TIGERS TRY TO SEIZE LAST CHANCE TO FINISH HOT START

02nd Mar 2019

Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers have a final opportunity to capitalise on their superb first half of the season when they face Gai Wu Falcons in the KMPG Grand Championship semi-final at Kings Park at 1800.  

League champions and top seeds Societe Generale Valley play fourth seeds Kerry Hotels Kowloon at Happy Valley, also at 1800, in the other Top 4 semi-final.

KPMG Premiership A league winners Natixis HKFC Ice look for a seventh straight win when they face off with fourth ranked Plastic Fee Seas City Sparkle in their play-off in Happy Valley (1500), while SCAA First Pacific Causeway Bay play Transact 24 Taipo Dragons at So Kon Po (1630).

After finishing in second place in the opening half of the combined 8-team league, Tigers hit a rough patch with player availability and injuries preventing them from threatening for the Top 4 league title.  Tigers could only manage two wins from their last six encounters in the Top 4, as they fell well behind the pace of frontrunners Valley and Gai Wu to finish in third place.

Their woes have continued with Sarah Lucas the latest lynchpin back to go down in the latter stretch of the season, joining fellow starters Lara Schats and Natasha Olson-Thorne on injured reserve.  That has sent Tigers coach Fan Shun-kei scouring Tigers lower division teams for replacements for the play-offs.

“We are now without three of our first team starting backs, so it is really difficult at the moment. We have had to call up more back-up players now for tomorrow. It is a big impact, but we just have to see how those reserve players can go.”

Fan is aware that it is now finals rugby and anything can happen, a message he is sharing with his troops ahead of kick-off.

“We are staying very positive and just going into this game intending to throw everything at Gai Wu and see what happens.”

Tigers will be challenged by an ironclad Gai Wu defence, as demonstrated in their win over Valley last week when they handed the league champions their first loss of the year and held them to just five points.

“Their defence is very good and we are going to have to work really hard and look to attack space wherever we can find it. We must retain the ball.

“Keeping possession is key, but we are excited and the team is in a good place and hopefully they can show that on Saturday,” said Fan.


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