DeA sound early warning with emphatic victory
FIRST Division newcomers DeA made a flying start to the new rugby season with an 83-5 thumping of Tigers at Kings Park yesterday.
Strengthened with players from Police, who are not fielding an elite team this year, and Kowloon, last year's Third Division champions gave notice to other clubs that they could be possible title-contenders.
But coach Gary Cross refused to be carried away by the result.
'I'm happy with the result and it was a good performance, but I thought it was a little bit too individualistic,' said Cross, the former Valley player and Police coach.
'There were tries from our backs and our forwards, but we have to work on our unit skills if we want to beat teams from Valley and Club.
'I'm not reading too much into the score.' Fijian Moape Ravuvu made a triumphant return to Hong Kong with two tries as DeA, who went straight from the Third to First Division, put 10 tries past their hapless opponents.
Cross said that renowned New Zealand coach Bill Freeman will be in the territory next week and will supervise a DeA training session on Wednesday night.
At Happy Valley, Aberdeen stormed to a 37-5 win over Valley Black.
Aberdeen led 16-5 at half-time through three penalties and a converted try and added four more tries after the break.
Valley Black captain Neil Alton said his team were hurt by the loss of three national players through injury.
'There were big holes in the centres and they punched through us,' said Alton.
At Shek Kip Mei, Valley Red defeated Kowloon 32-14.
Meanwhile, national coach George Simpkin is tonight expected to name his 24-strong squad for next month's Asian Rugby Football Tournament in Taipei.
Record-breaking Australian winger David Campese would earn his 100th Test cap on merit not sentiment, national rugby coach Greg Smith said.
Campese is set to play in his 100th international against Italy in Padova on October 23, just two days after his 34th birthday.
He has scored only one of his world record 64 international tries this season and has indicated the European tour will be his 18th and last since his debut in the green and gold 14 years ago.
Campese was in dazzling form for Randwick in last weekend's New South Wales club grand final and Smith emphasised he deserved a Test place solely on form. 'I'd say he would be a fairly automatic selection in the next Test team and it has got nothing to do with the fact he's playing his 100th Test,' Smith said.
'People who saw the grand final on the weekend know he's the best winger in the country at the moment.'
