Merry Christmas from the Blog!

Whatever you're doing, wherever you may be, I bet no-one else is being so sad as to log on to the Blog on Christmas Day. Well that's the commitment you get from us here at the Blog. And what can I say, it was a quiet 10 minutes before dinner (which, it has to be said, looks like a gargantuan dream of an English Christmas feast). Hope you are all staying in trim just like me. Want to wish you and yours all the best for 2008 and remind you that we will kick off the Blog for next year with a special Donagh Foley 'Meet the Old Boy'.

From the Frozen North.
Harps

Breaking news in Blog's 50th post

From Tony George, Club Captain

hkcc have admitted to the hkrfu that star no.8 pale was playing as an unregistered pro for their games versus club and valley. as a result, both games have been deemed forfeit. so, club +5points, valley +4 and hkcc -8 (bonus points make life complicated...) giving club a 12 point lead over valley at the turn, albeit with valley having a game in hand - all of a sudden the table looks a little more comfy, but you can bet on valley to get stuck into that! the 2nd game back after xmas is the club-valley affair at club, and looks like make or break for both sides...

Contempts back in action

HKFC's most serious (drinking) team got back into action last night and apparently beat a Valley Side known as Old Forbetonians for some reason that Bouch or Babis can probably explain. Lammo didn't include the score in his missive, but he did send out a picture, which is much better. Note the normal Contempts preponderance of front rows (I spy Wong, Rudolph, Babis and Sultan Asif Iqbal ibn Nazir...alright that's only four). Oh and there's a grinning, bald man on the right of the back row who's above average height for a Welshman. Why isn't he playing? Even Bouch played in this game. No excuses Sexton. And as for the shirt...aaaiiiyaaa.

I would gladly have joined the Contempts' happy ranks myself had it not been for an aggravated groin strain picked up during a critical game of mixed touch rugby on Monday and the joyful occasion of Grewers' wedding banquet, which was a very upmarket affair (unlike his stag) at the Intercontinental. Grewers impressed all present by getting through a lengthy speech in apparently passable Cantonese and caused some obvious introspection among some of the Club boys there when he told his beautiful wife Stefanie that he loved her more than rugby... Unfortunately Stobart tried to hijack the event, as usual, by joining the family group and wishing guests goodnight as they left the banquet but he was soon exposed as a fraud due to his scant resemblance to the members of either family. We left Mr and Mrs Grewers to a beauty treatment in their palatial bridal suite at about 1am after a tremendous evening.

I think there's Union Sevens for Club on Saturday and then Professions Sevens on Sunday, but it's a silly game so I'm not going to write about it.

Have a lovely weekend.
Harps

Meet the Old Boys #1 - Craig Wootten

Introducing a new feature for the Blog at the suggestion of Iain 'Broony' Brown, whose brainchild this is and who devised these searching questions. Broony is threatening to delve into the addled minds of some of the other Sequins Corner regulars, so watch out.

Woots prefers not to supply a picture and be represented by Mat Giteau (or Rocky Elsom) instead. Out of respect for the former Chairman, I haven't used the picture of Giteau kneeling in submission to Lawrence Dallaglio or being smashed by Jonny Wilkinson.

Name: Craig Wootten
Age: 49
Year retired: 2003
Occupation: Postman
Nationality: Australian
Rugby position: Centre
Years at Club: 20
Previous rugby clubs: None - I was a Rugby league convert
Favourite things about HK rugby: Listening to Bouch and Jim Rowark speak about it
Current favourite Club player and why? Mike McKee as he'll be my small boy on the Invitational this year and is easily pussy whipped
Most embarrassing spectating rugby experience: Every week standing next to Foley
Wanchai or Manila? Neither - happily married
Sequins corner or The Sportsmans? Sequins Corner - it's cheaper
HKFC 10s or HKRFU 7s? 10s
Drinking alone or shopping with the wife? Drinking alone or with Foley - same thing
Marilyn Munro or Sophia Loren? Marilyn - not so lumpy and she was blond

Wales star Nick James in train shock

This is truly shocking. It's the kind of thing Gavin Henson might get up to. Harps

James faces inquiries by Scorps and police
Paul ReesWednesday December 5, 2007
Guardian

The new Wales coach, Warren Gatland, said this week he intended to physically and mentally break one or two players in his squad, in order to see what they were made of. He may have to start with the Scorps' full back Nick James. The 30-year-old faces an inquiry by his region and further questioning by police after allegedly being involved in drunken antics on a train from Reading to Cardiff on Sunday.

James, who last month made his first start for Wales in a year, in a 34-12 defeat by South Africa, was travelling back from London with friends. Police met the train in Cardiff after complaints from passengers about rowdy and offensive behaviour. "Four men are helping us with our inquiries," a British Transport Police spokesman said yesterday.

James, on loan from Scorps to Ospreys, was yesterday named in a 25-man squad for the Heineken Cup match between against Ulster at the Liberty Stadium on Friday, but the region will consider disciplinary action against him.

"Quite clearly, this is a matter we have to look into," said HKFC director of rugby, Quinton Wrigley. "It is something which will be dealt with internally."

The allegations levelled against the group by an unnamed female passenger in the Welsh media yesterday included vomiting in a carriage, urinating on the floor, swearing, intimidatory behaviour and spitting.

"Nick James is a man children look up to," she said. "He was not a man at all: he was an animal. I watched him slam his fist into another man's jaw as part of a game. If I heard the 'c' word once, I heard it 500 times. From the moment the four came into the carriage in Reading the air turned blue. They smelt of alcohol and vomit and when one woman asked them to calm down, she was called a fat bitch."

Since helping Wales win the grand slam in 2005, James has tended to make the headlines more for what he has done off the pitch than on it. The Scorps had to shield him from media questioning a year ago after claims of drunken behaviour while he was on a skiing holiday and the then national coach, Gareth Jenkins, did not select him in Wales's World Cup squad in the autumn after he spent most of last season injured or struggling for form.

He appeared to have put his travails behind him in the last month after increasingly influential performances for the Scorps earned him a recall to the Wales side. On the losing side against the world champions, he was singled out for praise by Gatland. Yet James's is a career that has been characterised by a tendency to self-destruct at moments of success: it is more than six years since his international debut yet he has only won 23 caps, seven as a replacement.

HKFC Blog reaches global audience

Fame. It's a fickle thing. But "we" at the Blog are enjoying our five minutes here. I wrote into the UK Guardian's online over-by-over coverage of this rather depressing England v Sri Lanka test match and also asked the commentator to mention the Blog. Well, he only did. Take a look below. I would cut and paste the Guardian's banner but I'm afraid they would sue me.


The Guardian Online, 4 December 2007
"118th over: Sri Lanka 403-5 (Sangakkara 141, P Jayawardene 10)
Sri Lanka continue to milk Panesar: four singles off that over without any alarms. In theory there are 34 overs to go after this one, but we'll be lucky to get 20 of those in. "I am struggling to get excited about any sporting event since the rugby world cup," weeps Adam Harper. "Once you've supped on the extreme tension and all-or-nothing drama of the knockout stages, everything else seems bland fare. What can possibly compare to beating a bunch of Aussies who really believed they would smash us (rather like Glenn McGrath in 2005)? This series ought to be a good one so I hope it will help me let go of RWC 2007 and start the long preparation for the Ashes 2009, but it's going to be tough."

Then he reaches the real purpose of his email: "If you think anyone out there might be interested in rugby in Hong Kong, please feel free to direct them towards my blog: www.hkfcrugbysection.blogspot.com. It's a whole world of fun..."

But then - feedback from some whiner who I fear is probably English:

"121st over: Sri Lanka 413-5 (Sangakkara 144, P Jayawardene 17) Sangakkara is moving towards that landmark 150 in singles: there's another one down the ground off Collingwood. It's one of those less-than-thrilling stages of a Test match where one side is basically toying with the other. Sri Lanka have enough runs, they just want to eliminate the 2% chance of an England win. Four to Jayawardene through the covers, despite a brave chase from Owais Shah, the sub fielder.

"Adam Harper is clearly quite easily pleased," scoffs Tom Hopkins. "Wasn't RWC 2007 even more pointless and tedious than might be expected of a rugby tournament? England's games offered, what, three tries in the whole tournament? If Adam's looking for a similar level of excitement, he could always give Pro40 a go?" Not a rugby fan, then?"

Oh dear oh dear. Sometimes your countrymen just let you down. The average Pro40 game is about as exciting as standing at a bus stop in the rain. So I replied:

"125th over: Sri Lanka 423-5 (Sangakkara 150, P Jayawardene 20) Will Sri Lanka declare once Sangakkara gets to 150? I think they might, given that play has ended around 5.20pm local time so far - just 40 minutes away. The batsmen trade singles off Collingwood, which means Sanga is facing Colly on 149 (forgive the abbreviations: it's been a long day). And there it is: a steer to deep point and one of cricket's more obscure records is his - the first player to make 150 or more in four successive Tests. But on they bat! And then... WICKET! P Jayawardene b Collingwood 20 (423-6) The ball goes through the gate and clips the bails. A hollow victory. "If Tom Hopkins only measures the quality of a game by the number of points scored, I would direct him towards basketball," rages Adam Harper."

That did for Mr Hopkins, from whom no more was heard. But then another eccentric who clearly watched a different tournament chipped in. At least he wasn't English...

"127th over: Sri Lanka 428-7 (Vaas 1, Malinga 2) At last some urgency as Lasith Malinga slogs his first ball off Collingwood for two. The lead is 335 and the sun is setting. Declare, Mahela! "As a life-long Kiwi rugby fan, I'm thinking of converting to league or all in tiddlywinks after the most boring rugby tournament imaginable," says in-no-way-bitter Martin Mathews. "I think the Guardian described the state of rugby today as 'sophisticated stagnation'. Too right!"

That, ladies and gentlemen, was a result. I already have mates from the UK bugging me by email about it and going to the site...we're going global...

Harps

Meet the New Lads #5 - Rory Hussey

(Right: Everybody on their knees, this is a f*cking robbery...Huss looks mean aged about 7)

Age: 29
Occupation: Publican
Nationality: Irish
Rugby position: Flanker
Previous rugby clubs: Lansdowne RFC
Favourite things about HK rugby: The refs
One thing you would change/introduce: Ice baths after training when we've ran our balls off
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Squealing like a bitch when I hurt my leg a few weeks ago
SoHo or LKF? LKF - easier to spell
Drop or Mes Amis? Drop - easier to pronounce
Skiing or diving? Diving (Muff)
Reading or music? Reading music
Paris Hilton or Scarlett Johansen? Scarlett, she has some curves. Paris is a bit a scrawny, isn't she?

Club finish the task for 2007

CBRE Club 16 - 8 InProjects Kowloon

In the sunshine at So Kon Po, with 30,000 evangelical Christians singing in the stadium close by, Club saw off a concerted challenge from Kowloon to get into the Christmas break well ahead at the top of the Division One table with just one loss in eight games. Getting this result in the bag was critical for coach Quinton Wrigley and his team, even if the performance was once again a little on the scrappy side. After losing to HKCC, Club have rediscovered their ability to tough out victories when they are not playing at anything like their potential. The task after Christmas will be to achieve (to paraphrase Q) better execution of their gameplan.

Too often on Saturday, Club were dragged into a chaotic, harum-scarum game that suited Kowloon far better. What was required was a tight performance, with a strong Club back dominating in their opponents' 22 and Pat Foreman kicking for field position. Unfortunately, Club looked nervy and overly tense, making a large number of unforced errors, failing to secure their own possession and conceding vast numbers of penalties. When they did get the ball, apart from a 10 minute spell of good phase play in the Kowloon half, they too often threw the ball around in a style that might have been better suited to this weekend's sevens tournament than a must-win league game.

In fairness to Club, they were the only team trying to play rugby in this game. Kowloon's tactics revolved around crashing the ball up very directly through their big forwards. They had neither the ability in the half backs nor the necessary movement in the back division to orchestrate anything more sophisticated. Although 'Loon put in their tackles all day, their main objective seemed to be to antagonise and disrupt Club as much as possible, whether legitimately or otherwise. Their infringements at the breakdown were as blatant as a daylight bank robbery and their off-the-ball physicality had all the subtlety of a lunchtime mugging in Queen's Road Central.

This brings me on to a sad task, which is to criticise the referee. I hate doing this: there is no game without referees and - to a man- they all do their best to enforce the laws and act impartially. The sound of half-drunk middle-aged halfwits droning on about the referee from the sidelines is one of the curses of rugby. The gentleman who officiated on Saturday was certainly doing his best and was in no way partial. But he was, without question, incapable of refereeing a game at this level. His failure to spot and punish consistent infringeing at the ruck and maul and senseless acts of violence around the park was hugely culpable. Players will soon start to take advantage of incompetent refereeing (who can blame this?) and Kowloon certainly did, as they abandoned any pretence of an effort to move into onside positions when defending and used their hands in the ruck with impunity. The HKRFU needs to be absolutely sure that its Division One referees are up to the task because nothing can kill good, fair rugby as quickly and surely as an official who is not.

Anyway, ranting done. The game began brightly for Club when some good pressure from the backs resulted in 'Loon spilling the ball to Dan Parr, who moved the ball on to Richard Rouse for a score in the corner. Kowloon were soon back in contention, though, after some weak Club tackling allowed them to crash over. They soon followed this up with a penalty to take the lead. Two Pat Foreman penalties steadied the nerves, however, taking Club into half time at 11-8. Club probably played some of their best rugby in a longish period in the Kowloon 22 in the second half, but the final pass would not come for them and 'Loon's ability to raid the ruck in the knowledge they were unlikely to be penalised made it hard for Club to get quick ball. The half unfolded in this scrappy way until another good Club attack into Kowloon territory allowed Pete McKee to scoot round the blindside of a ruck and unload to Tim Griffin for a score. At 16-8, more than a converted try ahead, Club were essentially safe and the game was soon over.

Although the injury list remains long, Club were able to welcome back the McKee brothers Pete (at scrum half) and Mike (at full back). Pat Foreman and Callum Nieto worked tirelessly in the backs, while I thought the front row of Nigel Hobler, Ben Stobart and Pete Spizzirri were strong and Tim Edgar turned in a typically uncompromising performance.

This will not be one for the scrap books, but it took a lot of guts for Club to hang in there and they should be very happy with the first half of the season, as well as confident that they can go on and finish the job in 2008.

Harps