HKFC SNAP VALLEY’S WIN STREAK 20-17, HKCC EDGE TIGERS IN 12-TRY THRILLER IN SANDY BAY

30th Jan 2016


Natixis Hong Kong Football Club ended Societe Generale Valley’s perfect record today at Sports Road, handing the league champions a 20-17 loss after reserve prop Matt Onesemo scored a brace of tries in the space of six minutes in the second half.

Despite HKFC’s inspirational win, Leighton Asia Hong Kong Cricket Club kept their hunt for that ever elusive second-place finish in the Premiership standings alive after beating Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers 42-41 in a 12-try exhibition at Sandy Bay. It was the second time in three weeks that Tigers have been on the wrong end of a one-point loss. Sabre Kowloon clawed back into contention after handing Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish a 29-0 loss at King’s Park, with a 26 point second half putting the match well out of reach of Scottish.

Today’s results leave HKFC and HKCC tied-second in the standings on 32 points with HKCC having a game in hand, against Kowloon. That match will be played on Thursday night at Aberdeen. Tigers are in fourth place on 27 points after collecting a bonus point for their loss within seven. Scottish are clinging to fifth place on 20 points, two ahead of Kowloon who collected the bonus point win for scoring four tries.

HKFC delighted its supporters by holding on for the late win against Valley. Club struck first through the reliable boot of scrumhalf Jamie Hood who slotted a penalty in the fifth minute and added a second in the 38th to keep his side within touching distance of league champions Valley. Valley’s first half points came from a try to hooker Dayne Jans try in the 17th minute. Flyhalf Nicholas Holton’s conversion was good and he later added a penalty to give the visitors a 10-6 lead at halftime.

A tense third quarter saw no change in the scoring until super substitute Matt Onesemo scored his first try of the match in the 23rd minute, collecting his brace five minutes later. Hood coolly slotted both conversions to give Football Club a 20-10 lead with ten minutes remaining. Valley’s bevy of internationals nearly came through late in the match as Hong Kong winger Salom Yiu Kam Shing scored in the 37th minute with scrumhalf Ben Rimene adding the conversion to pull Valley to within three points, but the HKFC defence held strong to hand Valley their first loss of the campaign.

Pragmatic HKFC coach Phil Bailey was more intent on achieving his goal of winning three matches in a row for the first time all season then ending Valley’s streak, saying “Today we were only focused on the fact that we haven’t won three games in a row all season. Ending Valley’s streak didn’t play any part in what we were after. I didn't even know they were unbeaten. Our goal was purely three wins on the trot and they just happened to be the team in front of us.

“At half-time we were behind but we were still in it. I think it shows that we’ve come a long way this season and the guys now have that bit of mental steel where we know that if we are in it at halftime we can be in it in the last minute as well,” Bailey added.

“We were beaten by a better team at the end of the day,” acknowledged Valley coach Jack Isaac. “They outmuscled us and we made a thousand errors. When you play quality sides you can’t afford that. We played pretty ordinary footy today. It may be a kick in the bum for us, but in any case it’s a reflection of where the teams are at now. There isn’t much difference between a few of the teams now. I think it shows the boys that if you make mistakes like we did today, you’re not going to win the tight matches.”

HKFC’s win keeps them in the thick of the race for the vital second place in the final standings – and an automatic quarterfinals bye in the Grand Championships. HKFC maintain second place in the standings with a 7-6 record and 32 points, but will have to share it with HKCC whose victory brought their record to 6-6 with a game in hand against Kowloon, which will be played on Thursday evening. Valley are still firmly atop the table at 12-1 and 54 points. Tigers are in fourth place on 27 points followed by Scottish on 20 and Kowloon on 18.

HKCC extended its margin over Tigers to five points after some heroics from Alex McQueen, who slotted a penalty in the 81st minute to give his club a 42-41 win in a game where the lead changed hands numerous times with a total of 12 tries scored.

Tigers enjoyed a superb start, scoring twice in the first fifteen minutes through lock Craig Lodge and No.8 Nathan Watts, with centre Liam Gallaher adding both conversions. Winger Jamie Robinson scored the first points for HKCC in the 20th minute with McQueen, playing at centre today in a change from his usual fullback spot, adding the conversion, cutting Tigers’ lead to 14-7 after the first quarter.

Later in the half, Tigers scrumhalf Cado Lee scored the first of a brace of tries this afternoon, selling a lovely dummy off an attacking lineout deep in HKCC territory to extend his side’s lead to what seemed to be a commanding 21-7 margin after the conversion from fly-half Hawera Wharenui - who tormented HKCC with some excellent touch-finders in the opening half.

But in a portent of what was to happen in the second half, HKCC struck back in quick succession, with two tries in the last seven minutes. Alex McQueen scored the first in what was a stellar performance for the versatile Hong Kong back on an afternoon where he was involved in nearly every one of HKCC’s six tries on the afternoon.

Later Robinson completed his first-half brace to pull the Cricketers back into contention as they trailed Tigers by four points, 21-17, at halftime.

The sides played each other to a stalemate in the early exchanges of the second half, before a great counter attack from McQueen put the HKCC pack deep into Tigers territory. Three collapsed scrums later and referee Dewi Rowlands raced under the posts to award HKCC a penalty try. McQueen’s conversion gave the hosts their first lead, 24-21. Minutes later, McQueen added his first penalty of the afternoon with HKCC seemingly taking control at 27-21.

But in the 60th minute flanker Calvin Hunter broke away from the attentions of the HKCC pack for the try, putting Tigers back in the lead after Gallaher’s conversion, 27-28, entering the last quarter.

Next it was HKCC’s other winger, Jonathan Patterson, who supplied the second half heroics as he balanced his partner Jamie Robinson’s first half brace with one of his own. Patterson’s first try came in the 64th minute, McQueen’s conversion giving Cricket Club back the lead 34-28.

Undaunted, Tigers roared back with 13 unanswered points as Cado Lee collected his second try, followed by a try from Liam Gallaher and a penalty from reserve flyhalf Matt Price. Tigers had seemingly turned the tables on Cricket Club jumping out to a 41-34 lead with five minutes left.

In the 78th minute, Patterson flashed some excellent pace and strength on the ball to pull HKCC back into contention with a try in the corner to pull HKCC to within two points of the lead. For once, McQueen’s reliable boot let him down. His conversion fell short and it looked as if Tigers had done just enough to hold on for the win.

In stoppage time, HKCC were awarded a penalty and this time McQueen struck it beautifully from 40 metres out, handing his side a miraculous 42-41 win. McQueen finished with seventeen points on the afternoon off a try, two penalties and three conversions. Tigers centre Liam Gallaher notched eleven points off a try and three conversions, while HKCC wings Robinson and Patterson and Tigers scrumhalf Lee all accounted for ten points with two tries apiece.

“That wasn’t good for the arteries,” joked HKCC coach Deacon Manu after the match. “Despite lots of defensive errors by both teams it was a pretty good game of rugby in terms of the attack and the way both teams wanted to play. It was a good showcase for rugby and it could have gone either way, but it was great to see Alex nailing the kick in the clinch to seal the win,” Manu added.

Societe Generale Valley & Gai Wu Falcons keep two-horse race alive in HKRU Women’s Premiership*

At least one Valley side kept its perfect record intact this afternoon as Societe Generale Valley Black Ladies romped to a 71-0 win over Sabre Kowloon Ladies. The win keeps Valley well at the top of the league table with a 10-0 record and 48 points, giving them a commanding grip on first place.

It was the Hong Kong and perhaps future Hong Kong show for second-ranked CPM Gai Wu Falcons this afternoon as they beat Natixis HKFC Ice 17-0 behind second half tries from established Hong Kong stars Sham Wai Sum and Candy Cheng Tsz Ting.

Seventeen-year old Lucy Ross added the icing on the cake scoring her first try in her debut Premiership season to help Falcons cruise home to a 17-0 win. The talented Hong Kong Under 19 representative is proving she is one to watch for the future.


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