Hong Kong Scottish take 10-year party on road as Shek Kip Mei home gets an upgrade – ‘we’re going to have to travel like nomads’

Coach Craig Hammond outlines big expectations on and off the field – ‘we want to make this year special’

The club that started as Hong Kong men’s Premiership’s sixth rugby team now has multiple teams across different sports

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Hong Kong Scottish captain Joshua Dowsing celebrates with teammates after the team scores a try in the Premiership last season. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:00pm, 11 Nov 2020Updated: 10:54pm, 11 Nov 2020

Neither a global pandemic nor the lack of a home ground for most of the 2020-21 domestic rugby season have a sniff at spoiling Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish’s 10-year anniversary celebrations this year.

The proud, tight-knit club – which will be forced to play as “nomads” while their familiar Shek Kip Mei base undergoes renovation – know the only way through the hurdles and hardship is by exceeding expectations in the Saxo Markets Men’s Premiership, which resumed last weekend after being in limbo for more than nine months.

“It’s our tenth year so we need a big season on and off the field. We want a few performances to make this year pretty special,” said men’s head coach Craig Hammond, who has helped guide the club through nine of them.

Despite a narrow 26-15 loss to Herbert Smith Freehills HKU Sandy Bay in round one, Kiwi favourite “Hammo” is certain that his eclectic mix of old heads and new-gens will deliver for their loyal fans. Just as much as anyone, they deserve a bit of positivity after experiencing such a topsy-turvy year.

HK Scottish’s Charlie Morgan on the charge against HKU Sandy Bay in round one of the Premiership at King’s Park. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

“Hopefully, we can get a couple of functions and a bit of momentum going once everything is relaxed. To be honest, as long as we can start rugby it’s all we want to do. If there’s no one there for the first four weeks, then there’s no one there.