They only did it...

CBRE Club 26 - 19 Crown Valley

Well they only went and did it, didn't they? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Club turned over Valley on Saturday evening with a performance of tremendous intensity, characterised by dogged determination and illuminated by lengthy periods of top-class rugby. Make no mistake, this is as well as Club have played this season - and against a good Valley team whose desire to fight back against their old enemy after two previous defeats was all to obvious. But it was Club's day and, although they must win at least two more games to make the title safe, they demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt on Saturday that they are the dominant force in Hong Kong rugby. Let the joy be unconfined...

This was never going to be easy, but Angus Washington calmed Club's nerves from the very start, using his considerable height and presence to claim a fine Aussie Rules-style catch from the kick-off - an achievement he repeated again and again throughout the game. From there, Club moved straight into top gear, putting pressure on Valley in their own 22. The set-piece started well and remained superior all evening, as Spizziri, Cameron and Hobler laid down the law against a very solid Valley front row. Add to this Valley's inability to contest line-out ball thrown to one of the world's less likely jumpers - the admirable Tim Edgar at the back of the line - and Pat Foreman realised he could initiate a pragmatic positional kicking game, safe in the knowledge that the forwards had the better of their opposite numbers.

But Club's game would go further than this. Ruck ball was won more quickly and securely, in my view, than at any time previously this season and Foreman was able to release Club's classy backline on several occasions. Richard Rouse looked sharp at centre, but it was the full-back Mike McKee who crossed for Club's first score early in the second half. At that point, Club were in the box seat and Valley looked nervous - their outside half Judd was played into constant trouble by a string of passes under pressure that bounced like dambuster bombs and had to be collected around his ankles as the Club back row zeroed in on him.

Write Valley off at your peril, though, especially when they are playing HKFC. After McKee's score, the reds managed to break up the pattern of Club's game and to thrive in a more chaotic environment. Suddenly Club were turned by breakaways and hack-throughs and before you know it, Valley had scored twice and converted once, giving them 12 points to Club's 5. However, Club stemmed the tide, regrouped and were able to hit back with a Mike McKee penalty and a cool 40-yard drop goal from Foreman on the stroke of half time. It was 12-11 to Valley at the turn, but Club were regaining the momentum.

Club knew the game was theirs to win, but that it was crucial to retain their shape against a Valley team intent on playing a disruptive game. They came out carrying and rucking ferociously, generating the momentum that allowed Rouse to bounce off several would-be tacklers to score under the posts early in the half. McKee converted to make it 18-12. Advantage Club, but still not a safe game by any means. It would be unfair to single out any single player, but Club played 30 minutes of wonderfully committed, aggressive and controlled rugby in the second half - even when down to 14 men after Tim Griffin, whose workrate had been second to none, was rather unfortunately yellow-carded for a high tackle. Replacements were also critical with Rupert "Churchie" Clark and Dean Finnegan coming off the bench to play their part. Club put the game away perhaps 10 minutes from the end when a long period of pressure close to the Valley line ended in Colin Begg (another replacement) scampering over in the corner. With another McKee penalty, that gave Club a 26-12 lead.

Once again, Valley refused to lie down and die. Instead they came back firing, scoring a converted try to make it 26-19 and camping on the Club line as injury time went on, and on, and on. Desperate tackling denied Valley their great escape, however, and Club supporters' palpitations were soon replaced by sheer joy at a great performance which marked an unprecedented 3-0 whitewash of Valley in 2007-08. Celebrations are premature as the season is not yet finished, and in any case should be tempered by the loss of No. 8 Rob Mills with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but Club have stepped up a level here and the rest of HK rugby must be wondering how they can counter the resurgence of a Club that has been so often (and so wrongly) derided as pampered, soft and undermotivated. The Empire Strikes Back? Let's hope so. Bring on Aberdeen next Saturday...

More to come on Scorps, Drags v PLA this weekend and A Guide to Playing Rugby in Guangzhou...

Harps