Head coach Jack Wiggins expects a dogfight when his Natixis HKFC side face their fiercest rivals Societe Generale Valley in this weekend’s Dettol Premiership Stadium Showdown. The two clubs ‘ rivalry goes back nearly 50 years, making the historic Hong Kong Stadium a fitting venue for the latest instalment, which kicks off at 6.40pm on Saturday night in So Kon Po. “I’ve been here three years and we have not had any fifteens in the Stadium. I understand that playing fifteens there is rare, so it will be a special moment and I’m sure that both clubs will want to showcase Hong Kong rugby again after all that we have been through in the last 18 months,” Wiggins said. Club, who beat Valley to the league, grand championship and challenge trophies in the 2019-20 season, are sitting pretty atop the men’s Premiership with three wins from four matches played in the opening round. “We’re fairly happy with where we are; although we’re disappointed to have lost a game in the first round, we bounced back well in our last game and are feeling good heading into Saturday,” Wiggins said. Valley, who won a record six straight grand championship titles from 2013 to 2018, have been developing a new generation of stars under ex-Samoa international Mark Fatialofa, but have endured a stuttering 2-2 start to the season. Club are likely to have the psychological advantage, too, having beaten Valley 29-14 last time out in the opening match of the season. “We can’t take too much from game one given no one had played in a long while,” Wiggins added. “Their new guys are embedded on and off the pitch now, so we expect them to be a lot better. How Hong Kong rugby star Herbert went from reject to game-changer “We are also struggling with injuries to key players but can’t use that as an excuse. We have to be ready for Saturday. “There’s obviously a bit more spice in a Valley week because of the history and tradition between the clubs, but we’ve tried to prepare as normally as we can. It’s a privilege to play at the stadium but we can’t focus on those things, we have to maintain a ‘next game’ mentality. “We expect a very, very physical game. Generally this match is won or lost up front and they put real pressure on at the set piece and breakdown, so that’s been a focus for us this week.” In a role reversal from the men’s game, Societe Generale Valley Black Ladies are once again setting the standard in the Dettol Women’s Premiership with four wins from four in the opening round of matches. But Saturday’s 4.30pm showdown at Hong Kong Stadium promises to be a cracker, after Natixis HKFC Ice pushed the champions to the limit in the first game of the season before losing 12-11. “That one-point loss to Valley gave us belief in the season and the results that followed only built on that,” HKFC coach Chris Garvey said. “It gave us the belief that we could be bigger this season, and we are excited at what is yet to come. “We are a stronger team now. If it goes completely wrong that is OK also, we will learn more from that than a win, although I don’t want to test that theory.” HKFC sit in third place on 12 points with a 2-2 record, five points adrift of leaders Valley and two points behind Tigers, the only other side they have lost to this season. “I expect a really good encounter,” said former Hong Kong women’s fifteens coach Garvey. “No one will shirk from the physical clash I’m sure. I expect the contact area will be big, and think it will be difficult for both teams to get much separation from each other. “The team with the better whole squad performance will get the win, I expect. For us it’s about managing the ball, if we can increase our time in possession, 5 per cent, 10 per cent, we’re a different team. We have a great scrum, but I prefer not to use it as much as we have been. “The stadium will definitely add a unique factor. It’s not something we are focusing on but we are addressing it in training, you know for the girls that may not have played there before so they do not get overwhelmed.”