Hong Kong Premiership round four preview – ‘this is the big one we have been targeting’
- Valley’s Beuzeval reveals 15 of 32-player squad are out injured this weekend but refuses to ‘make an excuse out of it’
- Tigers Ladies captain Varty not dwelling on last week’s emphatic win – ‘we can’t let it make us complacent’
Hong Kong Rugby Premiership fans have already been treated to chaotic starts and major upsets – yet we are barely a third into the Covid-19-shortened 2020-21 season.
As the city continues to tighten up amid increased case numbers, coaches and players will likewise want to put in disciplined performances and avoid the “silly” mistakes from previous rounds.
Simply put, round four is a test of team character. The fixtures have pitted titans-versus-titans in both first divisions.
In the Saxo Markets Men’s Premiership, last season’s treble champions Natixis Hong Kong Football Club face former Grand Championship winners Societe Generale Valley, while current KPMG Women’s Premiership leaders Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers Ladies take on second-placed threat Gai Wu Falcons.
Will the champions assert their dominance once again? Or can the perennial contenders finally rise above?
“This is the big one we have been targeting,” said Valley chief operating officer Grant Beuzeval. “We are pleased where we are, I guess, in second place and with a chance to claw our way up into first if we can get across the line against HKFC on Saturday. But a loss will also put us right back with the rest of the pack.