Director’s Discourse | A season to remember and build upon

The Paul Y Premiership came to a thrilling climax last Saturday, with champions Leighton Asia HKCC and runners-up WhichWay Valley finally separated by a single point at the end of what was the closest league competition in recent memory.

Adding to the excitement was the fact that the fourth and final place in the Grand Championship play-offs was also up for grabs on the last day of regular play.

Despite the adrenalin-pumping action on the pitch in this year’s top-flight league, the typical issues that plague Hong Kong rugby resurfaced – none more pressing than the issue of facilities.

The final league match between HKCC and Club was supposed to be a home game for the Cricketers at Aberdeen Stadium, but it was not made available by the Leisure Cultural Services Department, forcing HKCC to play the crucial match away at Hong Kong Football Club. Fortunately, a strong and vocal HKCC crowd made their presence known on the night and helped set the stage for a decisive win in what felt like a home-crowd atmosphere.

And so this Saturday, we head into the Grand Championship with top-ranked HKCC facing fourth-ranked Hong Kong Scottish and second-seeds Valley taking on Club. The winners of the semi-finals will meet for the Grand Finals on March 8 at King’s Park.

Looking ahead to the competition, Scottish have been a nemesis for HKCC and have taken plenty of scalps this season. No doubt they would love to rain on the parade of the league champions.

Valley, meanwhile, will be smarting from not taking the league title, while Club will want to prove a point that last Saturday’s shut-out at the hands of HKCC was an aberration.