It Matters Now

First of all, apologies for a very disappointing blogging output this week. I have tried to persuade my bosses that I add value by posting these musings on the noble game of rugby, but they remain far from convinced. Indeed, they remain far from convinced that I add value at all...

But here I am and here we are with the match of the season ahead of us tomorrow. This fixture is the pinnacle of rugby in Hong Kong: it's our answer to Lewis v Tyson at boxing, England v Australia at cricket and the Ryder Cup - all rolled into one. It's Club v Valley, live and exclusive at HKFC, 6pm. The very prospect is enough to get the blood going...

Yes, we are very different Clubs. Yes, you can argue that we are the "establishment," with our superb facilities and large player base, and that they are the "alternative establishment" with a similarly large number of players and a very strong social aspect. Indeed, people from both sides would make a number different claims for their own sides and criticisms of the other. For as long as I have been playing against Valley for HKFC, the rallying call has always been a reminder that this is Valley we're facing here boys so pull your finger out. This kind of local tension is natural but none of it really explains why this rivalry - and tomorrow's fixture - are so important.

All that counts here is that Club and Valley have the best two rugby union teams in Hong Kong, and that they are each other's true benchmarks. The hot air and cultural rubbish can go out of the window. Club and Valley know tomorrow's game is the biggest challenge available in the Territory as teams and for individual players. That's why it matters so much.

For Club, tomorrow will represent the biggest test of the season. They could still very well go on to win the league even if they lose, but it will have given Valley a sniff after two successive defeats this season by Club. A win, on the other hand, will have an effect that would be greater than the sum of the points received. To use a boxing analogy, a win would make Club the undisputed champion by virture of an unprecedented three knock-out victories against their opponent this season. It will serve notice of Club's superiority to the rest of Division One and effectively close off the season. Lose, and Club will have hard work to do for the rest of the season, the more so if the loss is bad.

In Other News: All Black great Ian Jones stopped by to help Club with their training session last night. The big man gave the forwards some great insights into line-out play, including tactics for bringing down the line-out jumper - something I had never even thought about (once they're up, they can look after themselves...). However, Jones had met his match in his Club equivalent, Tim Griffin. "When you're going straight up at two," Griffin informed the most-capped New Zealand lock in history, "it's all about speed."

Dragons scraped past Aberdeen 17-12 in a scrappy old game last Saturday, Scorpions put up a much-improved performance against PLA. Drags were somewhat ragged after the Christmas and New Year break and played some pretty brainless rugby at times (myself included - I promise NEVER, EVER to try a miss-pass again). Drags will need to work hard if they are to continue their unbeaten run against a strong PLA outfit next weekend and are not helped by the absence of a fixture tomorrow, although several players are likely to have game-time for Club.

The Tens Dinner tomorrow night promises to be great smash (especially if we beat Valley) - hope to see you there!

Harps

CBRE Club v Crown Valley
HKFC, 19 January 2008, 6pm

1. Pete Spizzirri
2. Tom Cameron
3. Nigel Hobler
4. Angus Washington
5. Tim Griffin
6. Rupert Clarke
7. Tim Edgar
8. Robert Mills

9. Peter McKee
10. Pat Foreman
11. Callum Neito
12. Nigel D'Acre
13. Richard Rouse
14. Andrew Chambers
15. Mike McKee (AQ)

Replacements:

Adam Harper
Steve Matthew
Dean Finnegan
James Kibble
Tim Robinson
Adam Raby (AQ)
Colin Begg (AQ)