Fly-half keeps HKCC/Aberdeen on top of standings despite a late charge by Tigers
The avalanche of tries supporters of the tsunami relief fund had been hoping for failed to materialise as Synovate HKCC/Aberdeen struggled to post a 22-15 victory over DeA Tigers in First Division action at King's Park last night.
HKCC/Aberdeen had the golden boot of fly-half Aaron Kimura to thank for their sixth successive win. Kimura kicked five penalties and also converted his side's solitary try - scored by fullback Paul Morehu - to keep Aberdeen on top of the Securicor First Division standings.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, which will donate $250 for every try scored in this weekend's league programme to raise funds for victims of the tsunami disaster, will only have to dish out $750 after last night's encounter.
It seemed at one stage that more money would be raised by the spectators downing the beers - all proceeds here too were being donated to the relief fund - than by the players' efforts.
But DeA Tigers came to life in the last quarter of the match and scored two tries to take the total tally to three. Their sudden revival, having trailed 22-3, was sparked by a superb interception try by Ricky Cheuk, who ran the length of the field to score and infuse interest in a match HKCC/Aberdeen seemed to have under control.
'That intercept try hit us hard. From a position of strength, it put us on the back foot. It was a 12-point reversal. From looking as if we would score, suddenly we lost ground and allowed them to come back into the game,'' said HKCC/Aberdeen coach Richard Cooke.