Kowloon cook up recipe to leave their rivals eating humble pie

Pour in a potent shot of Pacific Islanders, mix in some seasoned campaigners, garnish with an exciting youngster then sprinkle with a couple of grizzled old-timers, and you get a heady brew - inProjects Kowloon, the team to watch this season.

New Zealand-based trio Ionatana Tala Fuatai (Iona), Misiluni Maonanu (Lungi) and Villaimu Lafaele (Vili) are the three professionals - the maximum number a club can field - in the Kowloon ranks, who this season have a healthy look about them with more than 30 players available for the First Division. The fact the club won't be fielding a second-string side will help.

The trio will bring pace and power to the side. Iona is a barnstorming No8, while Lungi is a tighthead prop who played a couple of seasons ago for Kowloon. Game-breaking centre Vili will be the dangerman in the backline.

Hong Kong sevens star Jeff Wong will start at scrumhalf and his backline will include captain Ashley Bond, Vili, and stalwarts Dean McLaughlin and Mike Diamond among others.

But the biggest coup for Kowloon comes in the form of a blast from the past - the return of Fred Moe and Steve Pengelly as player-coach and player-manager respectively.

'I don't know about the playing part,' laughed Moe, a winger who played for DeA-Tigers in the 1997-98 season. 'I can't run as quickly as I used to, I can only push now and I have moved from wing to prop,' he added.