pride, but also a chance to create role models who can ignite passion for rugby in Hong Kong at minis, youth and community levels.
“The incredible success of the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup has shone a fantastic spotlight on the women’s game. We are proud to have introduced HKCR Women’s Club Coaching Officers to each Premiership club last season – most of whom are now entering a second season with their clubs as well as coaching on women’s representative campaigns.
McLachlan also announced a brand-new initiative to run through the 2025/26 season:
On the eve of the new season, we are also proud to officially launch the Nan Fung Impact League. This initiative channels all sponsorship directly to Premiership Clubs, to be focused on sustainability, mental health awareness and community engagement. These are areas that Nan Fung Group are also very passionate about, and it is a pleasure to work with an organisation that is so closely aligned to our own values.
The season kicks off on Saturday 4 October, with two men’s and three women’s fixtures. McLachlan concluded:
We are hugely excited at what should be a very competitive season ahead in both the men’s and women’s leagues. On behalf of everyone at Hong Kong China Rugby I’d like to take this chance to wish the very best to all players, coaches and referees involved, as well as to acknowledge the tireless efforts put in by our club officials and volunteers throughout the season.
ASPHODEL SPONSORSHIP CONTINUES
And back by popular demand, the league’s secondary sponsor Asphodel will once again run their ‘Player of the Round’ award in 2025/26. One male and one female star each weekend will be nominated by Hong Kong China Rugby coaching staff to receive a month’s free membership to use at Asphodel’s three state-of-the-art gyms across the city.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All Nan Fung Group |AIRSIDE Hong Kong Premiership games will be streamed live on the HKCR YouTube Channel, and can be watched back at any time. In addition, one men’s and one women’s match each week will be featured in a short “Game of the Week” highlight video.
- Men’s results and standings will be updated throughout the season here
- Women’s results and standings will be updated throughout the season here
LEAGUE FORMAT
In the 2025/26 season all teams will play one another three times, across 15 match weekends. At the end of the season in February, the top four teams will advance to the Semi-Finals and Grand Final which will be played in March.
The leagues’ traditional Super Saturdays also return, bringing all six teams together for back-to-back matches at Kings Park Sports Ground. The men’s showcase event takes place in round two of fixtures (Saturday 11 October), with the women’s event following in round three of fixtures (Saturday 18 October).
TEAMS AND CCOs
Ahead of the season’s opening weekend, the Hong Kong China Rugby website will publish ‘Meet the Teams’ articles that include quotes from all CCOs and WCCOs and a preview of their team’s season. Click here to view the men’s and women’s article pages, which will be added to later this week.
Men’s Premiership
- HKFC Natixis Club: Logan Asplin (recently appointed as Head Coach of the Hong Kong China Men’s XVs – recruitment for a new CCO is ongoing)
- HKU Sandy Bay RFC: Marno Meyer
- Societe Generale Valley RFC: Augustine Leger
- Milwaukee Hong Kong Scottish: Ngatai Walker
- Kowloon Rugby Club: Lewis Wilson
- Kroll USRC Tigers RFC: Nigel Hotham
Women’s Premiership
- Societe Generale Valley RFC: Bella Milo
- HKFC Natixis Ice: Hannah Edwards (serves as the Head of Women’s Rugby – recruitment for a devoted WCCO is ongoing)
- Clement Shield/VetiVa Gai Wu Falcons: Tumua Ioane
- Kroll USRC Tigers Women: Conor Joyce
- Kowloon Rugby Club: Terry Sibanda
- Causeway Sandy Bay: Keving Moggridge
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