The new-look KPMG Women’s Premiership, which kicks off tomorrow, is shaping up to be more competitive than ever, with the women’s game drawing energy from Hong Kong's debut participation in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August.

The HKRU has expanded this season’s Premiership to a record eight teams with 2016/17 National League 1 champions Tai Po Dragon Ladies returning to the Premiership take up the extra spot.

An innovative league structure is designed to boost the competitiveness of games, the skills of individuals and the strength of teams, supporting the drive to build Hong Kong’s prowess in fifteens.

In the first half of the season, up to Christmas, each of the eight teams plays all others before splitting to a Premiership of the four top-placed teams, and a Premiership Development league of the lower four.

The Premiership winners secure the KPMG Women’s Premiership League Cup, while in the Premiership Development, extra bragging rights will accrue to the eventual holders of the KPMG Premiership Development Challenge Trophy, which will start the year in the hands of the fifth-placed team and then pass to any team that beats them, and so on.

The Grand Championships will feature all eight teams, playing quarter-finals, semis, and the Grand Final, for a total of 16 rounds. In addition, there will be three Super Series games and Super Series Development games, featuring sides drawn from a mix of players from across the club teams.

At the end of the season, the lowest-placed team in the Premiership Development will be relegated to National League 1, while the winners of that league will be promoted.

KPMG’s support was heartily welcomed by HKRU Chief Executive Robbie McRobbie, who said, “With interest and participation in women’s rugby growing stronger each year, the steadfast support from KPMG offers a lot of girls and women the chance to play and be part of a more recognised and successful sport.”

On the pitch, all eyes will be on Societe Generale Valley Black Ladies who enter the fray off the back of a third straight unbeaten season, 42 consecutive matches won. But if that might be a burden to some, Valley wear it lightly.

Newly in charge of the Valley Premiership team is former Samoan national captain and Hong Kong national backs coach, Bella Milo. She has been a big part of Valley’s success, and is one of two women coaches in this season’s Premiership.

“We had a camp last week in Sheung Shui, with the aim of bringing both our teams closer. Our aim is to promote off-the-field relationships. We want to develop a lot of our group and will give more players game time in the first half of the season,” Milo revealed.

There are no major withdrawals from the squad, but unlike last year, a couple of big hitters have been added. Aroha Savage, Blacks Fern World Cup champion will play at number 8, and Rawinia Everitt, former Black Fern, arrives with an injury that will keep her from playing the start of the season, but affords her extra time to settle in as Assistant Coach.

Milo said, “Everyone is eager to get playing, putting into practice some of the details we’ve focused on pre-season. The league is looking a lot better. I expect higher intensity levels and a good competition.”

Under new sponsorship, Gai Wu ECO Lifestyle Fitness are looking to build on last season, when they suffered losses only to Valley, and are confident to go one better having reduced the gap against their arch-rivals last season, from a 28-3 thumping early on to gritty, tight contests in the season-closing league game (8-7) and Grand Championship final (15-7)

The team has seen a lot of changes in personnel, which, says coach Lai Yiu Pang, is why they are running three teams, “to press development, so that players can come through, challenge each other and the seniors. It helps to keep the club strong.”

Injuries from national duty to Christy Cheng and Lau Sze Wa, combined with the absence of Hong Kong sevens players training for the Asian series, leave Lai working hard to put out the team he wants early on.

Several new additions excite Lai. Charmaine Da Costa, who has been playing for the club in NL2/NL3, has caught the attention of the national sevens set-up. And teenage fly half Jasmine Fung, who only joined last season, put in such impressive hit-out performances last Saturday that Lai will use her to replace veteran Lee Tsz Ting, who is focusing on her sevens game.

Others moving up from Gai Wu’s lower levels to the first team include flanker Justine Chan; prop Cherry Ng; and scrumhalf Wong Suet Ying. Ng will be making a big jump after playing NL3 rugby last season.

“The first half of the season will be a good chance to look at the whole squad and our bench depth. I hope to build a squad of 30 or even 35 players. The league is about consistent performance throughout the season and in the more challenging second half we will need that depth,” observes Lai.

The ambitions of Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers to improve on last season’s third place are now in the hands of Fan Shun Kei, former Hong Kong national half-back, who played for Tigers from age 13, right through his club career and has recently been coaching the national Men’s U20 Sevens side.

“The key challenges for us are to develop a performance culture across the whole squad and enhance the basic skill sets for those players,” said Fan.

The squad features a crop of new players, including a couple of capable 19-year-olds from New Zealand, prop Abbey Rivers and fly half Sarah Swinbanks. Fan enthuses that, “Abbey offers some hard ball carrying and physicality, and Sarah can use her experience to direct the games and enhance our kicking game.”

Fan is looking to rotate in players from lower levels to give them experience. As the season kicks off, injuries and absences are making that a necessity.

“The hardest thing at the moment is losing some key players to sevens duty. Our objective for the first half is to finish in the top four so I’m trying to promote some of the new players to give them a taste of Premiership rugby.”

A second new female coach in this year’s league, taking the helm at Natixis HKFC Ice, is another star at national level, Royce Chan Leong Sze. Just back from playing in the World Cup, she is fired up by the experience and eager to apply with the team what she learned there.

Having held on to the middle spot in the seven-team 2017/18 Premiership, her side’s second season in the league, Chan recognises that every point counts as the team looks to secure a place in the top half.

HKFC is in somewhat of a rebuild, with new players arriving from other clubs and overseas. She will be playing herself, as much as possible, alongside her coaching duties. National teammate Rose Hopewell-Fong will also continue as a player while serving in a coaching support role.

Newly joined from Australia, where she played at national sevens level, is Rachel Crothers. Two quality players are also back from injury. Rachel Fong (sister of Rose) is developing as a fly half, as she returns from 12 months of enforced layoff, while Fion Got is back after nearly two seasons off with injury.

“We have some new players from varied backgrounds and my challenge is to bring everyone together, and meld their playing styles,” Chan says.

SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay Phoenix will be coached by Chris Lin; he takes on a team that finished fifth last season (as in 2015/16).

Jonathan Ho, Kowloon Ladies coach, believes his team can do much better than last season’s sixth place finish, having been in competitive games against half of their opponents. His squad is essentially unchanged, though he must contend with a couple of injuries to key players, including forward Christine Gordon, a pillar of the national side, and centre Lily Chau, also a national player.

One new player is Stephanie Ching, an exciting youngster who has been training with the national sevens side. Still with one foot in her old club, Revolution, she has dual-registered with Kowloon.

Also joining the coaching team is Ho’s brother, former Hong Kong fifteens and sevens player Ben Ho, who will take responsibility for the forwards.

Ho believes in Kowloon’s ability, pointing to some close games last season. “We are competitive. Not so much needs to change – the players just need the confidence and belief that they can beat the likes of Football Club and Causeway Bay,” he said.

In their first Premiership season last year, Comvita City Sparkle fought hard and showed they could challenge for wins, but ended up at the bottom of the table. In their second season they are looking to consolidate. Coach Kai Hang Fung was delighted with his side’s performance in pre-season games against Tai Po and Gai Wu, which he said “showed that we’ve improved and are better at handling pressure.”

“We have boosted the squad size with some girls from NL2. We now have the numbers to stay strong through the back of the season, when injuries mount. That really cost us last season.”

It helps that City’s second team took out the NL2 championship last season, offering a pipeline of players who know all about winning.

As 2016/17 Women’s National League 1 champs, Transact 24 Tai Po Dragon Ladies return to the Premiership as the eighth team. The side played in the inaugural Premiership season 2015/16, and in its forerunner fifteens league and can expect to offer feisty resistance to the established seven under the tutelage of coach Tsang Hing Hung, a former Hong Kong international and a serving police officer.

The line-up for tomorrow’s first round matches is:

Shek Kip Mei Park Sports Centre, 290 Nam Cheong Street. 2784 7424. Closest MTR Station: Shek Kip Mei (Exit C); map.

Happy Valley Recreation Ground, 2 Sports Road, Happy Valley. 2895 1523. Closest MTR: Causeway Bay. map.