NAN FUNG GROUP | AIRSIDE HONG KONG PREMIERSHIP: MEN'S SEMI-FINALS PREVIEW

The Grand Championship semi-final round of the 2025/26 Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Hong Kong Premiership sees the Men’s League champions HKFC Natixis Club take on Kowloon Rugby Club, while Societe Generale Valley RFC will host Kroll USRC Tigers RFC on Saturday 7 March.

HKFC have won the most titles, with 11 under their belt and most recently in 2024, while Valley RFC have the second-most titles with 7, but 2018 is the last time they won. Kowloon have won the Grand Finals once in 2016, and Kroll USRC Tigers RFC are yet to win a maiden championship.

HKFC Natixis Club vs Kowloon Rugby Club - HKFC 15:10

In the regular season, HKFC lost the first encounter to Kowloon 18-36, and then won the next two matches 46-28 and 51-13.

Ben Siffleet joined HKFC Rugby as Men’s Club Coaching Officer and the Premiership Men’s Head Coach in December 2025 from Taranaki Rugby, where he served as a Coach Development Lead & Community Rugby Support (after the season had started), but oversaw a positive run of results which saw them top the league. 

He said of his first season in Hong Kong and the semi-final this weekend, “It’s been an incredibly enjoyable experience. The rugby has been competitive week in, week out, and the standard across the competition has been high.

The 2025/26 Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Hong Kong Premiership has been very well run and well supported. All six teams have been highly competitive - genuinely, anyone can beat anyone on their day. That level of competitiveness makes every week a challenge and is great for the growth of the game here.

Semifinals are always different, and knockout rugby is about small moments. A single decision, or a single piece of brilliance, can control the game. But for us, the week needs to look the same. It’s another game of rugby. We’ll stick to what’s been working, focus on controlling what we can control, and make sure we’re clear on our roles.”

The team will be going into the weekend as the top-ranked side and League Champions. He added of wrapping up that silverware, “Winning the league is an honour and a reflection of how hard the players have worked and fronted up throughout the entire season. It’s recognition for consistency and commitment.

That said, it’s only part of the job. We reset now. Knockout rugby is what defines seasons, and in a couple of weeks, no one will remember who topped the table; they’ll remember who performs when it matters most.”

Siffleet added that the whole squad has put in a great effort this season, as several players have been on duty with the HKCR XVs and 7s squads. “We’ve used 54 players in the Premiership squad this season, and every single one of them has stepped up when required. That speaks volumes about the depth and culture within the group.

We’re also fortunate to have several players involved in the representative 15s and 7s programmes, which adds real experience and standards to our environment. Quintony Ngatai has been a strong leader at halfback and controls the game well. Madison Hunting’s work rate is outstanding, and that’s complemented by the experience and leadership of our captain, Patrick Jenkinson.”

He added that he has gained valuable experience and learning as a coach. “There have been plenty of learnings for me personally, and I hope that continues. Coming into a new environment with a new group of players and coaches has been exciting. Building those relationships and understanding how to get the best out of the group has been a big focus, and I’ve felt incredibly supported throughout the season.”

Lewis Wilson, the Kowloon Men’s Head Coach, said of reaching the semifinals and the season as a whole, “We’re proud as a group to have put ourselves in this position. This season has been genuinely enjoyable. We’ve had spells where we’ve played some very good rugby, and other moments where we’ve had to roll our sleeves up and grind results out. We’ve had to scrap, adjust, and stay in fights. In hindsight, that’s probably the best preparation you can have heading into knockout rugby.

I’m grateful to be working in a league that is so well supported by HKCR and its sponsors. There are a lot of people behind the scenes who work incredibly hard to produce such a strong domestic competition, and that effort shouldn’t go unnoticed.

The Premiership has been excellent this season. What’s impressed me most is how competitive it’s been from week to week. Results have rarely been predictable, and that’s exactly what you want from a top-tier competition. It forces everyone to evolve, adapt, and keep standards high because there genuinely are no easy fixes.

It’s also brilliant to see both Tigers and Kowloon in the semi-finals. After finishing fifth and sixth last season, to now both be in the knockouts shows the progress being made across the clubs. If we do our job this weekend, we’d love the opportunity to meet them in a final.”

He said the challenge that awaits them, “Semi-finals are different. I believe we only have one member of the squad who’s played in a Hong Kong Premiership semi-final in the last ten years, so for most of this group it’s new territory. The margins get tighter, the tempo lifts, and the emotional intensity goes up another level. There’s no “we’ll fix it next week”. It's all on the day, and that suits us. We’ve worked hard to build a group that embraces discomfort rather than avoids it.

Our approach won’t change dramatically. We’ll focus on clarity, discipline, and doing the basics well. But at this stage, composure becomes your most valuable asset. It’s about controlling what we can control, trusting our preparation, and embracing the pressure rather than shying away from it. If you’re lucky enough to play in the semi-finals, you may as well enjoy the occasion.”

Lewis Wilson agreed that it had been a genuine squad effort this campaign. “What’s been most pleasing is the growth across the group rather than reliance on one or two individuals. This is probably the strongest overall squad we’ve had in the last three seasons. The depth has allowed us to stay competitive across the year, and the level of commitment from the players has been admirable. 

We’ve used over 45 players this season, which tells its own story about the demands of the competition but also about the trust within the group. Everyone has contributed.”

Of his own learnings, he explained, “Patience. Probably more patience than I naturally have. This season reinforced that development isn’t always linear, for individuals or for teams. There were weeks when we wanted to accelerate progress, but growth sometimes comes from working through tough patches rather than avoiding them.

I’ve also been reminded that clarity beats complexity. When the pressure comes on, players fall back on what’s simple and well-rehearsed. The more clarity we’ve provided around roles and expectations, the more confident the group has become.

And finally, culture matters. The connection within the squad and their willingness to work for each other have probably been our most important assets.”

Societe Generale Valley RFC vs Kroll USRC Tigers RFC - Happy Valley Recreation Ground 17:45

Men’s runner-up Societe Generale Valley RFC beat Kroll USRC Tigers RFC in the regular season twice, 41-28 and 30-17, with one game called off and deemed a draw.

Overall, Societe Generale Valley RFC won 11 times this season to finish second, and Head Coach ‘Gus’ Leger joined them in 2023, having prior experience and roles within Super Rugby with Moana Pasifika, Auckland Blues U20s, New Zealand Secondary Schools and the New Zealand Barbarian Schools programme.

He is still on course to surpass last season, where the Men finished third in the Premiership and lost to the eventual champions in the semi-final playoffs. They will want to be in the mix on Saturday 14 March, but know they have tough opponents this weekend.

He had said at the start of the season, “The takeaways from last year are that you have to make sure you have good depth. And this was possibly one of the reasons why we fell short of the mark of making it to the final game. We’re ensuring that we have that depth in the majority of our positions, and just creating a culture that once you do get to the last two or three games in the season, that everyone's contributed to be better versions of themselves.”

This being the club's 50th anniversary celebrations, he hopes he can lead them to a first Grand Final title win since 2018.

For Kroll USRC Tigers RFC, Head Coach Nigel Hotham has taken them from 6th to 3rd in just his second season in charge, which saw them improve from one-win last season to eight this season. 

They have their sights on a first-ever Grand Championship Final, and Hotham said, “We are generally pleased with many aspects of our Tigers Prems that have improved this season. We have continued to grow and foster a strong team, and club culture has been a real focus and reflected in both how our teams have performed and the support we give each other. 

The semi-final provides another opportunity for us to ‘get better’ which is what we have strived to do all season.”

The former Hamilton Boys' High School's first XV coach said that player depth has been a key aspect in the Premiership and was tested throughout the season, and that several players had impressed.

“The quality of play in the Prem, I think, has improved from last season due to several factors, including the injection of quality players from overseas and the involvement of the full-time HKCR contracted players. Any team can knock over any other on any weekend, as we’ve seen several times this season.

It is challenging to name individuals for us who stood out, as different players have impressed at different times. I think it's fair to say our position on the table and in the semis has been a team effort, moulded by captain Jay Williams and the players’ leadership group.”

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