Societe Generale Valley host Kerry Hotel Kowloon in the Saxo Capital Markets Premiership game of the week tomorrow at Happy Valley 6 at 1500.  In other action, Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers meet Herbert Smith Freehills HKU Sandy Bay at Kings Park (1500), while league leaders Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish welcome second-ranked Natixis HKFC to Shek Kip Mei for a crucial tie with the Broony Quaich also on the line, (1800), to conclude the penultimate round of Premiership action in 2018.

With two rounds remaining before the end of the year - and a further six after New Year - all of the Saxo Premiership outfits are jockeying for position ahead of the home stretch. 

Valley is no different, with two massive fixtures remaining before the turn of the year in tomorrow’s tie against Kowloon - which gives Valley a chance to increase their buffer over the bottom ranked teams on the table, and then against Tigers just three days later (18 Dec), where Valley can steal a march on the club immediately above them in the standings.

The defending grand champions enter the weekend with a record below .500, with three wins against four losses good for fourth spot at present on 17 points, five behind the 5-2 Tigers.  It’s a surprising record given the club’s perennial perch atop the standings and one that is not deemed acceptable.

“100% there are no excuses for our results,” said former Hong Kong prop and club stalwart Dean Herewini, Director of Rugby at the club.

A closer look at their results shows that all of Valley’s losses have come at the hands of the three sides higher than them on the table, with three of those defeats settled within seven points and only one coming since November.  Valleys has gained a measure of revenge with wins over Tigers and Football Club, but have been shut out across two matches by table toppers Scottish.

“Across the board the competition is getting stronger and stronger and all those close-run results, not just by us but by a lot of the clubs, show that,” Herewini noted.

“If you look at Sandy Bay and Kowloon, they are below us on the table but our wins against them have been a real struggle. It’s been a tough old season already, and it will be even tougher in the second half,” he added.

Valley has been a victim of its own success, with eight players out of the squad for much of the early season on Hong Kong duty for the Rugby World Cup repechage and Asian sevens series. The yards have been hard so far for the club, which provided both of Hong Kong’s first choice fly-halves and the majority of the back row in France.  For Herewini, the key to re-establishing the club’s form is in now achieving consistency in selection and availability.

“We need to get more consistency into our match day selections. There have been a lot of changes week to week, especially in our strike power, our nines and tens and midfield are always changing with players out with the national team or injury.”

The end of the repechage has not yet brought respite to the club with some of the key cogs in both the Hong Kong and Valley first XV now on the mend or resting up through the break, including prop Ben Higgins and No.8 Thomas Lamboley.

“They probably all need a bit of a break after that five-week tour but we’re just trying to manage that against pressing needs and to make sure they’re fresh for the second half and don’t break down.”

With its international contingent returning in dribs and drabs Valley will play for time down the back end of the month doing enough to keep in striking distance.  That challenge is exacerbated by the schedule as Valley face two key matches in five days with a mid-week tie against Tigers looming large just three days after Saturday’s clash.

“It’s tough, but it’s tough for everyone with the short turnaround window. It could make things interesting after Saturday when whatever teams come through have to back up again quickly.”

The experience of playing in the combined Premiership and Premiership A competition, the Kerry Hotel Cup, during the repechage, should come in handy says Herewini.

“The good thing for us is that our Prem A side, the Knights, don’t have any more fixtures. We’ll be calling on them to help back us up over the next two weeks, to make sure we don’t have that many guys doing 160 minutes in three days.

“I expect the other clubs will do the same. At this points, it’s all a question of how fresh guys are going to be.”

“It’s so close on the table with two, three and four all fairly tight and even Scottish haven’t pulled all the away yet, so this weekend could change things quite a bit, as could those midweek games.

“Everyone will be looking to make a statement so they can come back in January up for a big push. I’m sure Kowloon are looking at these games as a way to get on that right trajectory to give themselves a chance in 2019.”

Herewini knows Valley will be tested:  “Despite being at the bottom of the table, Kowloon has been a massive challenge for us this season. You can’t take them lightly. They’ve been taking teams to the wire every weekend.

“They’re always right in it until very late in the game, so for us it’s going to be about ball retention and playing at the tempo we want to; if we can’t get on top in that first half, it’s going to be a real struggle.

“Ball retention has been an issue for us. We’re seeing too many of those little 1% errors you know, losing the ball in contact, wayward passing...

“We can’t afford to make those mistakes any longer so our focus is on reducing those errors, not just for Saturday, but on eliminating them between now and Christmas, so we can be in the best position possible going into 2019.”