Valley Stay Top of HKRU Men's Premiership Ladder After Big Win

Catch the highlights from Round 12 of Hong Kong’s premier men’s club rugby competition.

Societe Generale Valley signalled their intent in round 12 of the Rugbypass.com Men’s Premiership on Saturday, dismantling Natixis HKFC with a sublime display to win the RugbyPass.com Game of the Week, 33-14, at Football Club.

After an even opening, Valley put on a show either side of the break to blow their opponents out of the water and warn they are still every bit the force of years past.

“It’s up there [with some of the best rugby we have played this season], we are playing with a tempo that we want to play with and a power that we want to play with,” Valley coach Andrew Kelly said.

“Sometimes the guys look good but it is trying to get that for 80 minutes. I was impressed by the work rate of the guys, the power of our forward pack going forward looked good and the work rate of all the guys, it was a squad effort of all 23.”

It was HKFC who opened the scoring, crossing on the back of some brilliant work from Tom Isaacs, with the former Wales sevens player splitting the Valley defence with a scintillating run up the wing. After beating several defenders, Isaacs administered the perfect grubber kick, allowing Niall Rowark to touch down. Nathan de Thierry added the extras to cap a perfect start for the hosts.

The remainder of the first quarter was evenly matched, with a de Thierry missed penalty the only real scoring opportunity for either side.

A Valley side boasting current Hong Kong players Toby Fenn, Ben Rimene and Max Woodward, among others, found another gear as the first half progressed. After keeping HKFC in their half for some time, the visitors erased the deficit through a barnstorming Matthew Bell try, with Ben Rimene converting the winger’s good work to make it 7-7.

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A yellow card to Charles Higson-Smith for a high tackle after 34 minutes didn’t help HKFC’s cause and Valley continued the attack. They drove the HKFC line further and further back through multiple phases before prop Taukiha’amea Koloamatangi found the line to give the visitors the lead for the first time.

Rimene was again on target from the tee to make it 14-7 and the last 10 minutes of the half was all Valley, with Ruan Duplooy also crossing to push the score out to 19-7 at the break.

Niall Rowark also found himself in the bin in the dying stages of the first half, further hampering his side’s chances.

Valley were irresistible in the opening stages of the second half, with Fenn and Grant Kemp both scoring tries as the score blew out to 33-7.

The Valley blitz was followed by a lengthy stalemate, with both side’s struggling somewhat for continuity and failing to trouble the scorers.

HKFC found some solace with a try to Ben Axten-Burrett after 70 minutes, with de Thierry’s conversion trimming the margin back to 19 points.

It was HKFC who finished the match the better, but the damage was well and truly done by that point.

“I think we eased up maybe a little bit but they’re a good side and they came back at us and I knew they would but we showed some really good heart at the end which was really pleasing,” Kelly said.

In other RugbyPass.com Premiership action, Kowloon beat Borrelli Walsh USR Tigers, 24-12.  A brace of tries and three conversions from flyhalf Jack Neville compounded an opening score from Chiefs Development player Turoa Stephens, as Kowloon pushed out to a 21-7 lead at halftime, with flanker Samuel Hocking accounting for Tigers’ first points in the 39th minute as flyhalf Robbie Keith added the conversion.

Tigers narrowed the gap to 21-12 in the second half after winger Yiu Kam Shing’s try in the 62nd minute before Neville extended the lead back to 12 with a late penalty to hand Kowloon its fourth win from the last five matches.

Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish also continued their strong start to the New Year with a five-try, 45-29 win over HKCC at Aberdeen.