Round three of the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) Premiership offers more tantalising ties, headlined by another tight match-up between last season’s Grand Champions Societe Generale Valley and league title holders Leighton Asia Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC).

In the weekend’s other match-ups, Sabre Kowloon go hunting for their first win, versus USRC Borrelli Walsh Tigers (kick-off 16.30, Kings Park 1) while Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish host Natixis Hong Kong Football Club at the Rock (16.30, Shek Kip Mei).

Valley and HKCC played each other to a standstill on every meeting last season culminating in a gritty 18-15 Grand Championship win for Valley. Both sides are expecting similar conditions in 2015. Valley are coming off a 23-13 win over USRC Borrelli Walsh Tigers last weekend, while HKCC were stung by a defensive lapse that saw Scottish score three tries in 15 minutes last week in Aberdeen.

“Although we have the two wins, I’m not totally satisfied with our performance. We’re leaving too many points on the side of the road and last week our finishing was poor.

“With Cricket Club coming off a 20-plus point loss we’re expecting them to show a significant reaction. They have a good lineout. They are tall with fast backs and we will need to be right on top of our game to come away with the win. Obviously they have been our big rivals in recent seasons and I’m sure that both teams will be up for the occasion,” said Valley coach Jack Isaac.

Valley enter the match with a basically complete side although they will be missing Andrew Smith who has been suspended for stamping, a call that Isaac still vehemently disputes. On the other side of the pitch, the Cricketers have their own injury concerns and will put their bench to the test if they are to avenge their loss last week to Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish at home.

HKCC coach Deacon Manu is still taking stock of his walking wounded but the Cricketers will likely be at less than full strength on Saturday.

“Valley are always tough at home and we are facing a number of injuries right through the team at the moment. We are dealing with some injuries to some key players, including in the backline, so we will be really testing our depth this week,” said Manu.

“But we’ve talked through why we went down last week. There were a number of individual errors that cost us and those were compounded during the course of the game. Against Valley we have to focus on our own game, taking stock of what we didn't get right versus Scottish - and putting that right this weekend.”

HKFC will be looking for their second win of the young season after getting on the right side of the ledger versus Kowloon last week at Sports Road. But the challenge intensifies as they travel to Shek Kip Mei for a tough match against hosts Hong Kong Scottish.

The HKRU’s Ranfurly Shield–style silverware, the Broony Quaich, will be on the line after Scottish wrested it from HKCC last weekend. Last season, Scottish held the Quaich for the longest period of any club, defending it at home on six occasions before conceding it late in the season to HKCC on a Super Saturday loss at Kings Park. The Quaich is contested at every home match and at all three Super Saturdays on the season.

Will Thomas, HKFC Director of Rugby, will be looking for a repeat of last week’s effort against Kowloon. “We got a big reaction from the players last week after the opening week’s disappointment. We played percentage rugby, pressed far more directly and executed our driving lineout, which was especially important with the rains again. It was a good performance.”

Thomas is positive his team can hit their stride again in Shek Kip Mei. “There is nothing there at Scottish that worries us if we turn up with the right mindset,” said Thomas, who will field a largely unchanged side from last week’s winning effort.

Scottish meanwhile have made a couple of changes from last week. Ben Tyler makes his first start for the club at fullback while Ben Cullen moves to the wing in place of Dennis Chang. In the front row, John Aikman and Jack Parfitt both get the start, which sees an all–Hong Kong international front row along with hooker Lachlan Chubb. Jonathan Kastelan could be in line to make his first-team debut off the bench.

Hit in the off-season by depleted numbers, Kowloon are still in the hunt for their first win of the season but Director of Rugby Mark McMillan feels the team is getting close.

“No one predicted the downpours in the first two weeks and our opponents dealt with the conditions better than we did. We made too many unforced errors and allowed HKFC to pin us in our 22 for long periods. They played a smarter game than us and made fewer errors.”

McMillan is wary of a revived Tigers outfit ahead of the weekend’s match:

“Tigers had a good win to start the season and their long win drought was never justified by the sides they turned out. They are certainly dangerous and we don’t take them lightly. But if we can play in their half of the field and reduce our error rate we should get a result. We won well against Tigers in the pre-season. They are a good, physical team and we can’t let them slow the game down or get on top of us at the breakdown.”

Brighter days are ahead for Kowloon attests McMillan. “We are looking forward to some sunnier weather and a sunnier outcome this week. We are aiming to play at a higher tempo, win at the breakdown and get things right up front where the battle will be won and lost.”

In the HKRU Women’s Premiership, last year’s double champions Societe Generale Valley Black return after their bye to face Sabre Kowloon Ladies. Valley are the second side in the women’s competition yet to have conceded a point, alongside Gai Wu, but were on bye last weekend, leaving them in fourth place on four points with a game in hand. They will bring their firepower to bear against Kowloon Ladies who are searching for their first win of the season. Fifth placed USRC Borrelli Walsh Tigers face sixth ranked Transact 204 Tai Po Dragon Ladies.This weekend will see Valley Black back to full strength after the completion of the Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series in Colombo last weekend.