HKFC Rugby

Stunning photos

2009-03-18T11:26:00.002+08:00

What a great Saturday, ladies and gentlemen. The result for Club was not what we might have hoped for but I thought they put up a tremendous fight, contributed to an outstanding game of rugby and came the closest they have all season to unleashing their full potential. More thoughts on this to come, also in the HKFC magazine.

In the meantime, thought you might enjoy these stunning photos taken by Tim Bowman, who we asked to capture Grand Finals day for posterity.

http://www.bowmanphotos.com/gallery/7609902_dz8pA#492660577_KLaZ6

The time is now for Club

2009-03-12T13:32:00.004+08:00

I have a million things to do at work, so I thought the best thing to do would be Blog it up a little. Andy why not: this weekend is the razor-like point of the sharp end of the business part of the season. It's Grand Finals time, and that means Valley, as usual.

We all know how loaded this fixture is, especially when it comes at crunch time, and I've written about it before. Broadly, the crude stereotypes are as follow. Club is the establishment; a bunch of stuck-up, overpaid posers with far too many players from the British Isles (I damn near said England there) to have much 'mongrel.' And then Valley are the upstarts; the 'real' rugby players; the ones who care about playing rugby and not swimming pools and fancy restaurants; the ones always looking to prove their quality by turning over the arrogant stuffed shirts from the Club.

That's how the myth goes, anyway. Personally I think it's nonsense. I have no doubt you'll find plenty of bankers, brokers and lawyers playing for Valley, and there are certainly plenty of people playing for Club who have been more or less brought to Hong Kong by rugby. In any case, buying in to this culture war myth in order to deepen the rivalry between the two clubs has always seemed pointless to me. To my mind, the only reason we should see this fixture as loaded is because Hong Kong's two best rugby sides, who have been tussling for supremacy for decades, will meet in a winner takes all final. Surely that gives us all the extra frisson we need?

Club are in this season's grand final after a 38-7 win over an improved Causeway Bay outfit last weekend. The boys secured a lot of good, quick, clean ball and played with a great sense of purpose. Mike Glancy's miracle boot and the imposing presence of Sam Robinson, who scored twice and frankly terrorised the opposition throughout, were big contributing factors. There was also something of a conflagration on the sidelines but the less said about that the better, I think.

As I've said before, Club have incredible talent and energy across the team. But, if we're honest, the machine hasn't really come to life yet this season. It's choked and sputtered and sometimes run for a few minutes, but it has never really fired on all cylinders. If it does, Club can beat a very good Valley side indeed, and beat them handsomely.

We've had enough frustration and nearly moments this season, so I'm backing Club to find top gear at last on Saturday and stake an early claim to dominance in 2009/10. And I have an inkling they might just do it, just as I had an inkling the Aussie cricketers would fight back successfully in South Africa.

More to come on Drags etc
Harps

Drags v Scorps - a jolly afternoon

2009-03-01T14:26:00.002+08:00

Evening all

Bit of, er, fun on Saturday for Dragons and Scorpions (final score around 35-12 to Drags but don't quote me on that). Scorps came out firing with all the guts and application you would expect from a team bearing that name, and from any team billed as the underdog in an intra-HKFC derby. Drags may not be happy with the manner of their victory but they walked away league champs after Valley succumbed to PLA 23-20.

In particular, I would like to offer the front-rower's salute to the men of the Scorps front row: Messrs Wong, Nazer, Kim and Browne, who fronted up admirably. While Drags had the upper hand in the scrummage, this determined band and the rest of the Scorps pack tested them every step of the way - and came back at the Drags with interest on occasion.

Apart from that, it was a scrappy, aggressive, niggly and rather disjointed match, full of venom but strangely muted as a contest compared to some of the Scorps v Drags superclasicos of old. I don't think the referee enjoyed it either - he kept blowing his whistle to try and liven it up. I tried to cheer him up a bit by asking what was the only thing worse than refereeing a club side? Refereeing two of course. But he wasn't really in the mood for my outstanding banter so I let it drop.

The game was really only notable for being Andy Boucher's last match for HKFC - for the Bouchers are off to the USA - and for the debut of a young man from New Zealand called Sam, who terrorised the Scorps from number eight and who I doubt will be playing much more for Dragons if he stays in Hong Kong. Sam is a friendly, amiable soul unless you happen to be anywhere near him on a rugby pitch as part of the opposing team. Then he would be better named Samageddon. After a few contact situations with him on Monday in which I came off marginally second best, I would counsel a very low body position and the advantage of a long run-up to his future opponents. But he seems like a bl*ody useful chap to have on your side, so welcome, Sam.

Furthermore, a strong Select side also celebrated victory in Division 3, beating Macau 25-21, while Sequins were likewise crowned champs in Division 4 with a hefty win over Causeway Bay.

Harps

Sympathy for Andy Goode

2009-02-26T15:20:00.003+08:00

I hate to say it, but I feel a bit bad for Andy Goode. The poor lad's been dropped for Toby Flood in the England team to play Ireland at Croke Park on Saturday. I know Goode is old, a little bit lardy (despite apparently having lost some weight), has a haircut like Rik Mayall and has been associated with some of the worst performances of the post-2003 era. I've never been a fan, having always thought he was a decent positional kicker but an average goalkicker and a very limited attacking player.

And then, against Wales, he unleashed the international performance of his career, moving the ball around slickly and bringing runners in to play as England gathered confidence in Cardiff. He put through a lovely dab kick for Paul Sackey's first try and, frankly, was quite unlucky to have to take that yellow for the team just after half time. He's not the future, and Flood may be, but I certainly found a new respect for Andy Goode in that game, and I found Nick James' chants of "he's fat, he's round, his a*se is on the ground" to be not without irony.

In HK, I know we're all pretty stoked, as the Australians might say, for Saturday's Scorpions v Dragons derby. It's always good to either (a) have a fight with Andy Noble if he's on the other team or (b) get into a fight alongside him if he's on your team. He won't let you down either way. This is always a lively encounter in which Scorps grow in stature in a way that belies their league table position. Drags will need to be wary, and I'm sure Tony George will be telling tales of famous Select victories over Scorps to inspire the, er, Scorps, if you can see how that works.

Our Captain has said he will show the video clip (below) of me predicting a 15 point Drags victory in the changing room beforehand. Frankly I don't think he has the technological know-how to make this happen. In any case, I'm standing by my punditry. Over to you all.

Harps

HKFC TV and the new plan for the Blog

2009-02-25T23:20:00.005+08:00

Just when you thought the Blog was dead, we've unveiled a new technologic marvel. Yes, by the miracles of science, you can see and hear me going on from the comfort of my sitting room about the new plan for the Blog - shorter entries, more regularly updated, more new angles and insights and fewer comprehensive match reports. Or something like that. Let's see how it goes. Harps

Crunch Time in Crisp January

2009-01-14T09:21:00.009+08:00

Good morning all

Welcome back, happy new year and all of that. I'm sure you will agree this is the very best time of year to be in HK: fresh, clear weather (by our dismal standards) and an invigorating chill in the air. I am beginning to think I might have already been in this fair city too long, though. Temperatures a fraction over 10 degrees celsius hardly put you in danger of frostbite, yet I have started wearing a scarf to work and jogging trousers at training. God only knows what would I would have to wear if I'd been back in England over the last few weeks, where rugby conditions have been like those in the picture below. Better not to think about it.

The rugger's off to an interesting start as well. Club had hoped to hone their gameplan against DEA last weekend and get into their groove before facing up to Valley on Saturday. Unfortunately, DEA hadn't read the script and forced our 1st XV to complete an escape of the kind that would have made Harry Houdini or Steve McQueen proud. Despite having no scrummage to speak of, Nigel Clarke's men were bolstered by the return of several of their leading players and had Club on the rack at 27-15 with three minutes to go.

The fact that Club found themselves in such a perilous situation is worrying: I wasn't able to see the game but I am told that DEA were able to turn over our ruck ball with alarming regularity. But the fact that the team was able to raise its game when staring defeat in the face and find two scores in the dying seconds confirms the strength of character that unquestionably exists within the side. Tries from Dan Watson and Ollie Jones leveled the final scoreline at 27-27, although a last-minute conversion attempt could even have seized an unlikely victory for Club. Amazingly, this was bottom-placed DEA's second draw of the season - they also finished level with HKCC before the break.

Club face a Herculean task against Valley this weekend. Our friendly neighbours are 18 points clear of us at the top of Division one. They have not missed a trick all season, racking up seven wins out of seven and a massive five bonus points. Club will have to find something extra to change the course of this season by beating them on their own ground on Saturday - there is no question of that. Last time the two sides met, Valley played the smarter game - retaining and recycling the ball much better and capitalising on Club's tendency that afternoon to squander good posession and lose discipline. But if Club can find both the driving desire to topple Valley and the clear heads to play to a sensible plan, this game can be theirs. There is so much energy and quality in the Club squad this season. If it can be harnessed, channeled and united, I am certain this team can see off Valley and go all the way in 2009.

Did you know that Dragons are the third-highest scoring team in all of Hong Kong men's rugby so far this season, having accumulated a whopping 300 points? Only Sequins in Division Four with 306 and BMW TPD (?) in Division Six with an incredible 353 have scored more.

But Drags found Scorpions determined to stem the flow last Saturday. After conceding 71 unanswered points in the last encounter between these two sides, Scorps were certainly battling the odds, but a first half display of enormous commitment and some luck (not to mention the siege-gun boot of Mike Glancy at fly-half, who also scored the first try of the match) carried Scorps to a 13-10 advantage at the break. Drags did not make their task any easier by seizing any opportunity to argue with each other throughout the afternoon - I will name no names here! - but their class ultimately shone through. They dominated possession and scored one lovely try in particular through Stevie Matthew that showcased the handling and continuity skills in the team. Although the fire-breathing Dragons threatened to stretch out a lead in the middle of the second half, Scorps had a sting in their tail (get it?), delivering a sharp final quarter to bring the game to a 28-20 close in Drags' favour.

Graham Fleming, Antony Philips, and Alasdair Frost also crossed for Drags, while your correspondent made a tremendous solo run from under his own goal posts, dummied left and right, stepped, jinked, chipped, chased and gathered to score Scorps' second. Actually it was more like I fell over the line from a metre out, but they all count for the same eh?

This game reminded me of the very competitive, combative and hard-fought Scorps v Drags fixtures of my early days in HK - the 2004-2005 season, since you ask. It was fantastic that a genuine Scorps team - albeit with some outstanding newcomers in the ranks - were able to bring this fixture back to a more level playing field.

The afternoon was only marred by injuries to Rob Jones (ankle) and Ian Ridgeway (calf). Scrummages were bizarre all day with four loosehead props in the front row. For the uninitiated, this meant both sides found it hard to secure their own feed cleanly since the two looseheads actually playing at loosehead would always get a drive on, and the two looseheads playing at tighthead weren't able to stop it and hold the scrum steady. Following an hour or more of being bent into all kinds of unpleasant shapes by said Mr Ridgeway, I am resolved to avoid tighthead at all costs in the future and to treat lame excuses from Gary Hamp as to why he can't play there this afternoon (it's my shoulder you see, Harps) with the scepticism they deserve.

That's all for now chaps, see you on Thursday.
Harps

Triumph and Disaster

2008-12-16T11:58:00.008+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen

I have neglected the Blog for too, too long and for that you have my apologies. Now that I'm back in the digital saddle, it feels good and I wonder why I couldn't find time to speak to the Blog's 231 unique users (at the last count) since November 20. To tell the truth, the last month has been a trifle frantic for all kinds of reasons. But we're here to talk about rugby and that is what I would like to do. If you'll honour me with your attention, I would like to share a few thoughts about the season so far and what we have to look forward to in 2009.

Golden Browne

Appropos of nothing, I would also like to share this delightful image of that tireless man of action, Daniel Browne, Esq, pictured as he psyched himself up for Select's first ever international in Macau by dreaming about pies and ponies on the ferry. All together, aaaaah.

Two Impostors

Moving on rather, the great Rudyard Kipling famously wrote in If that: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same," as well as managing a lot of other difficult-sounding acts of Victorian fortitude and forbearance, then "Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it / And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

That's enough poetry for this afternoon, but I do want to tackle this question of meeting triumph and disaster and treating them the same. I'm all for stoicism, but treating triumph and disaster just the same is a nice ideal but clearly a nonsense. If we didn't respond to our setbacks by feeling pain and stepping up our efforts, or to our triumphs by feeling some sense of satisfaction, we'd hardly be human.

Dig for Victory

To go further, I would say we are challenged to respond differently to adversity and success. And this is the situation we as a Club face at the turn of the season. For all our numbers and the unquestionable talent that exists within the section, we have been outplayed by our ancient rivals Valley across our top three teams this year, with Scorps in particular conspiring to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a manner that would make Kevin Pietersen and the England cricket team proud.

Being bested by Valley is an uncomfortable fact, but one that we have to confront as a section. There is no point in pretending otherwise, and treating triumph and disaster just the same will do us no good here - we have to respond to this with urgency, with unity and with a relentless sense of purpose. If we had trounced them, pats on the back and pints of bitter might have been in order instead. But we didn't.

The first half of the 2008-09 season should have shaken us out of a sense of entitlement that may have followed our victories last season and the arrival of so many high calibre players before this one. Now we have been reminded that you have to fight like hell to get to the top of any league at any level where the teams are fairly well-matched - and we have to take the lesson to heart.

Renaissance and Rediscovery

I've embarked on a similar rant in the January edition of the Club Magazine so there is no need to inflict any more of this on you here. In any case, I am feeling considerably more upbeat after last weekend. Somehow transformed, in fact.

Scorps beat the PLA 31-19 with some outstanding tries (Chris Howard's and Gavin Bowring's in particular). But this was more than just a fairly convincing victory against a decent second grade team by a Scorps side with more than its fair share of Drags and a smattering of Club players (Tom Bolland was outstanding, by the way, especially in the loose).

From my own perspective, this match was two other things. Firstly, it was a big rallying point for all the boys playing second grade. Both Drags and Scorps have suffered at the hands of Valley and PLA so far and this was the kind of confidence-boosting performance that they can use as the platform for a turnaround.

Secondly, it was the most fun I have had playing this year. It was one of those glorious games that you play with a smile on your face and an extra helping of energy because it's so enjoyable. The first half was very close and I thought it could be a tough old afternoon's work. But when Nick James showed some pure Welsh cheeky genius, throwing not one but two outrageous dummies before offloading to Danny Browne, who put Gav Bowring in to score, I was jumping for joy, grinning like an idiot and fully confident we could do this, and in style.

As that game unfolded, I remembered that rugby can be- and should be - exciting and spontaneous as well as organised and disciplined. But there was more. I felt like we shed the losses and the disappointment we have suffered this season because we were coming back from them in the best possible way. We felt like a team that was hungry for victory and which knew how to win, and that was pretty damn fine, I can tell you.

And when you have that spirit, people feed off it and exceptional things happen. Danny Browne, who was surely built for power rather than speed, joins a 50-yard break and makes a scoring pass. Chris Howard, in his "early 30s", takes a difficult ball and then goes over at full stretch in the corner like Bryan Habana. David Guthrie tackles...

It wasn't that the game became easy and it was very far from perfect - if Scorps had held on to the ball better in the second half in particular, they would have made life a lot easier for themselves. And I know Club have more daunting challenges than the PLA and that the first grade requires you to prepare and play with near-professional focus, but I hope they find that joyous edge of fun that I think we all did in that match. I don't think it means you have to play a loose game; I think it allows you to infuse a structured game with a special dynamism and vitality. And that has to be good for any team at any level.

In with the New

Anyhow, here's to 2009 - more triumph and less disaster.

While we are looking ahead, I have taken the liberty of offering five players to watch in 2009. I have omitted regular Club players, but I think these five guys will make a big impression next year and beyond. This is just a personal view - I'm not trying to influence any selection and I'm aware there are plenty more great players in the section who will impress in the future! Any comments of a non-physically threatening nature would be most welcome as ever.

FIVE FOR 2009

In no particular order:

Hayden Giordine (Dragons): Hugely impressive in the Drags back row since arriving this season. Strength, aggression, a great engine and rugby savvy to spare. Straight from the R. McCaw school of Kiwi flankers. Also the star of the Allen & Overy Professions 7s side. Well, much better than the "ringer" in any case...

Gavin Bowring (Scorpions): Proper pace, heaps of confidence and an intuitive ability to get on to the end of a scoring pass. I expect this chap to grow in composure and terrorise defences for years to come. And he's AQ...

Bobby Dimatteo (Bulls): Ex-gridiron full-back Dimatteo (pictured below) has the physique of a small tank, the strength of an ox and a combative, contact-seeking style. Currently scaring the wits out of the Bulls' opponents as a back row and kick-off return specialist, I have a suspicion his real vocation is at hooker. This is the Bobcat's first year playing the game, though, so he has plenty of time to find his preferred position and learn the subtler arts of rugby union.

David Price (Dragons): Imaginitively-nicknamed Pricey has spent time lurking in the backs but should really stick to 6 or 7, where his speed, tenacity and strong tackling will be most valuable. Pricey has only just been prised away from university but shows a willingness to listen and the origins of a rugby brain. Should spend time observing Hayden.

Rob Toresco (Scorpions): Ex-Princeton football player "Heart Throb" Rob Toresco could become a truly fearsome rugby winger. Like Dimatteo, this is his first season in the game. But a Jason Robinson-esque strength-to-size ratio, tremendous acceleration and good hands mean he has all the DNA of a top quality winger. Check out the Heart Throb's American football skills - can't believe the crowds at these games!

I now expect great swathes of abuse, but that's what your noble pundit has to deal with in life.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Harps

Drags keep spirited Nomads scoreless, rack up 56

2008-12-16T11:32:00.002+08:00

Above: Nik Brunner (pictured playing against Drags for Scorps) had a typically robust game for Drags against Nomads, lining up some crunching hits in midfield. "I like it when they run straight at me," he commented after the game.

From the quill of none other than Condor himself

A good win Saturday (December 6) against Nomads 56 - 0 see's us once again on our winning way. The game was never in doubt however everyone on the day knew that we needed to play to our game plan and execute with discipline and structure. On both these points Drags delivered and we never lost our defensive or attacking shape from start to finish. It has to said that this was a very different Nomads to the guys we played earlier in the year. They had an improved forward pack with a few familiar faces in the front row who originally were PLA players on loan to Causeway Bay. So we did have a game on our hands after all. Also Nomads have a great team spirit which was most evident in the second half when they held us scoreless for good 20 min. We could all learn to fight that hard when we are 26 points down. Well done Nomads.

Drags forwards once again dominated from the front with our trusted front row combination of Horse Nolan, our Captain for the day, Alasdair Frost and Richard Gallagher with Adam Harper also joining in for a strong second half display. Overall the report card would reflect a very solid performance from all of them and the Nomads pack was always on the back foot. We had a new pairing in the lock positions with Rob Jones teaming up with Drags debutant Dan Watson. Both players had strong games with Dan in particular jumping well in the line out and both had a number of strong runs with ball in hand. At the back Marcus Neill back from his stint with the 1's led a strong mobile back row with Andrew Corkery and Hayden Giordine playing at eight.

Hayden in particular played well and managed to bag four tries in a clear cut man of the match display. Congratulations Hayden. In the backs finemaster Junior Naylor always had something to say and kept everyone focused on the task at hand. This week we had Shane Wallis back from injury which was welcomed news leading our 7th centre combination for the season in Leon Scott and David Price. On the wings we had the tried a tested combinations of David Guthrie and Callum Nieto with Dan Parr joining us from the 1's chimming in at fullback. The backline combinations worked well and we always looked in control with some strong runs from Shane leading the way. We had tries from Dan Parr and Callum with the rest coming from the forwards. Who it has to be said acted like backs for most of the game. Hayden four tries, Dan Watson, Alistair and Hewittson all running in one try a piece.

In summary a resounding win and true to the game plan we didn't consider a single point. Well done to the whole team including the reserve bench of Gavin Bowering, Steve Mathews, Adam Harper, Bob Toresco and Rupert Clarke. Without fresh legs coming off the bench we would have stalled at forty points I'm sure so everyone played a vital part in getting us over the half centry. Thank you.

Select não falo Português! Rugby a Winner in Macau

2008-12-16T11:23:00.005+08:00

Select made history on Saturday November 29 (or at least history this century) by becoming the first 15 a-side team to play in Macau since the handover. Macau had recently beaten international heavyweights Mongolia, Cambodia, Pakistan and Indonesia and were looking to add the higher IRB ranked HKFC Select to the list.

Macau had been given approval to play at the Macau Canidrome Club (or dogtrack to you stay-at-home heathens), and the pitch was well grassed and watered. They kindly acceded to our request to play rolling subs, so as to allow all our tourists to have a run, as you would have expected an avalanche of players to participate in the highlight of the season for any Club player so far this year, especially as Drags and Scorps were not playing.

So 18 players made the trip, to play against the 30 internationals selected by Macau.
The appalling list of excuses included “my missus won’t let me go”, “I need to go to a dinner party” and “I can’t find my passport”. Pathetic, particularly as Matt Semple had endured a 20 hour white knuckle bus ride from Bangkok to Phuket to catch 2 connecting flights to get back to Hong Kong in time

Anyway to the game – Select held up well in the first half and led 6 – 0 at the break. Colin “Tight Hammie” Begg played a short cameo and Brownie had to come out of the front row to play at inside centre. Matt Smith controlled the back line and Yutaka exorted the forwards to “make them suffer”. Tired legs meant the second half was disappointing as the waves of fresh players from Macau took the ball to us. Final score 9 – 24.

After the game it was back to the bars and cafes of Old Taipa for a rich cultural learning experience. Macau were extremely generous hosts, and Select promised to reciprocate when they play in Hong Kong. Players of the Day: 3 points – Yutaka, 2 - Freddie B, 1 – Iain Boothby. And if you want to know more, come to play in Macau next time.

Roll of Honour: James Thomson, Danny Browne, Colin Wong, James Manders, Yutaka Yazawa, Tony George, Rob Gabbe, Howard White, Federico Bogna, Tom Wardell, Iain Boothby, Matt Smith, Colin Begg, Liam Richardson, Chad Snihur, Jason Toms, Matt Semple, Sean Purdie

Meet the Girls #4 - Emma Holland

2008-12-16T11:10:00.005+08:00

Ice and Hong Kong fly-half Emma Holland offers her opinions on the redundancy of referees and, well, her favourite men. Curiously she does not mention 'Heart Throb' Rob Toresco. Surely an oversight on her part? AH

Name: Emma Holland

Age: 28

Occupation: Lady of Leisure by day, full-time student by night - unless anyone is looking to hire an engineer?

Nationality: British

Rugby position: Fly-half

Previous rugby clubs: Pennsylvania State University Rugby Team

Favourite things about HKFC rugby: My teammates!

One thing you would change/introduce: more women playing rugby - don't they know what they're missing out on?

Most embarrassing rugby experience: Well, my most recent one would've been at the Asian World Cup Qualifiers. We'd just run out for the first game, Hong Kong were due to kick off, the adrenaline is rushing and the girls are all fired up and raring to go. Both teams are ready, so I take the kick off and one of my teammates lines up an amazing dump tackle on the receiver and drives her back a mile. Suddenly horns and whistles alike start blaring. Apparently you need a referee ON the pitch to start the game... Damn, well, I thought I'd try!

Meat or Veggies? Can't I have both?

Beer or Cocktails? Cocktails. Anything with vodka would suit me just fine

Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Surely all of the above? Although there are no guarantees I'll remember any of it by the end of the evening.

Gerard Butler or Orlando Bloom? Neither! I'm thinking Daniel Craig, Matthew McConaughey... I could go on

Cosmopolitan or Erica Jong? I'd take Cosmo any day

Meet the Girls #3 - Royce Chan

2008-12-16T10:56:00.005+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Royce Chan, Ice's outstanding hooker and general enforcer. In the candid interview below, Royce reveals her soft spot for a certain Club physio and her love for the Hong Kong tabloid press. AH

Name: Royce Chan

Age: Get me drunk and I will let you know

Occupation: Assistant Property Officer

Nationality: Chinese

Rugby position: I want to be a scrum-half or fly-half, but coaches insist I'm a hooker

Previous rugby clubs: Luckily I started at HKFC and I'm looking forward to finishing there

Favourite things about HKFC rugby: Wider vision from my lovely team-mates and Mungo (I learned a lot from him)

One thing you would change/introduce: Summer Camp for the younglings

Most embarrassing rugby experience: When I couldn't finish a lap of Happy Valley at a rugby training session...

Meat or Veggies: Meat for sure, although I look like a vegetarian

Beer or Cocktails: Cocktails or shots - except tequila as I want to stay awake longer

Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? What is this? I like coffee shops!

Gerard Butler or Orlando Bloom? Aiya, don't like either. I like Josh Harnett.

Cosmopolitan or Erica Jong? English is too complicated... I like Apple Daily

Meet the New Lads #7 - Charles French

2008-12-16T10:44:00.005+08:00

Introducing Cabin Boy Charles French, recently demoted by Rear Admiral Bouchington-Blithertwit from Able Seaman for unknown offences although his later failure to show up for the Scorps v PLA superclassico would have been reason enough for this reduction plus a lash with the cat o' nine tails to boot. Second-rower French has achieved minor fame for his patented "no arms" tackle and has been one of HMS Scorpion's outstanding sea dogs so far this season, last weekend's disgrace notwithstanding. Read below about his apalling taste in women and virtual illiteracy. AH

Name: Charles French
Age: 24
Occupation: Financial Advisor
Nationality: English
Rugby position: Second Row
Previous rugby clubs: Clifton RFC
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: Free Towels
One thing you would change/introduce: New (larger) Cotton Oxford Jerseys
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Swung, missed, sinbin.
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak & Chips
Lager or rum and coke? Lager
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Wan Chai Warrior
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Jodie Marsh [WTF? Ed.]
Reading or music? Internet, redtube [redtube? WTF? Ed.]

Life in the Ice Age

2008-11-20T14:41:00.003+08:00

First of all, congratulations to Royce Chan, Kim Kan, and Antje Keim for making the Women's XV National Squad. They will be heading to Singapore in two weeks for two test matches against Singapore, used as a build-up to the Asian World Cup Qualifiers in 2009. Royce Chan will also be one of the Captains of the squad.

After substantial wins over the past two weeks, Ice is now the undefeated champions after Round 1 of the Women's League. According to the schedule, we now have a much needed rest before coming face to face with the ladies of CWB Phoenix again, followed by yet another clash with those known as Valley. So for now we will let things thaw a bit.

Back to the past two weekends. We at Ice decided that it might be best to lump the past two weeks of write-up into one as there really wasn't much to write about due to the bulldozer known as GAICE. The weekend before saw us pitted against the ladies of DeA Tigers at HKFC. For those who saw the game, I'm sure you will all agree it was a sound thrashing, despite the excellent DEA defense. Tries were scored by Kim Kan (x2), Emmy Chan, Fiona Foxon, and Royce Chan brought the score to 27-0.

This past weekend saw us against the combined team of Aberdeen and Kowloon, fondly known as Abaloon. Unlike DEA, whose team consists of mainly petite 18-year-olds, Abaloon has its share of sizable girls. Add the fact that the game is played on the Valley Pitch (a.k.a the Dustbowl) where the pitch becomes a sandstorm if more than one person runs and you can see it presents a big challenge indeed.

In the end though, it was once again our speed and fitness that won us the game. Tries were scored by Ah Ying, Ah Kwan, Royce, Emmy and Monster [Any relation to Animal? A.H.], with one successful conversion from Emma Holland, ending the game at 27-0 (again).

Club hold on against spirited DEA

2008-11-20T13:44:00.003+08:00

From JP

Following a good second half demolition of Causeway Bay last week, Club came up a resurgent DEA whose tails were up following their victory over Aberdeen the previous week. Having already beaten DEA soundly in the pre-season Plate Knock-Out Final a few weeks previous, Club were quietly confident that they could repeat the feat up at King's Park on Saturday evening.

DEA started strongly and soon gained the upper hand, however. It was only due to a heroic tap tackle from Danny Parr on the right wing that saved us going down by a try five minutes into the game. The first half was one of the most frustrating 40 minutes of rugby the boys had probably ever played in, with a constant barrage of whistle-blowing from Hong Kong’s finest. Trying to be somewhat diplomatic, I must say I do not have the foggiest what on earth most of the penalties were for.

Naturally, "Left Hook" Rory Hussey was right in the mix and no doubt gave away a few penalties for being an Irish version of Michael Bolton. Tim Griffin stepped up in the heat of the battle and gave us an amusing display when taking on the four foot tall opposition scrum half. Other than that, we were penalized constantly in the scrums for no other reason other than pushing. This was hugely frustrating for the boys as it didn’t allow us to get into a pattern and get through some phases. The DEA line out was working well, helping them stay in the game and enable them to kick a few goals and keep things very tight going into half time. Thankfully we managed to get our noses in front with a superb try from Pat Foreman in open play with the ball changing hands many times and delighting the away crowd of the resident Scorps drunkards!

The second half was a better display albeit frustrating because of our decision making and pressing the panic button when in the final third. Despite that, there were a huge amount of positive factors in the second half as the Piggies stepped it up on the physicality front with the likes of Ridgeway, Watson, Bolland and Washington making some hard yards despite being about as mobile as parking meters. The back row also started to gel and get around the park negating the impact of the DEA back row led by Nigel Clarke who as always had a strong game. In Club's back row, there were solid performances from Marin, Michael Bolton & Tim Edgar.

There was some super stuff in the backs as well with the likes of Jimmy Kibble and Pat Foreman imposing themselves and getting across the gainline, bringing in the pace boys of Perkins, McKee and Raby. Unfortunately, when it came to making our mark from set pieces and finishing in their 22, we failed to deliver.

The good news is that the boys are coming close to gelling and being a much more complete unit, which is just as well with much harder tests to come. With the score at 13-6 with 10 minutes to go, we failed to take one or two kicks at goal that would have put us out of sight. The good news for the crowd and Q’s hernia was that this created a thrilling ending, with DEA camped in our 22 for the final 5 minutes trying to steal a draw from nowhere. Thankfully due to a gutsy defensive display, we held them out and breathed a huge sigh of relief when the whistle blew for full time rather than another penalty against Club! The final spectacle was watching Tim Griffin having a row with a dustbin.

Well done lads – plenty of positives to build on for the impending almighty smash against Valley next week at home.

Rugby Section – bring your vocal cords please and Man Up! Ta, JP

Drags go down fighting against world's largest standing army

2008-11-20T11:52:00.004+08:00

From Condor (aka Murray Sargant)

Expectations were once again high as we assembled to leave for darkest Guangzhou in the club lobby. This was a little too early for some on a Saturday but nontheless everyone made it and we bused over to Hung Hom for the first leg of our long journey north. One small detail was that I managed to get everyone to the station a full hour before the train - sorry for that. Not a big issue, I thought, but later in the afternoon that decision did come back to haunt me in the traditional fines session.

On a positive note the extra time did prove somewhat useful as we fuelled up at Starbucks and a couple of the lads purchased remote toy helicopters which they proceeded to fly around the entire station, occasionally divebombing incoming passengers, to everyone's collective amusement. Finally we boarded the train north and we left the relative comfort of Hong Kong and headed across the border into Red China. Spirits were high - for half a dozen guys, this was their first trip to China, and what better way to see it then on a rugby tour?

After what seemed like half a day we finally arrived in Guangzhou and walked the 500 meters to the PLA barracks. The PLA seem to be out in force a we counted 41 players warming up. Marc spoke to the PLA coach only to find out the China national sevens team were in town and would be joining the PLA side this day. It was at this point that we realised it was going to potentially be a long day in the office. With both Marc and I making up the Dragons' 22 players, we were short of depth - not an ideal situation to be in on a hot day in Guangzhou playing against Team China.

Warming up was pretty easy because just putting on your boots raised a sweat, so it didn't take long. The first two minutes of the game were all Drags. We won the first two or three rucks and then shifted the ball out wide. Unfortunately the ball went to ground and, in a blink of an eye, the PLA backs seized the opportunity to counter-attack. They shifted the ball across the park with lightning speed (as you would expect from international sevens players) and raced into the corner for what was the first of five unanswered tries and a very long afternoon.

On the positive side, our scrum was led in the front row by Richard Gallagher, Pete Sheren and Steve "Horse" Nolan and battled well. The Chinese front row was getting a good work out and we always made it hard for the PLA to get the ball out cleanly. Well done to the entire pack led once again by our returning team captain, Marcus Neil, who, for the record, was our man of the match.

In the backs, it wasn't as much fun. The PLA always seemed to having dozens of players willing to run at us and speed to burn on the outside. Junior Naylor played well and Stuart McGraw managed a couple of mini-breaks, but it was prop Richard Gallagher who came the closest to scoring, only to be denied by the referee's forward pass ruling. There were some fantastic try-saving tackles from Simon Shoebridge and Nik Brunner, proving that the Drags spirit was alive and well. Despite the defeat, we can all be proud of the way the team played.

As the afternoon continued, injuries started to be a major factor with Wally pulling his hamstring, Pete Sheren breaking his foot and Gordon Marsden suffering back spasms. Soon our thin bench was used up and we still had 30 minutes to play. With no more reserves to send into action, Marc recruited the services of a Tongan exchange student who happened to be training with the PLA this week. He was an excellent recruit and helped the Drags play in the way we have become used to in the second half. In the end, though, it wasn't enough. At the final whistle, we were 29 points to zero in the red and a very tired and dejected Drags team left the field.

Following last year's close defeat in Guangzhou, this was a stinging loss and one that we all will remember for a long time to come. The fact is that we came up against a very determined PLA side who were the better team on the day. Hats off to Drags, though. We didn't stop trying all afternoon and worked harder than ever to turn things around. It was a defeat, but Marc and I both feel very proud of the way you boys played. We now need to move on and concentrate more than ever on next week and the games ahead.

The trip home was as entertaining as usual with Junior taking control as the fines as both judge, jury and executioner. As international touring rules applied, we obviously can't divulge too many of the details but suffice to say the new boys will remember this trip for many years to come. All of them had a chicken's foot to suck on along with many beers and a hefty supply of plum wine. In short we had a huge and entertaining trip back. Amongst other things we came together as a stronger team because of the experience and that is surely one of the best thing about playing rugby. Marc and I (or should I say Cheetah and Condor) had great fun getting things organised and having the chance to bring a tremendous bunch of lads together on tour in China.

Condor

Nomads feel the Scorpion's sting

2008-11-19T17:28:00.003+08:00

I get the feeling Bouch is all at sea with this analogy but what the heck, he's enjoying himself...

Communique

To: Rear Admiral the Lord Adam Harperington-Blogsmythe, KCV A, RSE B, UM with Distinction

From: Commander of HMS Scorpion

Ref: Invasion of Kowloon Peninsula

Sir,

As instructed by Fleet HQ, HMS Scorpion undertook their planned invasion of the Kowloon Peninsula this Saturday last. We encountered some spirited resistance from a local force of Nomads but after several minutes skirmishing, we were able to fire off several successful salvos. As the engagement continued, the crew battled with structure and cohesion for periods whilst also managing to allow the opposition forces to appear as if they could resist. I have advised the crew that this sort of lapse in discipline is not to be tolerated and after the Nomadic force had been defeated by 52 hits to nil, we maintained station and undertook several essential keel-haulings as required by military convention. All members of the crew took their punishment like the men they are.

To be mentioned in dispatches:
Lieutenant Commander Giles Disney-LargeOick, despite his appalling lower middle class accent, the man charged with selecting our forces for this encounter did a more than sterling job and was suitable rewarded after the match. Unfortunately I was unable to formally present him with the MOTB medal as one of the previous crew members has neglected to return it. He will be scrubbing the decks appropriately.

Ensigns Nieto, Beckett, and Bowring and former Captain of the Vessel Shane Farmhand-Wallis performed very well and were responsible for the vast majority of the hits we achieved, for which the command structure were dutifully grateful. It is worth noting that unfortunately Commander Sir Watsonian-Northernbottom was detained in port due to hosting members of the Singaporean navy who had mysteriously arrived for a shared tour of duty. However when informed of the extent of our victory, Sir W-N was extremely pleased.

Once again, the entire for'rard section performed with distinction although our aeriel support group, used when we were at the edge of the battlefield, needed a little work. I fear another trip to HMS TrainingField!

Finally, it is my sad duty to report that certain elements of the for'rard section were forced to retire from the engagement after I had sent in all of the available reserve force. (Able Seaman Frost (very unable at this point) was suitably keel-hauled.) Faced with leaving a hole in the strength of the attack, I was forced into the engagement myself. I am pleased however to report that my intervention didn't cause too much embarrassment and I am grateful to Master Chief Petty Officer Yataka Yazawa-san, on loan from His Imperial Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, who bailed me out of a potentially nasty surprise when I found myself isolated deep behind enemy lines, attempting to grasp some advantage from Cabin Boy French's bizarre use of the foot as an attacking weapon. Indeed suffice it to say all of the crew found it slightly amusing from one so large.

I am also delighted to inform fleet command that we maintained a small force to lend support to the fleet's primary aircraft carrier group led by HMS Club, who also achieved victory. I am however duty bound to point out that several members of their crew appeared to be from the colonies, who had the affrontery to engage in a social game of rugger this weekend last at Fleet HQ, and heaven forbid, humiliate Fleet's finest. I assure you sir that no such tomfoolery was allowed in our crew and former Captain of Vessel Farmhand-Wallis was the only foreigner we allowed aboard ship, the fact of which we also gleefully reminded him.

I remain, in victory, your humble servant,

Commander Her Britannic Majesty's Ship Scorpion, Sir Andrew Bouchington-Blithertwit, KCV A, NGRY, TWA, T with bar

End Communique

Meet the Girls #2 - Kim Kan

2008-11-12T15:09:00.005+08:00

Above: Kim in international action

Above: On the charge for Ice with trail of opponents in her wake

Name: Kim K. K. Kan (yes, there are alot of Ks in my name)
Age: 27
Occupation: Business Development Executive
Nationality: Chinese/Canadian (or Canasian for short)
Rugby position: Front row (mainly Loose-head), Number 8 and wing on very special occasions (Nigel Hobler is my role model)
Previous rugby clubs: Cornell Women's Rugby Football Club
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The fact we have a bar within 100m of the pitch, the banter from PT McGee, and the pool of course! [Editor's note: The Sportsman's is much closer. I have researched this.]
One thing you would change/introduce: Spectator attendance to the Ice games!
Most embarrassing rugby experience: The first year I moved back to Hong Kong, I played in the Country of Origin tournament for the "Rest of the World Team" in an exhibition 7s match. I was apparently either really speedy or the opposition was really slow because I managed to score three tries by beating the wingers every time in the first hall. I went for another run up the sideline and was at the try line when I managed to trip over my own feet and knocked the ball forward without anyone else being within 10 meters. Most embarrassingly, there was a collective "Ohhhhhh...." from the full Aberdeen Stadium!
Meat or Veggies? Give me a hunk of bloody meat any day!
Beer or Cocktails? I am a mojito and capirinha fiend, but G&T is my staple.
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? I believe a good night out involves all those places plus Solas!
Gerard Butler or Orlando Bloom? Haven't you seen 300? Those abs.....
Cosmopolitan or Erica Jong? Poolside - Cosmopolitan. Otherwise, I prefer interesting reads - Tolkien and Frank Herbert are on the top of my list.

Meet the Girls - Fiona Foxon

2008-11-12T14:24:00.005+08:00

We at the Blog are all about the 'One Club' dream and it is with great pleasure that I present the first in a new set of features to you today. You've had 'Meet the New Lads' and even 'Meet the Old Boys' (and what a collection of ne'er-do-wells they were). Now it's the turn of the ladies. May I introduce to you the first personality in our new series of 'Meet the Girls' - the one and only Fiona Foxon.

Above: Fiona surges forward. Her would-be tackler appears content to keep a close eye on her rather than attempting any kind of tackle at this stage.

Above: And this is why. Fiona delivers a mean-looking fend to an Aberdeen tackler.

Name: Fiona Foxon
Age: A lady never tells and a gentleman never asks
Occupation: Marketing and Business Development Executive
Nationality: British and Singaporean, oh and quasi-American...
Rugby position: Scrum-half/Centre
Previous rugby clubs: University of Virginia Women's Rugby Team
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The pitch, and my teammates!
One thing you would change/introduce: A mandatory post-match drink up with the opposing team, with songs...lots of songs! [Hear, hear! Harps]
Most embarrassing rugby experience: My first 22 drop out. Had no idea what it was and somehow found myself with the ball. People are screaming instructions at me to tap the ball over the line, drop kick it and just get rid of the darn thing. So I did all three, much to the amusement of the ref and the crowd. They called me 23 for the rest of the season.
Meat or Veggies? Meat stuffed with veggies
Beer or Cocktails? Cocktails
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? How about Drop/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn [You'd go to Drop first??]
Gerard Butler or Orlando Bloom? No way! Give me Hugh Jackman or Patrick Dempsey any day.
Cosmopolitan or Erica Jong? Not all ladies' rugby players are lessies! Cosmopolitan all the way.

NB: For those of you who are wondering (and I was), Erica Jong is a writer. Wikipedia says that: "Jong is best known for her first novel, Fear of Flying, first published in 1973, which created a sensation with its frank treatment of a woman's sexual desires."

Holed below the waterline

2008-11-11T19:03:00.003+08:00

Communique to: Rear Admiral Lord Harperington-Blogsmythe,

From: Commander of HMS Scorpion

Ref: Recent engagement with Imperial Battle Cruiser Dragon

Sir,

It is my solemn duty to report that HMS Scorpion suffered substantial damage at the hands of the Imperial Battlecruiser Dragon this Saturday last.

Upon entering the battle zone, we engaged the enemy but their superior speed in the aft section caused severe damage to our hull.

It is however my pleasure to report that the entire crew stuck to their stations with admirable bravery and devotion to duty. Of particular mention in this dispatch must be the entire for'ard section of the ship which held firm despite the attentions of the enemy, who appeared to be led by a horse!

The battle was short and somewhat sobering, so Sir Watsonian-Nothernbottom and I decided to make for the neutral wet harbour of Sportsmansk, where it seems our foe had also docked. Despite the attention of a particularly annoying pair of the enemy who appeared boringly bald and foreign and variously short and mildly facially hirsute, we were able to surmise that the ship was repairable despite the 62 hits we received.

By way of note, your lordship, we managed to land 7 shots ourselves to what had been previously a virtually impregnable defence. We have therefore made our way to dry dock at HMS TrainingField, where we will attempt to seal leaks before making way to the expected battle across the channel at Kingsypark on Saturday next.

Additional mention in this dispatch must be given to Able-Seamen Wilde and French who battled valiantly despite a severe bout of sea-sickness during a midway lull in the battle.

Yours in expectation of a reversal of fortune,

Commander Her Britannic Majesty's Ship Scorpion, Sir Andrew Bouchington-Blithertwit.

End Communique

Sargant Speaks: Drags demolish Scorps

2008-11-11T18:42:00.004+08:00

Murray's inimitable analysis of Drags' victory over our brethren in Scorps, plus a look ahead at Drags' trip to Guangzhou this Saturday. Playing the PLA away always seems to attract superlatives. Dinks once said they had the best lineout in Asia bar the Japanese national team. And Muzz is comparing playing at GZ to playing away at Twickenham or Eden Park. Frankly I think the similarities are limited. I haven't played at either of those stadia myself but I'd be willing to bet they have changing rooms and that you can have a shower without risk of catching typhoid at both. Harps

PS: What he would appear not to mention is the score - it was about 50-7.

Sargant Speaks:

These inter club games are always entertaining and this one was know exception with both teams prepared for a tough encounter. In years gone by we have ended up with both teams having extensive injuries but on this occasion it was a hard but fair contest with the only concern coming from some very mysterious referring decisions. More from him next weekend I suspect as we play PLA. In the first half it started off with both sets of forwards testing each other out. This is always the most difficult time in Drags Vs Scorps clashes as both teams are fresh and looking to make an impact.

Quickly though it became apparent that Drags strength lay in our backline attack with Stewart Magraw cross for the first of four tries. After that it was an entertaining affair with tries coming in from all over the park. The Drags backline was on fire and the passing and inte! rchange between them made the coach Marc Sexton confirm this the best backline display from a Drags team this season.

In all we scored four more tries with Tim Robinson, Richard Gallagher (the only forward to score in the first half) Magraw a second and finally Baz Perkins crossing for a great first half. Five tries to zero. In the second half we expected much of the same but Scorps had different idea's and they came out of the half time break with renewed energy. Some solid forward work from our brothers in Scorps resulted in better field position and inevitably a strong forwards surge ended with a try for Scorps which was well converted by Dave Beckett.

For our part we had a number of outstanding backline drives and continued to score even if it did mean we had to run the entire length of the ground to do it. The "Gas Man" Raby opened up the second half and also lead the kicking game with six conversions in all a solid display. Next to cross was Guy Payne our Captain for the day (congratulations Guy) playing a loose flanking role coming in from out wide, then ! Callum Nieto and finally another two tries for Stewart Magraw.

Man of the match was Baz Perkins for his sublime running skills which broke the Scorps backline on many occasions setting up a number of the tries and also crossing for two others although only one will count as the referee adjudged that Baz dropped the ball over the line. Clearly David Guthrie feels the record should reflect a try saving tackle from him but that shouldn't surprise anyone. No matter what the circumstances Baz had a great game so congratulations. Another Man of the match on debut.

All in all a great win and we continue on as leaders of the division with nex! t weekend being our game of the season against our arch rivals PL A. Last season this fixture was are only loss so it holds a huge challenge for the entire team. This season we want to go undefeated so the game next weekend in Guangzhou is vital. Last year we lost 12-17 in a hard fought contest and I know PLA are fired up to repeat the result this time around. Fact is they have home ground advantage and to say the crowd is hostile is an understatement.

We play in the army grounds and every other soldier comes out to watch and cheer the mighty PLA to a glorious Chinese victory. It's like playing the All Blacks at Eden Park, Wales at Cardiff Arms or England at Twickenham, you get the idea. This is more than a game for them, it's a battle and that's exactly what we have to understand in order to win. We need to take this week at training and the game seriously and as it's an international trip so I do need some help with lo! gistics.

Select storm Typhoons

2008-11-11T18:31:00.006+08:00

Above: The Wongster shows us the value of a good body position in the tackle. Yes I know this isn't the game against Typhoons but it's the latest Select picture I have and it's rather good.

From Mr Sean Purdie of the "Mighty" Select

Select 29 - 12 Typhoons

A solid win on the Valley pitch with tries from Alex Smith, Paul Ahearne, Simon Shoebridge, Rob Toresco and Sully. Matt Semple kicked two conversions.

Our player of the day was Nick O’Brien (3 points) who got everywhere and showed what high levels of fitness can do. Other honourable mentions for Paul Ahearne (2 points) for his high work rate, although I saw him on Sunday with a cast on his wrist, and Alex “Smudger” Smith (1 point) and the tackling award

Heinous Crime Division – Tony George, midfield break to set up Sully for a try, then pointing to heaven as Sully lumbered in under the crossbar; Matt Semple – how to drop the ball when over the try line; Colin Wong - putting his name on the teamlist twice.

CBRE Club 41 - 7 Causeway Bay

2008-11-11T17:53:00.007+08:00

Above: Pete McKee did some lunges while waiting for the forwards to get on with the lineout

Above: A bearded and quite possibly mulleted CWB player looks to get rid of the ball as Guy Payn heads in his direction looking focused

Above: Ollie Jones marked his return to first grade rugby after a serious back injury with some fine ball carrying

Above: Whose try-line is that Gus? Whoever's it is, the big man looks cool, calm and collected.
Photos: stolen from Ollie Jones's album posted on FaceBook.

Gents

Brevity is indeed the soul of wit, so I will be brief. Not because I necessarily prefer to, but because I have little choice. The fact is, I wasn't there to see this game because I'd rushed off to go and get ready for the Yacht Club ball (which was fantastic, by the way, thanks for asking).

Our sources here at the Blog can be somewhat unreliable too. Some were playing and, as we all know, the way you remember a game you played in is not the way it appears to those looking on. Others were drunk, or just not paying attention, or both. Fortunately Luke Jones, surely one of the finest number sevens to grace our club, watched the game carefully and sent me some rather more lucid comments than either the team manager or assistant coach.

It was, I am told, a disappointing first half in which too many individual errors reduced continuity, compounded by an inability to win our own line out ball. The half-time score flattered CWB somewhat. Club had looked certain to score but an interception from CWB Player-Coach and HK international Semi on his own try line resulted in a penalty try for the Bay. Semi had nudged the ball away and there was a desperate chase for the line between Angus Washington and their tight-head prop (Mr Jones is still trying to work out where all the backs were at this time). The referee adjudged that Washington had blocked the CWB player and a penalty try was awarded to CWB.

Club struck back, however, with Baz Perkins finishing a stunning team try. Ollie Jones, making a welcome return to first grade rugby, also made the scoresheet from Number Eight with that rarest of things in the modern game - a pushover try. Adam Raby's score, Mr Jones assures us, was pure individual class. Confronting an opponent one on one with very little space to work in, he feinted inside, took the outside and left his hapless would-be tackler grasping at thin air.

Hooker Tom Bolland also completed a good team move to score and Perkins crossed again for a second. After scrum half Pete McKee went off with a rib injury in the second half, fly-half James Kibble moved to 9 and Pat Foreman came in to 10. Foreman made a solid contribution, according to our man on the ground, kicking long and accurately for position. Dave Tibbot, who came into the game more in the seecond half, and Mike McKee were outstanding

Club's next game is against DEA Tigers this Saturday at King's Park. Sadly I won't see that either as I will be on my way back from Red China after the Dragons v PLA game in Guangzhou. If anyone is interested in this pilgrimage to one of rugby's frontiers, I would refer you to an old Blog post: http://hkfcrugbysection.blogspot.com/2008/01/fine-day-for-bike-ride-in-downtown.html

Ta ta for now

Harps

Back to Business - A Look Ahead at Saturday

2008-11-06T11:08:00.005+08:00

Morning all

Trust you enjoyed the Bledislioe Cup weekend. Not a classic by any means but it was great to be there as rugby geopolitics shifted. I understand that Zinzan Brooke confirmed Kiwi rugby players' reputation for fine public speaking at the Brunch beforehand. It's hard to imagine that he could have been any worse than former Wallaby prop Dan Crowley, who embarked on the Mother of all Rambles at the Sevens Long Lunch - but apparently he was. Crowley is said to work as a motivational speaker these days (specialising in motivating people to fall asleep perhaps?) so there is clearly still hope for the audacious All Black drop-goaler of 1995. Now that I have insulted Australia and New Zealand equally, I feel we can move on. And please understand I wouldn't dream of saying any of this to either of their faces...

In other news, I can reveal that Club Chairman Donough Foley and Captain Tony George have sent their congratulations to US President-elect Barack Obama during a private phone call minutes after Obama's victory had been confirmed. "I told Barack he had the full support of the HKFC rugby section," said Foley. "And I invited him to come for a pint in the Chairman's next time he's over. He's got great potential but he's so young. I told him I would get Woots and Don Rider together and that we could give him a bit of a tutorial on leadership."

It also emerged last night that Ben Stobart's long absence from sight at HKFC was due to him having accepting a last-minute request from the Obama team to persuade undecided voters to cast a ballot in their candidate's favour by talking until they agreed. "It wasn't the way we would like to have done it, but the end justified these extreme means," said an Obama aide.

On to this weekend's fixtures. Club take on Causeway Bay in what should be one of the more straightforward contests in Dvision One. With so many quality players at his disposal, selection will no doubt present a few dilemmas. While Club will look to get into form against CWB, the real highlight of this weekend should be the Dragons v Scorpions clash at 3pm. For those new to the club, derbies like this are always fiery encounters. Some say they waste our energy by turning it inwards. I would say that matches like these are the reason why we play rugby and that the competition we foster internally makes us tougher competitors externally.

However you see this perennial question, though, any notion that the partisanship and individual team spirit of the different teams could be abolished along with their names will surely be shot down once again on Saturday. Drags and Scorps have experienced contrasting starts to their seasons, but the fierce pride felt by each team in a game like this has always been a great equalizer, making club derbies closer games than league table positions would suggest. There is always a personal element to these clashes as well: players in both teams want to prove a point against the man who is selected above or below them. It's a little Darwinian, I grant you, but it makes for cracking games of rugby.

My bet is that Saturday will be a tense encounter, with plenty of physical confrontation. I would expect Scorps to come out firing and try to rattle Drags in the first 20 with some very direct rugby. But I believe Drags' quality and greater structure will enable them to pull away in the second half and I would expect to see the game open up considerably in the last quarter. Sadly I will not be playing any part. A nasty clash of heads on Monday night (well, my face, his head) has left me with 11 neat little stitches above the right eye. For those in need of rugby-related needlework in the future, I can thoroughly recommend the Sanitorium.

In Division 3, Select take on Typhoons on the Valley pitches at 3pm while Sequins meet with Comvita City (whoever they may be) at 'THT' (wherever that may be) in Division 4. Bulls take on CWB in Division 5 (HKFC at 1.30pm) and GaIce will meet DEA (HKFC at 4.30pm.) All this weekend's fixtures in the divisions relevant to us are listed below, with the club games in bold.

Finally, don't forget the Walton Brunch on Sunday!

G4S League Fixtures by Division 2008/09
Week 4 - Saturday 8th November 08

Division 1
DeA Tigers v Synovate HKCC, KP, 6.00pm
CBRE Club v Manulife CWB Rams, HKFC, 6.00pm
InProjects Kowloon v Tradition Valley, SKP, 6.00pm

Division 2
Nomads v Synovate HKCC II, KP, 4.30pm
CBRE Club II DRAGONS v CBRE Club III SCORPIONS, HKFC, 3.00pm
Laxton PLA v Tradition Valley Knights, Guangzhou, 2.30pm

Division 3
DeA II v Synovate HKCC III, KP, 3.00pm
Rouse & Co Typhoons v CBRE Club IV SELECT, HV, 3.00pm
SJM Macau v Tradition Valley Mustangs, SKP, 4.30pm

Division 4
Comvita City v CBRE Club SEQUINS, THT, 3.00pm
Gai Wu J v Manulife CWB Pirates, HV, 4.30pm
InProjects Kln Barbars v Tradition Valley Broncos, SKP,3.00pm
Police v University. PBS, 3.45pm

Division 5
DeA III v Synovate HKCC IV, KP, 1.30pm
CBRE Club VI BULLS v Manulife CWB Marines, HKFC, 1.30pm
InProjects Kln Beavers v Tradition Valley Griffins, SKP, 1.45pm
Police Panthers v University II, PBS, 2.30pm

Women’s 15s Division
Club/Gai Wu v DeA, HKFC, 4.30pm
CWB v Abaloon, THT,4.30pm

Never mind the Bledisloe, the Aussies won the Ashes

2008-11-03T15:33:00.003+08:00

Above: the Victorious Aussies. The men on the far left and right were the outstanding players of the team. The two in the middle were pretty average, especially Junior, who obligingly hit a rank long hop bowled by a wheezing English prop forward straight down mid-wicket's throat. In the background, you can see Junior's Dad (Senior?).

Above: Ye Noblest English. Unfortunately we were pants. Messrs Robinson and Nazer were the outstanding batting pair but the only way could have won this match is if we had been allowed to bat against our own bowling.

Above: Tim Robinson makes ready to smash another boundary. Robinson's excellent and rather classical batting was the highlight of the England performance. His bowling was another story - ask him to show you the 'mystery' ball which he runs along his back before delivering it.

Above: "Wait until the price hits 50 and then dump everything you've got." Shane Wallis managed to direct trading operations from the point fielding position. Sadly, this affected his focus on the cricket. He recorded a 24-run over (wide-wide-4-4-4-6, 2 runs and no repeats for wides) to Robinson in game 2 and famously declared that Nazer's bowling would be a "goldmine" only to be castled by the same man shortly afterwards. Of course, Wallis is not the first Aussie to suffer a little from hubris. Who can forget Glenn McGrath's "5-0" comment before the 2005 Ashes (turned out he was a series too early) or the rhetoric from the Australian camp about a 30 point margin of victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter final?

SOMEWHAT PREDICTABLY, Australia trounced England in the inagural Wahu Hong Kong Ashes Pairs Cricket tournament last Friday (October 31). Australia Captain Junior "AB" Naylor had drafted in some fine players in the form of James Shortis and Gary "Gilly" Hill and their all-round strength was too much for a more modestly-talented England team. In truth, the series resembled all too many real Ashes series of my youth - dominance from the Aussies as they build an unassailable advantage, a brief show of defiance from England, then systematic crushing from the Australians.

After humbly appointing myself England Captain, I tried to find some Brearley-like words of wisdom and encouragement before Ian Ridgeway and I took the field to open the batting in the first game. "Chaps," said I. "Let's try and look for scoring opportunities when they offer us width or anything short. But, above all, the way we should avoid getting out at any cost today is to be run out." Five minutes later I had run Ridgeway out twice in one over, leaving us with an embarrassing negative score at one point (each wicket costed the batting team five runs). I am clearly not the judge of a run that I used to imagine myself. Either that or I am very, very slow these days.

Anyhow, England rallied to an apparently defensible 70 runs from our nine overs (there were six players a side and each pair batted for three overs). The Pom effort was led by Tim Robinson, who found effective support from David Nazer in a 4o-ish run partnership from their three overs. Any notion that this would be adequate was short-lived though. The Aussies marched out with grim intent and began to lash our sorry bowling to all parts, with Junior and Gary in particular running riot. England were cheered by the introduction of Phil Millward, our star bowler and first wicket-taker of the day, but even his pacy and accurate deliveries couldn't entirely stem the tide. The Aussies marched off triumphant, finishing with 90-odd runs from their nine overs.

In the second game, we opted to field first and try and chase them down. The innings started wonderfully for England as Aussie opener Kris Marin obligingly smashed Millward's loosener into Robinson's waiting hands. But the Aussie batting line-up continued to pile on the runs despite some tidy off-breaks from Gordon Marsden and Nazer's "ball of the century" that did for the hapless Wallis (poor chap must have been having a shocking off-day because he was yorked by me shortly afterwards). Australia's more senior players also did their part. John Rogers made a tidy contribution with the bat and in the field and Andy Randall enjoyed himself immensely, hoisting his colleague Millward for a six before being cleaned out by the same bowler to leave battle honours even. Randy also attempted to incapacitate your correspondent by releasing the bat after playing one shot, but I am pleased to report that my self-preservation instincts were as sharp as ever and I was able to jump over the flying blade.

Set an imposing 90-ish to win, the England response started at a fair crack with Robinson punishing the bowling and Nazer defending his wicket to leave us on about 35 after three overs. Millward and Marsden played a solid three overs but about 35 were still required from the final three overs. Fellow loosehead Ian Ridgeway and I marched to the "wicket" vowing not to repeat the run-out debacle of the first game and to smash these Aussies around a bit, what. We never stood a chance. Junior, Shortis and Hill had thoroughly mastered the Gray Nicolls "Wonderball" by that point and were swerving the damn thing around like Lewis Hamilton's racecar. We scored a creditable 28 from our three overs but I must confess that only eight of those came from the bat and we had reason more than once to be thankful that there were no LBWs in this format.

After two highly enjoyable, if slightly one-sided games in the afternoon sun, the teams retired to the Sportsman's for fines and awards. Gary Hill and Phil Millward were named players of the series by the opposition. We hope this "dance-off between cricketing lightweights", to use Mike McKee's memorable phrase, will become established as a regular HKFC Rugby Section event and we may even consider holding it on a weekend day or public holiday next time.

Harps

Sequins sparkle, Bulls falter

2008-10-28T18:37:00.005+08:00

From Tim Wright of Bulls

Bulls are taking a bit of time to settle in this season with quite a few changes from last year.

We lost Saturday's against Kowloon match 12-0, which was hugely disappointing because we had about 90% of the possession. No-one could fault the forwards, who rucked and mauled tirelessly, but execution in the backs left a lot to be desired - the most notable incident was when our 11 and 15 collided while trying to collect a clearance from the opposition, allowing the ball to land straight into the hands of the Kowloon chaser who touched down under the posts looking extremely bemused.

With a few of the usual starters returning from injury in the next week or two, there are positive signs, though. The goal from here is converting our domination of territory and possession into points. If we can achieve this then without doubt we could be challenging the best in the league.

Sequins beat Kowloon 27-5 with tries from Simon Aird, Simon Hague, Damien Kelly and Alex Boggis and Steve Thomson.

Meet Kelly Brook

2008-10-28T15:50:00.002+08:00

Right, there would appear to be some confusion about who Kelly Brook is among those not lucky enough to be British or those Brits who haven't been back in a while. One or two of the New Lads from Blighty (see profiles) are clearly in something of a lather about her too. So, for the sake of clarity, Kelly Brook is an ex-glamour model turned actress who was with Billy Zane but who is now courting England flyhalf Danny Cipriani (yes, the one who was knocked out by Josh Lewsey at a Wasps training session).
The picture below should explain a lot.

Meet the New Lads #6 - Alasdair Frost

2008-10-28T15:37:00.004+08:00

Above: Alasdair was very keen to add the rather disturbing image above, but I told him, why would you want to add that to the comedy breastfeeding one? Anyway, he's clearly an unusual character: our first new lad of 2008/09 to prefer Keira Knightley to Kelly Brook and a rare reader.

Name: Alasdair Frost

Age: 28

Occupation: Veterinary surgeon

Nationality: Scottish

Rugby position: Hooker (open side flanker)

Previous rugby clubs: Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Accies, Durham City

Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The facilities and food

One thing you would change/introduce: Cheerleaders

Most embarrassing rugby experience: Being punched in the face and knocked out right in front of the ref after putting in the slipper on the oposition and having the ref yellow card me for over-zealous rucking.

Steak and chips or Thai food? Thai food

Lager or rum and coke? Lager

Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn

Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Keira Knightley

Reading or music? Reading

Meet the New Lads #5 - Dan Watson

2008-10-28T14:46:00.005+08:00

Above: Watson still requires constant supervision

Name: Dan Watson

Age:29

Occupation: HR Manager

Nationality: British

Rugby position: Lock

Previous rugby clubs: St Albans RFC, Tabard RFC, Blackheath RFC, Hertfordshire County

Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The stash

One thing you would change/introduce: I would change Mungo's fitness sessions

Introduce: Fitness sessions with Kelly Brook

Most embarrassing rugby experience: Being shouted at by Griffo in Singapore during my first game for the club. Shortly after giving away his fourth penalty and conceeding six points I'd mentioned that he might want to consider taking a calmer approach to the game. I was politely informed to "f*ck off mate you're new to the club, you don't know anything about rugby and have nothing to say"!

Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak and chips

Lager or rum and coke? Rum and coke

Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn/Ebeneezers/ditch

Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly Brook

Reading or music? Music

Referees need some love

2008-10-28T00:56:00.004+08:00

The Chairman would like to make a point about not abusing referees. I know, he stands in the Sequins corner (corner formerly known as Sequins' Corner?) and they're not exactly quiet, but he is right, damnit.

There are two reasons why he is right as I see it:

1. Giving a referee a hard time in a game that you are playing in is totally senseless and almost always counterproductive. And people who imagine that they can intimidate a referee by being constantly in their face are almost always wrong (it takes a maestro like Gregan, van der Westhuizen or Dawson to do that...) Not unreasonably, referees resent being shouted at and are unlikely to act more favourably to the team shouting at them. How many times have you seen a decision reversed because of protests?

Referees will always make mistakes and it will always be hugely annoying when they do. But, to a man, they come to each game with honest and fair intentions and they never, ever deserve to be given a load of witless verbal for human error. If it makes you angry when the referee makes a bad call, show that the game matters to you by upping the effort, not wasting your energy shouting at the poor bloke.

2. To be a little more prosaic, rugby players don't behave in that way. Banter is great and referees enjoy that, but an absolute respect for the referee and his authority lies at the core of rugby union. We have all known that from our earliest days playing the game. Rugby players should have the self-discipline and self-respect not to demean themselves by raging and whingeing at officials like kids in a playground or - dare I say it - premiership footballers. I don't like to lay it on, but the game is bigger than each of us and we will be judged by the kind of game we pass on to the next generation. OK, it's after 1am and that's a bit strong, but I'm standing by it.

Donough's request extends beyond players on the park to members of the section watching the game. Basically we need to keep the comments witty and on the right side of the line (PT can explain where this line is).

Yours in admonition
Harps

Club recapture pride against DEA

2008-10-27T23:48:00.005+08:00

Above: If you can't see me, you can't tackle me. You probably can't tackle me anyway. Horse, pictured here against HKCC IIs last weekend, made his Club debut on Saturday. Photo: Jacky Yeung

CBRE Club 26 - 3 DEA Tigers

Club returned to victory on Saturday, overcoming a spirited but rather one-dimensional DEA side in the final act of a knockout competition that the Club players would probably rather forget. Having dispatched Valley in the first round, Club were turned disappointingly turned over by Aberdeen in the semi-final. The form book makes no sense at this stage of the season, though. Club beat Valley and lost to Abedeen. Aberdeen beat Club and were then routed by Valley in the final on Saturday. Frankly this roundabout explains why the knockout cup should be held at the end of the league season - when the teams are more finely honed and consistently closer to the peak of their game - than at the beginning, when the difference between one performance and the next can be somewhat Jekyll and Hyde-like.

Like almost all victories in rugby - with the possible exception of Wales's 2005 Grand Slam - Club's was built on the foundation of a very solid pack. Ian Ridgeway made an impressive debut at loosehead and Stephen 'Horse' Nolan added his not-incosiderable presence at the tighthead side to replace the injured Nigel Hobler. The result was immense pressure on DEA at the set-piece, often forcing their scrum-half to try desperate soccer passes to their unimpressed number 10 and giving Club the most commanding of platforms.

After working hard in training to bring some aggression and nous to their work in the tackle area, Club were able to exercise better control at the ruck than they had against Aberdeen, although the penalty count for ruck infringements was still frustratingly high. Despite the absence of Dan Watson, the forwards were also able to dominate the DEA lineout. Put simply, the Club pack simply had more 'mongrel' than before, with Nathan Johnston and Tim Griffin outstanding in this respect.

Add to this the return of Pete McKee and his long range missile of a pass and it should come as no surprise that Club's backs, pivoting on James Kibble at outside half, enjoyed more space and freedom than they did the previous week. An early score from Kibble was followed up with tries by Johnstone, the tireless Tim Edgar from close in and Andrew Chambers, who ran through to touch down following a neat kick through. Mike McKee added three conversions.

Club's defence was robust throughout, although DEA had no great cutting edge and squandered a number of their better opportunities.

A nasty shoulder injury for Jamie Hood in the second half along with some tactical changes by Coach Quinton Wrigley resulted in the imposing centres pairing of Richard Rouse and Dave Tibbot in the second half. Some enjoyably direct running from this duo will surely give Coach 'Q' another permutation to consider as the season continues.

Indeed, Q and the greybeards of that mysterious cabal known as the selection committee will have quite a balancing act to perform as time goes on, while also being aware that consistency in selection is a proven virtue. The influx of top quality new players this season presents them with this weekly dilemma: they can only name three 'N' players (players not resident in Hong Kong for more than six months) in the squad and there are many more than three Ns who are likely to merit consideration.

Most importantly, though, Club clearly have the depth of talent to sustain a long and hard campaign to retain the league title. Saturday's performance, although by no means the finished article, indicates that Club also have the collective will to bounce back from a bad performance.

Harps

Nomads wander into Dragons' den

2008-10-27T23:26:00.006+08:00

Above: Unfortunately Nomads' tackling wasn't this good. Yes I know the photo is from the previous week. But it's a great action shot of Shane and I don't have any from the Nomads game. Photo: Jacky Yeung

Allow Dragons' own Murray Sargant bring you up to speed with a fine performance on Saturday. I have just two things to add:

- The Nomads were a decent bunch of blokes and it was great that we got them back to the Sportsmans for a pint or two. Given the facilities we have, there is no excuse for not doing this every time we play. Teams with Frenchmen in them are always entertaining. When I asked the guy in the beret and the 'Allez France' t-shirt (or similar) where he was from, he didn't get the joke at all. Ah you rozbifs with your ridiculouse comedie Anglaise...

- The dinner in Shaffi's was a classic and we look forward to the next social after the Scorps game. My moment of the dinner came shortly after we arrived when Andy Noble looked around in puzzlement and then said: "What are we going to do about all the civilians in here?"

Now for the Muzzmeister. If you want a summary, here is his own: "In summary we smashed them."

In a one sided encounter Nomads experienced what it was really like to be in the 2nd Division in Hong Kong. To be fair to Nomads in the second half they did start to play better and they never gave up but overall a convincing and emphatic win for football clubs second team.

Right from the get go Nomads new it was going to be a long afternoon. I was still strapping Andy Noble on the side lines when the first try was scored. I would estimate 40 seconds into the game. From that point onwards the flood gates opened and the rampaging Drags forwards were in particularly devastating form.

Lead from the front by Richard Gallagher and Adam Harper we had a field day in the first half. Gallagher in particular made at least five huge barnstorming runs up the middle of the park which earned him our man of the match award. Congratulations Richard. The Drags forwards dominated! and we had fantastic ball again from the lineout all day. Alasdair is throwing superbly and Graham and Ollie are two of the best jumpers in the club based on current form.

From the back row lead well by our fearless leader and captain Marcus Neil the Nomads defenses were breached on nearly every rushing attack. Well done to Hayden Giordine on his Drags debut and for scoring two excellent tries and also two great tries to Ollie Jones demonstrated well how dominating our backrow was on the day. Also with Alex Charter and Graham Fleming in the engine room and jumping in the lineout our lineout and scrum dominated, winning multiple feeds against the head and many of their line outs. In summary we smashed them.

Our new look backline with Rob Naylor (Junior) at scrum with the addition of Stewart McGraw at centre and Tim Robinson at fullback linked well with Leon Scott, Callum and Shane Harmon and the ever vocal general of the Drags backline Robin Bredbury. Robin and Junior both had good games and had to cover more ground than usual on Saturday as more than five of the seven, first half tries were over six phases of play. Also worthy of note was Callum Nieto's superb kicking display in the first half slotting over seven from seven and scoring three tries, so in total a 29 point haul for the day. Well done.

With the second half came some fresh legs, with Junior retiring after a face full of the great valley sand pit. An old Nomad trick that one. Replaced by Andy Noble, Andy was industrious as always and continued to get the ball out to Robin all afternoon. More substitutions with Yutaka Yazawa, David Price, Charles French, Gareth Wilde and Gordon Marsden all coming on in the second half and playing well. To be fair they had all played a full game for Scorps so we appreciated the extra effort for staying around for us after their game.

To be fair to Nomads they stepped up a gear in the second half but still Drags managed five more tries and Robin took over the kicking late in the day to slot our single conversion of the second half. To be fair Callum's second half kicks were all from the side lines with most of the tries coming from out wide.

In the end a great Drags win with a 76 to 0 score line. To date Drags have amassed an impressive 121 points in three games while only conceding the one try. An impressive start to the season.

We now have the weekend off but training is still on this week. Following some southern hemisphere rugby this weekend we will be taking on Scorps in what should b e a huge local darby. Both teams always lift when playing each other so we will have to have our best game for them in two weeks time.

Valley caught in Ice storm

2008-10-27T22:55:00.004+08:00

More from Kim Kan at the front line of women's rugby in Hong Kong.

GAICE vs. Valley - 25 October, 2008

It has been decreed since the dawn of HKFC Rugby that we maintain an intense rivalry with those who choose the dark side known as Valley. Any game between HKFC and Valley will usually involve a substantial build-up, interesting banter from both sides, and a hard fought match.This weekend's match against Valley/City was no exception.

Disadvantaged from the outset by Valley's gargantuan size, GAICE was in for a physical match-up. Valley's stiff arms and hard tackles rattled GAICE as soon as the whistle sounded for kick-off, but we quickly learned that the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

GAICE regained our composure and began to drive them back using ourskills, speed, and most importantly, our fitness (Mungo's sessions really paid off!) A great play from fly-half Emma Holland got the ball out to winger Ah-Ying, who drew two defenders and then made a great pass to speedster fullback Aggie Poon. A missed conversation saw the score 5-0. It was only due to an unlucky missed tackle that Valley was able to put points on the board, with the half-time score being 5-7 to Valley.

Committing numerous infringements finally caught up with Valley as they were given a yellow card 30 meters in front of the uprights. Opting for the kick saw Emma Holland slot in a beauty bringing the score 8-7.

In retaliation for a Valley player intercepting one of her passes, Aggie Poon made it her mission to return the favour. In the end, her speed was just too much for Valley to handle and she intercepted the ball during one of their plays, and then dashed down the touch-line to score her second try. Another unsuccessful conversion saw the score at 13-7.

The final nail in the coffin came from a scrum down. Despite our size,GAICE wore Valley down and a tough drive by the forwards saw Royce Chan over the try line, bring the score to 18-7 after a missed conversion. Frustrated and out of breath, Valley still managed to find the wind to continue to argue with the referee over certain calls, resulting in another yellow card for a sizeable newcomer to the HK rugby scene.

Most teams will cite the reason as to why we won is due to the immense individual talent on GAICE. However, it wasn't individual play that got us around this big hurdle (pun intended). It was team camaraderie,coupled with good sportsmanship, which allowed us to keep cool under pressure. There are a few more kinks to work out before we face them again, but at this rate GAICE will once again be the top-team in Hong Kong.

Meet the new lads #4 - Antony Phillips

2008-10-22T15:48:00.006+08:00

Shy Antony cites Ben Stobart as one of his early influences

Name: Antony James Phillips

Age: 30. However, I have been told 40 is the new 30 but I have looked 50 for a while.

Occupation: Manager of a sports events company
Nationality: British
Rugby position: Blind Side Flanker

Previous rugby clubs: Saracens, Richmond, Milan

Favourite things about HKFC rugby: No more freezing January training nights in the mud - I might finally cure my longstanding case of Training-itis...

One thing you would change/introduce: Cheerleaders...

Most embarrassing rugby experience: Scoring the winning try in the U15 Yorkshire Cup final in the dying seconds...on the 22 meter line, causing raucous laughter from the oppositon

Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak..Pacific grill all the way baby!!!

Lager or rum and coke? Rum and Coke

Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? I like my music cheesy so it wil have to be Wan Chai
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly

Reading or music? Books on tape......

Meet the new lads #3 - Tom Bolland

2008-10-22T15:40:00.004+08:00

The paparazzi would never leave Bolland alone

Name: Tom Bolland
Age: 24
Occupation: Chartered Surveyor
Nationality: British.
Rugby position: Hooker
Previous rugby clubs: Winchester RFC
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The showers.
One thing you would change/introduce: Better service in the Sportsmans.
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Mum running on the pitch when I was injured!
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak and Chips.
Lager or rum and coke? Lager.
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Solas.
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly Brook (with Cipriani!) [WTF? Ed]
Reading or music? Music.

Rock solid Ice beat CWB

2008-10-22T15:32:00.006+08:00

From Kim Kan of Ice. Photos by Jacky Yeung.

The HKFC ICE/Gai Wu (GAICE) women kicked the season off to a great start with a grueling victory over Causeway Bay this weekend, 10-5. After last year's Grand Championship Final saw an 80 minute battle in the trenches against CWB with the ICE women emerging victorious, CWB was looking to settle the score.As the game opened, it looked like they were heading into a repeat of the Grand Championship final with both sides playing fast and furious defense, but slow to launch any offensive attack. Nerves got the better of both teams as knock-on after knock-on forced the forwards to repeatedly scrum down.

Unfortunately, GAICE found themselves at the mercy of an outside overlap by CWB, bringing the score to 5-0. GAICE quickly answered back with a lovely series of inside ball by the forwards, and after sending a quick ball down the back line and into the hands of speedy winger, Emmy Chan, the score at the end of the first half stood at 5-5.

The second half saw some great improvements by the GAICE scrum and several just-missed opportunities. After a scrum down near the CWB try line with merciless attempts by the GAICE forwards, scrum-half and pitch captain, Fiona Foxon, managed to push the ball over the try line leading the team up 10-5.The game ended with GAICE staunchly defending their try line with the cheers from the Sportsmans' Bar urging them on.

Great team work and determination saw the ball ripped from CWB hands and brought into touch as the final whistle blew. Well done GAICE and good luck against Valley next week.

Meet the New Lads #2 - Leon Scott

2008-10-21T14:17:00.003+08:00

Name: Leon Scott
Age: 22
Occupation: Product Manager
Nationality: Kiwi
Rugby position: Centre
Previous rugby clubs: Pakuranga United
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: No long travel for games [How about King's Park? Ed] One thing you would change/introduce: HKFC cheerleaders (Swedish,
preferably)
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Giving the end of year captain's speech for my old team after not winning a game all year
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak and chips
Lager or rum and coke? Lager
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Who is Kelly Brook? [Good Lord! Do you live in a cave? Kelly Brook is a not unattractive young lady currently being courted by England fly-half Danny Cipriani]
Reading or music? Music

Scorps test PLA, show potential

2008-10-21T14:05:00.003+08:00

The below is something of a hybrid between a CIA report, an executive summary and a stream-of-consciousness piece of Hunter S. Thompson-style reportage. Who else could have written it but Bouch?

Date: Saturday 18th October 2008
Location: Kings Park (away again!)
Opposition: The People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China
Score: CBRE HKFC III Scorpions 22, Laxton PLA 44
Scorers: Tries: Charles French 2, Alex Smith, David Guthrie; Conversions: David Beckett 2

It behoves this writer to crave the indulgence of the "blog-itors", by being a smidgeon late. Dry yet profuse words can be delivered with alacrity, erudition and wit take a little longer. Before I wrote this report I took the liberty of investigating our opposition a little more than watching them run past me very fast. I discovered this intriguing factoid:"The PLA is the world's largest military force, with approximately 3 million members, and has the world's largest (active) standing army, with approximately 2.25 million members."Which I imagine can go some way to explaining how they managed to get 14 people who were simultaneously very quick and had little or no body fat - the 15th member was the first but strangely not the latter.

The lack of fat and the small issue of a language barrier did make for somewhat less comedy than normal.The coaching staff's near complete failure to register any laughs was compounded by the minor issue that our good selves were virtually incapable of tackling the aforesaid blubberless ones. Despite this coach Mike Watson, he of the no body fat whatsoever but a fine line in Northern wit, had a couple of intriguing comments for the team to consider at training.

• Thanks - hard work. Tough match against a good side - fast and fit.
• Disappointment because we had the ability to beat PLA if we could learn to adapt our performance to counter their strengths. The first 15 minutes we totalled them scoring one, nearly a second attacking their 22 and then an interception.
• Two more tries were interceptions when we were in attacking position. This made 21 points lads deduct them and you see the true nature of the game.
• Comments:- Scrummaging very good. Front Row really worked in tight and in loose. Just a couple of wheels later on but impressed.
- Loose - when we stuck to the pick drive and roll agreement of before the kick off we just took PLA down the park often 20 to 40 Meters. To be fair I think if we did this against many sides in our league we would win the game.
- Backs overall no criticism. I liked the open play and the handling was in the main strong. Taking runners from the back row also gained ground for us.
- Penalties - well done to Smudger for the quick taps - 2 tries came from this.
- Dave Beckett great running. Nick James if I underestimated your running ability from deep mate first time I have seen it.All of the above would have been of value (including the bits I have carefully edited out) at training, had anybody been there on Monday!!! Which was nice.

In summary, which by its very nature and because it is written by me, may very well end up being longer than the main content, the Scorps laid down a big marker for the season. We played at times some good strong rugby with discipline and just enough flair to be very dangerous. It also is great to see that there are many more players who have the wherewithal and desire to play in the higher leagues. David Beckett and Nick James were mentioned above as was Smudger Smith stepping up from Select with aplomb. However the Man of the Match went to Minju "Midget" Kim for an outstanding full 80 minutes at tighthead prop against a much bigger and more experienced (make that ex-Chinese international) prop, and we at times powered them off their own ball. The Tuesday of the match remains in the capable hands of Mr Richard Tinsley for failing to return the sartorial wig and hat combo which management had carefully crafted the previous week.Despite this we did manage to turnstile a few of their players and lessons have been learned.

Bring it on as they say - whoever the hell "they" are.
Bouch

High Definition Dragons

2008-10-21T09:18:00.006+08:00

Above: stepping on an upturned nail can really hurt
Above: Nieto runs frenetically on the spot
Above: Gordon administers a Vulcan death grip to a long-haired assailant in tights
Above: Leon ponders his imminent encounter with the forces of gravity
Above: The Aberdeen winger thought the best way to put Antony off his game would be to tickle him under his chin

Excellent photographs of the Dragons playing some champagne rugby on Saturday against Aberdeen, courtesy of Mr Jacky Yeung. Visit: http://www.fotop.net/Lawton/Lawton224

Dragons scorch HKCC

2008-10-20T17:59:00.001+08:00

From Murray Sargant

Dragons 35 - 0 HKCC

Well done guys for a great win on the weekend. From the start the whole team seem to come together well and we managed to put onto the field the strongest forward pack that we have seen in Drags for many seasons. The front row was again anchored by Richard Gallagher and last weeks man of the match Ian Ridgway with the added fire power of club newcomer Steve 'Horse' Nolan who made his D! rags debut. Horse as he is affectionately called gave a great scumaging display in the second half which I know from talking to his opposite number in HKCC will be remember for some time. I know also Select were thankful for his services earlier in the day. Welcome to Club Steve.

Our backrow also worked hard all day with Antony Philips unlucky not to score in the final minutes of the game after a Robin intercept and kick throw run chase. Unfortunately the bounce eluded him and ex club player now with HKCC Sidney managed to touch the ball down in goal. Steve Mathews had a solid first game back and Dean Finnegan managed to open his account for the season with great try. In summary the forwards dominated in the set plays and HKCC struggled to win their own scrum feed. In the lineout's it was! much of the same with some excellent throwing from Alasdair Frost and later Pete Sheren combining well with Graham Fleming at two and this weeks man of the match Alex Charter jumping at four. Congratulations Alex on a great game. Our new! look backline really made an impact with the new half combination&nbs p;of Andy Noble and Robin Bredbury linking well. We had plenty of ball making it to the wings which was a major turn around from last week and resulted in quick and flowing game. We ran in five tries and with non better than the second try which started inside our own half working through 10 sets of hands before ending up under the posts. The HKCC defenders were lying all across the field, champagne rugby at it's best. Not sure who scored it in the end but tries on Saturday were awarded to Dean Finnegan, Leon Scott, Shane Harmon, Robin Bredbury and Andrew Chambers so a great team effort. We did manage to get the bonus point and this week which could see Club II at the top of the table. Congratulations for great season opening second week. Have now confir! med that we will be playing Nomads next weekend at Happy Valley at 4:00pm not PLA as originally discussed by some on Saturday afternoon.

Club falter against Aberdeen

2008-10-20T17:26:00.007+08:00

Club 5 - 16 HKCC

The sad news is that there will be no league and cup double in 2008/09. After successfully seeing off Valley in the first round last weekend, Club stumbled against a very motivated and well-organised Abderdeen team on Saturday, eventually succumbing 16-5.

Club will be disappointed with a peformance in which they were rarely able to achieve much continuity or fluency, but it is still the beginning of campaign and the greatest prize in Hong Kong rugby - the first grade championship - has not even started yet.

Without question, Club looked rusty. Injuries and absences had enforced wide-ranging changes in team composition from the previous week. But in spite of struggling to find cohesion and impose themselves on the opposition, Club were still able to restrict the score to 0-3 until the last third of the match. It is often and, I think, rightly said that a mark of a good team is their ability to compete when not playing well, and that was certainly true of Club at the weekend.

While this was not the team performance we might have hoped for, there were a number of encouraging signs. The scrum was dominant throughout the game as Pete Spizziri, Tom Bolland and Nigel Hobler took control. There were also fine performances in the forwards from Tim Griffin, Tim Edgar and, after their introduction in the second half Nathan Johnson and Rob Mills.

For much of the game, though, quality ball for the backs was extremely scarce. The backline, led by Captain James Kibble, was solid in defence but had little space or opportunity to attack. Too often, Club were either turned over in the tackle area or rather zealously penalised for holding on or going in off the feet. The effect, I'm afraid, was to stifle any kind of forward movement. Club only briefly gained momentum through a series of well-executed phases later in the second half in a pattern that led to Rob Mills' try. Aberdeen competed hard at the ruck and were smart in terms of pushing what they could get away with - my abiding memory of a few minutes on the pitch is charging into a few rucks only to find one of the Pale brothers standing up after making the tackle and coming in from the same side as the Club forwards...

Club can and will do better. As several people remarked after the game: "good teams sometimes just have off days." What's crucial now is to turn this off day into a catalyst for the future.

Harps

Meet the New Boys #1 - Horse

2008-10-20T17:17:00.005+08:00

Meet our very own Horse (he doesn't eat sugar cubes but he does like Guinness) newly arrived from the Emerald Isle to terrorise front rows in Hong Kong. Horse opened his try scoring account at the Club for Select on Saturday, strolling over while several men of mere mortal size clung on to him. I suspect this has happened before in his career. Horse then went on to put in a fine performance for Drags against Aberdeen. Bravo.

Name: Stephen "Horse" Nolan
Age: 30+ [be more specific...]
Occupation: Back Office Manager
Nationality: Irish
Rugby position: Prop
Previous rugby clubs: Terenure College RFC.
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The people and the facilities.
One thing you would change/introduce: Ice baths after training.
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Breaking my arm and being a big girl.
Steak and chips or Thai food? Can't I have both?
Lager or rum and coke? Guinness.
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Solas.
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly Brook, hands down.
Reading or music? Reading - I'm a thinking man's prop.

Was this the most ridiculous rugby kit of all time?

2008-10-16T00:52:00.003+08:00

Manila 2007. It's the Year of the Pig, so we got dressed up like butchers. The only thing we lacked were straw hats. Strangely enough, my girlfriend finds this shirt, with its blood-dripping numerals on the back, more offensive than the previous year's offering in the Year of the Dog, which featured a cute design of canines sniffing each others' rears.

Shortly after this photograph was taken, we took the field against some team of expats from Thailand I think. Grewers made a particularly fine little break before he was collared by their scrum-half, who then decided to start pumelling the poor lad's head with his fist. Your correspondent was mysteriously the closest player to hand, so I charged in and attempted to intervene. Moments later, as Bouch remarked, it was like Swansea on a Friday night. I was yellow carded for being the "third man in" and we developed a taste for pugilism that found full expression later that night in the famous Ringside Bar. Only in Manila will you find a bar where there is a boxing ring and you are encouraged to fight your mates (albeit in comically oversized gloves) when you can hardly stand up.

This tour was also notable for the appearance of a friend of Richard Lewis's (back row, far right), who claimed to have played for Wales but was pretty rubbish. No surprises there then...

Enough reminiscing I feel.
Harps

I don't like cricket, I love it...

2008-10-14T09:23:00.005+08:00

ELV Productions

In Association with

Brings you:

AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND

The Hong Kong Ashes Series

Friday October 31, 13:00-16:00, The Hockey Pitch, HKFC

A Three Match Series (or more if time permits) of "World Class" Pairs Cricket following Beach Cricket Rules

Featuring: Ramsay 'Boony' Carter, Ben 'Beefy' Stobart, Junior 'The King of Spin' Naylor, Andy 'AB' Randall, Richard 'Thommo' Rouse and Tim 'I'm the English one not the little one' Robinson

And many other notable sportsmen, although we regret that Nick 'Wrong Un' James is now unvailable

About six players a side are already confirmed but there are still opportunities to join the teams and take part in our unique interpretation of cricket's oldest rivalry.

If you're keen to begin the Bledisloe weekend in style by taking Friday afternoon off to play cricket with your mates, email me at adamharper01@gmail.com

The event is being kindly supported by Wahu, who will provide the equipment. Thanks to Mr Tim Felton and Big Dog Enterprises.

Ta ta for now
Harps

Coverage of the Weekend's Games

2008-10-13T18:17:00.001+08:00

Rusty Club show their mettle
Alvin Sallay
12 October 2008
South China Morning Post

The rust was plain to see, but CBRE Hong Kong Football Club had enough savvy to polish off disappointing opponents Tradition Valley in the First Division knockout cup yesterday, winning 21-3.
Tries from No 8 Rupert Clarke and winger Adam Raby plus the boot of centre Jamie Hood, who knocked over a conversion and three penalties, gave Football Club the perfect start as they bid to defend their League and Grand Championship titles, plus add this extra "knockout cup" to their booty.
"We will take this win. It will set the tone for the rest of the season, and it will be a long one," said Football Club coach Quinton Wrigley. "Considering that we lost all our games at the Valley 15s, it is nice to start the season proper with a win."
Valley will be happy that their first outing does not have any bearing on the League. Left with a three-week period after changing the League from three rounds to two this season, the union decided to play this new knockout cup so all six teams could fine-tune their games before the league starts on November 8.
Valley can certainly do with some tweaking to their game as yesterday's error-ridden performance proved, with butter-fingered handling costing them a few scoring opportunities.
"I hope this is a case of early season rust for us," said Valley coach Brian Higgins. "But thankfully these first three weeks will allow us the chance to identify our problem areas. We are not down in the dumps."
The game was niggly as both teams tried to make an early statement, forcing the referee to reach for his yellow card on three occasions - twice to Football Club and once for Valley.
Having traded penalties, Club's impressive forwards broke the impasse midway through the first half when from a lineout close in, they rumbled over, resulting in Clarke scoring the first try. Hood converted to make it 10-3.
Two more penalties from Hood sealed victory for Club who will now move into the semi-finals next week, along with the winners of the other two games and the best loser.
At So Kon Po, DeA Tigers defeated Manulife Causeway Bay Rams 31-5, while Synovate HKCC beat InProjects Kowloon 35-10.

From Murray Sargant:

Congratulations guys on a hard fought victory against a very strong Knights team. Without a doubt that was the hardest victory Marc and I have witnessed in our time with Drags and the whole team had to dig deep to keep Valley from scoring in the last 20 minutes. a real nail biter. On the positive side our lineout's worked well with some excellent jumping from Alex Charter, Graham Fleming and Ollie Jones and accurate throwing from Alisdair and Pete. Also our scrum managed at least three tight heads which could have been more had Pat the referee not objected to us pushing Valley around the park. Well done to the front row particularly Ian, Richard and Yutaka for some strong scumaging. In fact the referee at times should have been wearing a Valley shirt given his constant award of penalties and inability to see what was going on off the ball and with Valley not binding on to their reversing scrum. Also he ! managed to allow fulltime to run 6 minutes over giving Valley more than enough chances and yet we managed to keep them out. Our pre season fitness really was put to the test and our spirit in defense was impressive to witness. Our backline also had a good day although we were unlucky not to run in a few more tries particularly in the first half. Some strong running from Shane and Pat always kept Valley on the back foot particularly in the first 40 minutes. The only time Valley broke our line was through an intercept which was against the run of play. Other than this momentary lapse Valley never really troubled our defense and we kept tackling all afternoon which was impressive given how hot it was. Marcus and Marc have nominated Ian Ridgway our inaugural man of the match and in typical drags tradition he will be awarded the Steve Spiers cup next weekend. For those not aware Steve lost his life in Bali and once the cup is in! the hand of the best and fairest player each weekend the cup can not be emptied and who ever is handed the cup must see away the contents. Congratulations to Ian on his debut game for Drags and on a great game. Also a great fun night Saturday at the Captains Dinner although Sunday was a little slow in the Sargant house hold. Thanks Marc for suggesting Wanchai at 2am.

Club, Drags dispatch the Old Enemy

2008-10-13T17:55:00.006+08:00

Afternoon all

A quick note from your erstwhile Blogger.

I understand Club, Drags and Scorps were off to winning starts in the first round of the knockout cup (for Club) and first league games at the weekend, with the first two teams putting one over Valley, which is always nice. It certainly seems that there is a bumper crop of talent in the top grades this year and it was good to see new players making their mark at this early stage. I would love to tell you more about the weekend's games but the truth is I was enjoying the delights of Britain's public transport network and wasn't there.

I have, however, gathered analysis from two of Hong Kong rugby's greatest pundits - Alvin Sallay of the South China Morning Post and Murray Sargant Esq, Dragons' team manager. I will slot these into the next post for your eductation, entertainment and edification.

Quintus Maximus (aka Q) has kindly pointed out to me that the Silverware won by Dragons and Ice at the Valley 15s was, of course, not our first of the season. Club and, I believe, Ice were triumphant in the Union 7s. My apologies for any unintentional overshadowing of their achievement. Come to think of it, I saw most of the Club team in Wan Chai the night after, when I had the singular pleasure of seeing Junior dancing. Not sure how I could have forgotten that.

Before I tootle off to training, I would like to bring your attention to a little game of cricket we are planning for the afternoon of Friday 31 October (the day before Bledisloe Saturday). This date began life as a proper fixture against Lamma CC but our pitch fell through so we are bringing this in-house. It is unlikely to be great cricket but it will surely be entertaining...

ELV Productions brings you

AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND
The Hong Kong Ashes Series

Friday October 31, 13:00-16:00, The Hockey Pitch, HKFC

A Three Match Series (or more if time permits) of "World Class" Pairs Cricket following Beach Cricket Rules

Featuring:

Ramsay 'Boony' Carter Ben 'Beefy' Stobart Junior 'The King of Spin' Naylor

And many other notable sportsmen, although we regret that Nick 'Wrong Un' James is now unvailable

About six players a side are already confirmed (these players were in for the game against Lamma) but there are still opportunities to join the teams and take part in our unique interpretation of cricket's oldest rivalry. If you're keen, email me on adamharper01@gmail.com

Ta ta for now

Harps

Not harping on any more

2008-09-30T17:15:00.008+08:00

Good afternoon all. It's a beautiful day outside, the world (at least according the definition of those in the financial services industry) would appear to be staring into the abyss once again and I have found a few moments to bring the old blog up to date. It's a pleasure to reach you via the tremendously clever communication system brought into being by the efforts of club stalwart Brother Paul T. McGee. Did you know that he personally entered everyone's email addresses into the system? Well he did. "If I didn't do it, it wasn't going to happen," says the reclusive billionaire. That's the spirit.

Like an old ocean-going liner, the rugby season is beginning to get underway. However, at the last minute, the HKRFU has taken the rather odd 11th hour decision to play the knockout cup before the league season, meaning there will be no league rugby until November 8. Lord knows why, but there it is. The knockout cup will start when the league had been due to kick off on October 11.

Competitive rugby of a kind began last weekend with the Valley 15s, a competitition that really demonstrates why it is a good idea to reduce team sizes if you cut down match time. Nonetheless, rugby is rugby, and the Club boys will be disappointed to have succumbed to three successive defeats. With a growing casualty list to compound his woes, Coach Quinton Wrigley's blood pressure will be rising well before the real shooting match begins. There was better fortune for Dragons and Ice who won their divisions and claimed the club's first silverware of the season. As I understand Murray Sargant's epistle on the subject, Dragons' final came down to a draw and it had to be decided by a sprint race which 'Usain' Payne won.

On an entirely different subject, I would like to recommend H.E. Andrew Boucher's blog. He does appear to be preoccupied with one issue in particular, but his peerless style and the contributions of some other notable Scorps make this a highly entertaining read. Take a look now on
http://www.rugbyisnotbroken.blogspot.com/

Finally, I have one or two further points to make on the issue of team names, or the absence thereof. Firstly and most importantly, let's be absolutely clear that the greater good of the section is of paramount importance to everyone involved. We all want a system under which teams co-operate as much as possible and in which players play for higher and lower teams than their accustomed team when selected to do so.

But I do not believe that changing the team names is the best way to achieve this - it contributes to the appearance of 'one club' but I'm not so sure about whether it brings that reality any closer. I'm inclined to think that worthy ideal can only be fully achieved if management and the selectors are able to enforce selections by bringing meaningful penalties to bear if people disappear when they are asked to play for a team that is not their preferred one.

At the moment, I believe it is fair to say that a majority of players feel that they have lost something important to their rugby experience without having been consulted on the change. A poll on my previous posting revealed 59% against replacing team names with numbers, 25% in favour and 15% indifferent. There were 32 respondents, which shows you how few people really read the Blog. But I also suspect the majority of these were Club and Drags players. A straw poll of club stalwarts from other teams certainly suggested that there is even stronger support for team names elsewhere in the section.

I admire and support the goal behind this initiative, but I disagree profoundly with the method and, should anyone care, I will not be using the numbers myself. Nor, I suspect, will we see the Sequins' Corner being renamed "The Corner Formerly Known as the Sequins' Corner" (and I can't take credit for that one) or any talk of "Mighty" FC4. In any case, I think there has been more than enough from me on this issue and you will be relieved to hear that I am going to pipe back down and concentrate on rugby.

Harps

The Blog is Back

2008-09-21T17:27:00.002+08:00

Gentlemen

The Blog is back for its second season of crisp analysis and aimless banter. There are rumours that we will shortly be taking this content to a newly revamped Rugby Section website masterminded by Brother Paul McGee, who has recently taken a vow of silence, but for the time being, we are live again at http://www.hkfcrugbysection.blogspot.com/.

I am quite happy to take the Blog's content into an official HKFC portal. After all, this Blog has been officially sanctioned from its beginning. And I love the idea that PT is pushing of an integrated web platform for the section: one that will allow information, team lists, results and so on to be easily distributed to the whole section and that will enable the build-up of an invaluable archive of data. But whether we are here or on a new uber-website, the Blog will never become a tame noticeboard for the section's leadership, even though it exists to support, celebrate and inform the HKFC rugby section. I may be a bit of a weapon, but I will never be a tool...

Because it would be a sad day if 'we' at the Blog felt uncomfortable to be critics when criticism is a fair response, either in assessing performances on the pitch, or decisions made in the Club's boardroom, more normally known as the Sportsman's.

Indeed, I would like to start this season's Blog on the offensive. It is my understanding that the noble and ancient team names within the section will be abandoned in favour of depressingly bland team numbers. That is to say: firsts, seconds, thirds and so on. For those new to the club, and for clarity, the six club men's teams, in order, are: Club, Dragons, Scorpions, Select, Sequins and Bulls. The ladies' team is called Ice (and I confess I am not sure what happens to that under the new numbers system).

The reasoning behind abolishing the team names (as if it were possible) is that having team names and strong identities for each team discourages movement of players between the teams and restricts players' and coaches' thinking to their own little world. In short, so the argument goes, the team names are divisive, create silo mentalities and hold back the section as a whole.

It's easy to follow the logic of the argument, but there are two powerful reasons why it is a misguided initiative and destined to immediate failure.

Firstly, consider the motivations of a rugby player taking the field. He or she plays for his or her own pride in what they do; they may play for a coach sometimes; but I believe that, for the largest part, they will play for their team. They will play for the people around them and for the identity of the team and, without wishing to become too prosaic, its spirit. The spirit is created by the people that get together with our player every week to train and play rugby. But the spirit of the past players, in the way that it influences the players still there who remember them and what has gone before, means that every rugby team is, if you like, a distinct fabric into which a large number of personalities, past and present, are woven.

It sounds rather obvious, but the idea of the team is the essential building block of rugby life -its DNA. And a team is not effective as some kind of loose, technical grouping that serves an abstract greater good. When people go out to play, they cannot be expect to think of and play for several hundred other people in the rugby section. They cannot be expected to think of themselves as part of one team of 105 players lining up in seven matches on Saturday. They are part of a squad, a team, that can only give its all in its own game. Ask rugby players to think beyond that, or to play for more than that, and you are missing the point of the game.

The team name is like a flag or battle standard. It's what the captain shouts to rally the team on the pitch. The aura of the name creates a strangely potent bond between the players that it joins together. If you've ever played the game, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. The Club is full of teams that have attracted incredible loyalty down the years and developed quite distinct cultures of their own. These distinctions aren't big but they are important. It's to do with they way you play (or the way you think you play) and the personalities in your team and the kind of chatter they create.

In HKFC, teams have always defined themselves against the other teams, which isn't surprising. Every team - maybe every group of individuals - naturally likes to differentiate itself and stand out. Remember Bulls' red socks; Select's "Mighty" sobriquet and their bauhinia jackets; Sequins' Corner and their preposterous waistcoats; Dragons' sense of us-against-the-world-when they were the Dvision One whipping boys and no-one wanted to play for them. When I thought I would have to leave Hong Kong a couple of years ago, the-then Scorpions captain wrote me a very kind letter with a Scorps' letterhead and implored me to remember that I would always be a Scorp.

I clearly remember one player declaring to anyone who would care to listen at a Captain's Dinner that he "embodied the spirit of Bulls." I have no idea what he meant (although I bet I would if I were a Bull) but it's hard to imagine anyone saying "I embody the spirit of co-operation across the rugby section" and feeling proud of it. It's a worthy ideal, but it's empty when we consider why we play the game. We all love the rugby section as a whole and we all want the whole Club to do well. It's just that we play for a team, not a section, and that team should have a name, an identity and a spirit.

The second reason follows on from that and is less fundamental, less philosophical and more practical. It won't work. At a very simple level, people will continue to use these team names for ever and aye. I went to university in a city where the biggest, nastiest and best nightclub was still called Sindie's despite the fact that it had been called about three other things in the twenty-odd years since it was last Sindie's. When people like names, they stick.

And it's not going to alter players' willingness or ability to move up the teams. There are plenty of players in the Club and Dragons teams today who started in Scorps, Select and Bulls. Good and committed players will always be ambitious to play for the best team that they can.

Nor, I fear, is such a cosmetic change going to alter coaches' attitudes much. Coaches are naturally dedicated to their own team, and so they should be. I don't think the following conversation will ever happen:

Coach A: Right, I am delighted that four of my best players have been asked to play for the team above me. It's always a great pleasure to support the section as a whole. May I ask you if you will kindly provide me with your four best players to replace them?
Coach B: Why, certainly good sir. It would be my honour.

Nope, there will always be wrangling and fighting and coaches trying to hang on to their best players. It was ever thus. But it will essentially work as it always has - the best players will move up as demand requires. It hasn't always happened as quickly as it should have, but it happens.

Alright, for anyone still listening, that is the end of my rant. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who feels differently and can assure you I will start writing about rugby again soon.

In the meantime, please let us (and the section) know how you feel about these changes by voting in the poll below...

Harps

England Great Will Carling Endorses the Blog

2008-05-23T23:55:00.000+08:00

Carling and an Irishman play one-versus-one rugby at Twickenham. Goodness knows who Will thinks he will pass it to. Note the old school, unadorned white jersey - could we not ditch the rugby league-meets-Arsenal one and get back to plain white? I doubt it.

Gentlemen

I'm not seeking the Democratic nomination but I am pleased to say that the Blog has just received a highly sought-after endorsement. Yes my friends, this humble website has received a great man's seal of approval, and I don't mean Bouch. It has been acknowledged by the man who led England out of the rugby wilderness in the early 1990s and who captained England's first Grand Slam in 11 years back in 1991. As it happens, that was the first Five Nations I remember watching and - unbelievably - the occasion of our first victory in Cardiff for about 25 years. I became conscious of rugby just as England stirred from its long slumber. To me, this guy personified the success and winning attitude of England rugby in the 1990s. Though he's not even a forward, let alone a prop, he's a rugby hero of mine.

He took England to the World Cup final in 1991 and suffered at the hands of Jonah Lomu in 1995, not to mention representing the British and Irish Lions. The last England captain of the amateur era and the first of the professional age, he famously denounced the grandees of the RFU committee as "57 old farts." Yes, gentlemen, I am talking about the first showbusiness England rugby captain. I am talking about Will Carling, who has - as I may have mentioned - just endorsed the Blog.

And he's a modest chap too...

"Chris [he means Harps but mever mind] - how the hell can you refer to me as 'great' !!?? [er perhaps I had been flattering the great man somewhat on http://www.rucku.com/] Either you are very sarcastic - which I like, or you are referring to my waist line!! Great Blog by the way."

So there we have it. Naturally I have extended an offer of the Club's fullest hospitality to Mr Carling. Should he visit, I would propose a lecture on his life in the game and make non-attendance by Australians an offence punishable by mandatory expulsion from the Club.

Otherwise chaps, I hope the May Ball was good although my usual sources are fairly muted on the topic. Please do drop any red hot news into the comment box. Strange to say, I am missing rugby already. Golf just isn't quite the same. Roll on the beginning of the 2008/09 fitness regime I say.

Harps

Join Rucku!

2008-05-22T02:02:00.000+08:00

Chaps - quick post from your correspondent, who is currently relaxing in the Yorkshire sunshine. Chris Howard has brought the excellent rugby "virtual clubhouse" www.rucku.com to our attention here at the Blog and I wholeheartedly recommend it. It works quite like Facebook (apparently, never usedd FB myself) so you have a wall, rucku friends, photos, videos etc. Plus there won't be many girls using it to waste time.... Some rugby greats are involved and are happy to chat - I have been corresponding with the great Will Carling himself. There are also some good articles and lots of other fun stuff so sign up pronto. Ta ta for now. Harps

Drag's Finest Hour

2008-03-27T13:38:00.000+08:00

From our own Murray Sargant

Drags - What A Great Result

The seasons concluding game confirmed once for all that Drag's are one of the most improved teams this year in the Club. It was always going to be a huge step up for Drags to take on the might of Kowloon a solid 1st Division team with more than a few professional players.

The fact is beating Causeway Bay the week before was a great effort in it self but to now face the might of Kowloon who have in previous years been the Division 1 finalist and Champions was always a big step up.

Right from the training run Thursday to our pre game briefing everyone seemed clear with the enormity of the task ahead and the entire squad was focused well. During the pre game briefing we all had a quick chat about the season and the tactics we would be deploying to combat or much fancied opponents. We also issued the latest addition to the club kit bag our new Drags socks specifically custom ordered for the final. Sorry for the Welsh Dragon but we do have to remember were the coach comes from. He for one was more than happy with the design. If any others who didn't play Saturday but want a pair of these one off team socks please let me know. They are now of course mandatory for all Drags games moving forward.

The game itself was a huge physical match up with some of the largest centers in Hong Kong rugby lining up against Robin and Tim. The forwards from Kowloon also had there fair share of bulk and at times you would have thought we were playing Samoa rather than the Loon.

As it turned out it was one of the most hard fought battles the Club faithful had seen for many years with Drags never stepping back and to a man making sure every tackle counted, even if the net result was we only slowed the big islander's down. Drags actually looked the more composed team right from the opening whistle. Great pre game prep from Marc and locker room rev up from Ramsey. The resulting start was our best of the season. From the opening kick off we spun the ball wide and came with in meters of scoring right from the get go. Defense was the name of the game and the entire team kept the chain unbroken the entire first half. Suffice to say this was not going to be a straight forward walk over.

The Drags scrum lead strongly from the front by Khan, Sheren and Babis made sure we had a stable platform for our own feeds and equally made sure the Kowloon scrum was always under pressure. A couple of excellent turn over balls resulted and the Drags pack looked to dominate the larger but not superior Kowloon tight five. The starting Drags second row combination or Hewitson and Jones also kept the pressure on and made a number of great tackles in the first half to bring the big guys down all over the park. As for the backrow of Neill, Guy and Wally it was going to be a very busy day and the lads didn't disappoint with all of them working hard and Guy in particular pulling off a man of the match performance as the worthy winner of our Steve Spires cup in only his second start for Drags. Congratulations to Guy. The forwards dominated the scrums and challenged well in the line outs making sure we gained much valuable procession and most importantly keeping the ball out of the hands of the much larger and aggressive Kowloon backline.

In the backs Captain Phil was as always working hard tackling every large islander like his life depended on it. Junior and Robin also combined well particularly in defense. Robin in particular had a huge game and kept in the Kowloon attackers face all day. Pre match Phil had mentioned that we needed to swarm like bee's in defense and Robin took the lead in making that a reality, pulling off some great tackles and also effecting a a couple of turn over balls at critical times. On the outside Tim had a strong game and since every tackle required a team effort Robin and Tim worked well in combination bringing the big guys down or at the very least slowing them down so the rest of the team could finish off the job. The back three of Callum, Raby and Ed were also busy and Raby did a great job with the boot and converted the only points in the first half heading to the break at 3-3. The tension in the air was intense.

The game in the second half continued with same hard hitting runs from from Kowloon centres but clearly they were getting tired and our constant in your face defense resulted in them getting increasingly frustrated. The more they kept trying to swat us out of the way the more the Drags boys kept coming back at them.

At this point Marc started to deploy our super subs bench with Dinks coming on in the front row, Peyton and Steve Mathews into the 2nd row and Gallagher replacing Wally at No 8 with Grewers replacing Phil at scrumhalf. The timing of the replacements came just at the right time and Drags managed to change up a gear when Kowloon frankly had run out of idea’s. At this point the red mist descended and the Loon open side flanker started throwing punches at what has to be said was a cheeky pat on the head from Dinks thanking the opposition back row for being offside in the ruck for about the fourth occasion. The resulting penalty for Drags relived the pressure and also resulted in the Kowloon player being given a red card.

Kowloon now down to 14 men really now started to look desperate. Rather than Drags taking the foot off the pedal Marc made the final substitution of the game and bought Dave Tibbott off the bench. The resulting hard runs and crash balls added further to the misery that the Loon were feeling and Drags placed ever increasing pressure looking for a final try to seal the victory. Kowloon in frustration eventually made another cynical mistake with hands in the ruck and it was a penalty to Drags right in front of the posts. Raby calmly slotted the final points and it was a historic victory for Drags. 9 – 3 and confirmed us as 2008 Knock Out Cup Champions over our much fancied opponents.

Thanks also to Bouch and Shoey who supported the team well but didn’t manage to get onto the paddock for the final game.

Sorry for making this an epic tale but it was by all accounts our greatest game of the season and to miss anyone out would have been wrong. A huge thank you to Marc for pre game talks and for coaching us all season. Also to Ramsey who was always passionately supporting the team both on and off the field.

Congratulations to everyone who played Drags this year and contributed to such a great season. The leading try scorer was Callum Nieto with six tries but with more than 22 different try scorers during the season the whole team deserves a huge pat on the back for a job well done.

Regards
Murray Sargant
Manager Drags

Calling Time with the Captain

2008-03-27T13:28:00.000+08:00

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Australians

It may have occurred to you (as it has to one whingeing old git who will not be named here) that the Blog has been a little quiet lately. Guilty. And it's not as if there has been nothing to write about: Club have wrapped up their season with a magnificent win over HKCC to win the Cup as well as the league, and Drags replicated that performance with an utterly defiant showing against Kowloon's Division One team. I will post Murray "Inimitable" Sargant's comments on Dragons' finest hour shortly. My only excuse is that I have been busier than Stobart lately, and we all know he is the world's busiest man.

El Capitano, Tony George has kindly contributed some reflections on this season of marvels for HKFC, below. Hope you enjoy them. After posting Murray's write-up (a mere fortnight late), I will be sending the Blog into hibernation for the summer. May I say that it has been a pleasure to be your Blogger this season and that I have really appreciated not only the compliments that you have favoured the Blog with, but also the complaints. When you are summoned to Sequins corner on matchday to debate the heaviest ever Club front row, you know you're making an impact...

Bring on victory in 2008-09!

Have a great summer.
Harps

From Tony George, Club Captain

So, Harps has asked me to indulge his fabulous blog with some personal reflections on the season. I’ll endeavour to oblige, so long as you’ll forgive the slightly scattergun approach…

The Captain’s Dinner. I have to admit to having been slightly nervous about this, my first as skipper. I also really, really don’t like public speaking. I shouldn’t have worried – not only were the audience very kind, they weren’t listening, so it was all OK. In all seriousness, this was a top night and it was great to see players from throughout the Club mixing and chundering together. And, even if I say so myself, my heave over the VIP table was a special moment.

Atmosphere. I dunno about you, but I found this year to be much more welcoming and inclusive. I still don’t think we’re quite where I’d like us to be, but that just makes next year even more exciting.

Guangzhou. On a personal note, this season was my first trip up to take on the PLA. Ok, so the pitch is awful, the facilities are, well, there are no facilities bar the Golden Arches, but the train trip back makes up for everything. In time honoured fashion, the streakers shall remain nameless; suffice to say that man bags will always make me think of rice wine…

Winning. Which we seem to have managed a lot of. I’ll spare you the list. Actually, no I bloody well won’t: Bulls won the Kowloon X’s, Club and Drags both did the double, Select won the third, the GAIce won everything and the U14s were bloody fabulous.

Fine sessions. See above. The one before Miss Kowloon may have been a little over the top. Some may even say that it contributed to the eventual fate of poor old Miss Conversion. I don’t know, as I can’t remember – yet another get home at 6am clutching three Sausage & Egg McMuffins and a Fillet O Fish kind of a night.

Q smiling. Well, he had to in the end. Didn’t you see Hobler’s attempted chip in the Final?

Dodgeball. Same again next year?

Drop goals. They became a fixation for a while, Stobart nailing one from dead in front of the posts with a 13 man overlap outside him. And then the Firsts caught the bug, with some just silly ones in the last few games. I suppose, when you’re winning, even Scots think they’re Jonny…

Beating Valley. We managed that a lot this year, and the three times in Div 1 were fun. Apparently they think we’re Scum. Bless. We just think they’re not all that good. Better luck next year.

The really personal. I turned 30 (yes it was a tough paper round) got married and started as Section skipper in the space of a month. Must learn to spread things out more in future.

The highlight. Had to really struggle to come up with one defining moment of a season that contained so many special moments, but the display the Drags put on in the Knockout Final against Kowloon was truly exceptional. They swarmed everything, ran everywhere and really put bodies on the line. Superb win.

And with that, just a few thanks for the season. Big thanks to the committee (you know who you are), ably led by the little Irish fella, who do much more behind the scenes than anybody realises. The Coaches and Managers have also been tireless in generally getting stuff done, and the Season’s triumphs wouldn’t have happened without them. finally, of course, the players – it’s all about you, after all.

Meet the Old Boys...again...it's Animal!

2008-03-13T13:27:00.000+08:00

This time it's the mighty Animal: rugby leaguer, Hong Kong copper and Sequins stalwart. Animal has done his "generation" proud by maintaining and even exceeding the (high) level of wit we have come to expect from these addled old duffers. Thanks again to Broony - Our Man in the Corner.

Name : Animal, however, as the wife does not like being called ‘Missus Animal’ I sometimes use an alias of Dave Slater.

Age : Having previously been mistaken for my father’s brother, my mother’s husband and my niece’s grandfather I can proudly state that I am only 48; but very happy that I am now starting to ‘age my look’.

Year retired : This year. But still available for tours as a War Correspondent.

Occupation : One of Asia’s Funniest (sorry, Finest), therefore semi retired.

Nationality : Yorkshireman

Rugby Position : Futility player, played them all equally badly. When given a choice, Centre or No 8.

Years at Club : 8

Previous Rugby Clubs : Todmorden (small tribal compound in the Pennines) Amateur Rugby League Club, Rochdale Hornets Colts, Royal Hong Kong Police and Hong Kong Police.

Favourite thing about HK Rugby : Tours and beers with mates, which results in scaring the bejasus out of Fordo by sleeping naked and snoring like an enraged Grizzly. Sorry, my mistake, apparently the overall hair colour is more akin to a Polar bear.

Current favourite Club player and why : All the ladies playing for Ice, they scare me !

Most embarrassing spectating rugby experience : Sitting in the changing room (cowshed) at Todmorden whilst my fellow Under 16’s recorded their only loss of the season. I was a tad under the weather having drunk a bottle of scotch the night before. On a positive note, I no longer drink scotch by the bottle !

Wanchai or Manila ? That’s an easy choice…….Bangkok.

Sequins Corner or the Sportsmans ? The Corner waiting for Woots to get slapped one day; and anyway, the Sportsmans does takeaways and delivers.

HKFC 10s or HKRFU 7s ? I didn’t realise they were separate events and have never been able to differentiate between the finish of one and start of the other.

Drinks with Woots or shopping with the wife ? The former, it’s less likely to end in divorce.

Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren ? Sorry, they are a bit before my time. I’d love to have a ‘Monster’s Ball' with Halle Berry though.

Drags reach Knockout Cup Final

2008-03-13T13:19:00.000+08:00

From the inimitable Murray Sargant...

VICTORY FOR DRAGS 18 CWB 15. What can be said it was a hard fought last minute win and the sort of game you expect when Causeway Bay who needed a win to salvage some pride from a disappointing season came up against a confident Drags team having just won the 2nd Division title. Right from the opening kick off we new it was going to be a long afternoon. Semi was in impactful form and the CWB game plan seemed fairly clear. Give it to Semi and kick deep into Drags half. Drags to their credit weathered the opening 10 min and replied in emphatic form with a length of the field try that started on our own 22 and went through 7 pairs of hands before finally Callum ran over to score in the corner. Drags up by 5. CWB didn't lie down and they soon came back with a couple of penalties to keep them in the game. The game then became a hard fought mid field tussle with no one wanting to back down. We entered the second half leading by just a few points. This was short-lived as CWB pounced on a loose ball and ran in a try, it had to be said against the run of play. Never the less Drags now found themselves behind for the first time in the game. Full credit to the lads who remained positive and pushed hard to get back down the CWB end of the field. This was proving a great challenge as CWB continued to apply pressure and the penalty count against Drags was mounting as the ref forgot to call ruck and let CWB dive into every ruck off their feet. Thing's didn't look good for Drags with CWB applying all the pressure when from turnover ball in the line out Carny flicked a ball out the back of a ruck to young Adam Raby standing on his own 22 meter line. Raby then dodged and weaved to the halfway line before chipping over the entire CWB pack and re gathering and setting off for a great sprint down the far touchline scoring under the posts. Drags went wild as the try put us three points clear of CWB with 5 min to play. Drags 15 CWB 12. One last twist however kept us fighting till the very end. CWB came back at us and sure enough Drags were penalised yet again on our own 10 meter line right in front. Back came CWB to level the scores with 3 min to play. Drags 15, CWB 15. The final phase of the game was all Drags. The never say never attitude really shone through and the pressure on the CWB defense intensified. Drags looked to be on the brink of scoring and with a final push Carny our creative prop chipped over the top. Would have been a huge fine under normal circumstances but he did manage to roll the CWB player over to our side of the ensuing ruck which resulted in a penalty to Drags right in front. Raby cool as you like slotted the penalty and in doing so booked Drags into the final of the Knockout Cup for Division 2. Well done and congratulations for a great game.

No more worlds to conquer?

2008-03-04T13:21:00.000+08:00

Short and Sweet Message from Tony George, Club Captain

Select managed to clinch the Third Division on Saturday. They beat Police 37-10, securing the bonus point necessary to put Valley Mustangs under pressure. Sure enough, they couldn't manage enough points against Kowloon Pussies, so Select take the title on points difference.

***********************************************************************************

So that's it then (this is Harps again, by the way, although you had surely already noticed the improvement in style). HKFC completes what is believed to be an unprecedented clean sweep of Divisions One, Two and Three. As our esteemed Captain pointed out, his first season at the helm "could have gone worse." Now that it's happened, there is a certain sense of inevitability about this tremendous achievement - it now seems that anything less would simply have been disappointing. And, of course, in a sense, it would have been. HKFC has been blessed this year with a large pool of committed, talented players across all divisions: if we had not brought that strength to bear, we could justifiably regarded it as a failure.

I think that's the burden of "big" teams everywhere, whether that means the All Blacks on the international stage, or the club with the best player resources and facilities in an amateur league. And we've seen how the expectation cripples the ABs when it matters, and how all of their talent, all of their resources and all of the support they have from a rugby-mad nation is not quite enough when they are confronted by, if I may, more committed, more cohesive teams in knockout situations.

I'm not here to knock the ABs (although it does have its pleasures), but - on a much more modest scale - Club have often been victims of a similar dynamic in the past. As the team with the biggest player group, the best facilities and the highest expectation levels, they have been outfaced by teams from smaller clubs playing with more hunger, more togetherness and the enormous motivation of beating The Establishment. Not so any more. Club have taken the enormous step forward of combining their historic strengths with a new intensity and drive. The coaching staff and all the players can take enormous credit for that, and the rest of Hong Kong rugby should be afraid.

In a fever of excitement, the great darts commentator Sid Waddell once said of the-then young darts champion Eric Bristow: "When Alexander of Macedonia was 33 he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer - Bristow is only 27." Like Bristow at that time, a mainly young Club team have carried all before them in Hong Kong. So what next?

Well, first and foremost, there is a knockout cup final to be played against HKCC at King's Park on Saturday. There is a point to prove here: HKCC have beaten Club 2-1 in three matches this season, although one of Aberdeen's victories was later overturned because of an improperly registered player. Club have an opportunity to (i) set the record straight against HKCC and (ii) wrap up the knockout cup in addition to the league championship. And this should not be missed.

In the long term, it will be critical that Club does not sit back and bask in the reflected glory of 2007-08 for more than a few weeks. Otherwise they risk falling into the trap that claimed England after they won the RWC in 2003. Great teams do not win one-off championships - they dominate for a generation, or a generation's sporting equivalent.

The season is not over for Dragons either: they must face Division One side Causeway Bay on Saturday. It is unquestionably within Drags' power to beat CWB, who struggled badly in Division One this season, and go on to a "glory" final against Kowloon (providing they beat PLA). The structure of this knockout competition makes it a hiding to nothing for the teams from the higher division: win and no-one is impressed; lose and it's embarrassing. But for the teams playing up, it's a real chance to make a point. Drags can do this, and argue their Division One credentials to the powers that be.

All the best for now
Harps

Club Sweep All Before Them

2008-02-29T11:35:00.000+08:00

By now you surely already know that Club have finished the season on a high, sweeping aside DEA Tigers (22-7 two weeks ago) and Kowloon (25-3 last weekend) to claim the Division One champion's crown by some distance. The picture above captures the early stages of Club's celebrations after their convincing victory over a physical but somewhat one-dimensional Kowloon side in the pouring rain at HKFC. Dragons are also Division Two champs after dispatching Scorps 57-7 two weeks ago. Furthermore, Select still have the chance to complete a treble for HKFC by winning Division Three. Club and Drags also have the chance to claim further silverware in their respective knock-out competitions beginning next weekend, in which Drags will be matched up with Division One sides Causeway Bay and Kowloon.

HKFC set out to win Divisions One, Two and Three, knowing we had the players and the talent, but also realising we would - especially in Division One - have to find a much greater degree of cohesiveness and, above all, mental toughness. Club demonstrated these qualities in spades, pulling off some real landmarks (principally beating Valley on three consecutive occasions) on their way to a richly deserved championship. They also bounced back from a second (and this time legitimate) defeat at the hands of Abderdeen to finish the season playing some of their best rugby yet. Coach Quinton Wrigley has been nothing if not single-minded in his focus on victory this season, but his dedication and ruthlessness in pursuing his goals, well, maybe we could call it pragmatism, have certainly paid off. Everyone at HKFC should salute him for delivering.

Various players to come into the Club squad this season have clearly made a tremendous difference. The paradigm of consistency, Tim Edgar, has completed a remarkable but entirely deserved rise from Bulls to Club, via Scorps, and now finds himself in the probably unexpected position of being the side's main line-out jumper. The arrival of the McKee brothers, Kris Marin and Pat Foreman, as well as the emergence of James Kibble as an outside half and Angus Washington as a Club player, have been critical. Club also needed their core of established players from previous seasons to be consistent, and they did not disappoint. Pete Spizzirri, Tom Cameron and Nigel Hobler were clearly the outstanding front row in the division, Nigel D'Acre was as classy as ever, Richard Rouse was typically direct and uncompromising in carrying the ball and the wingers Andrew Chambers and Dan Parr are lethal finishers. I even saw Dan go into a ruck the other day...

It's probably fair to say that Club have depended at critical times on players stepping up from a very high quality Drags squad this season. Players like Cowhead, Callum Nieto, Jared Smith, Rupert "Churchy" Clark and Chris Howard have all relished the opportunity to play up and will continue to exert healthy pressure on the first teamers. Many of these excellent players, plus blokes like Steve Matthew, are really caught between two teams. This is a tough situation for them but a very positive one for the Club as a whole: it means Club have a big pool of highly competent, theoretically match-fit players to draw on when needed. And the influx of players to, and competition for places in, the Club side has meant Drags have been able to field a team of near-first grade quality at many times.

Drags themselves had an exceptional season, although many will sadly remember the narrow 17-12 loss to the PLA in Guangzhou more than the team's long unbroken string of victories. Ever-knackered-looking Ramsay Carter and evergreen Phil Reid's boys will probably have another chance to go for the perfect season next year and avenge that defeat in China. However, it Drags were to win the knockout cup, then some people might begin to believe they deserve another crack at Division One...

So let's press on, have Club and Drags win their knockouts and see Select home as champs too.

In the meantime...from the most recent Club v DEA game...

For your viewing pleasure:

Tries
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF67U3nOhLM
Drop goal attempts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyVmvXP_8T4
Hits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KscPCX_2dsY

All the best

Harps

Sound familiar?

2008-02-25T13:28:00.000+08:00

Guys

Apologies for the lack of Blogging. There will be much, much more to come on a stunning finale to the season and - yes! - the rightful crowning of Club as Division One champs and Drags' victory in the Division Two. Also another Meet the Old Boys coming up, if anyone is interested.

For the meantime, does this remind you of anyone we know?

From The Guardian

For here was a remake of a favourite old movie, a film noir, to be sure, starring Mark Regan as the English agent provocateur, a role made famous by Brian Moore. While the flower of French youth attempted to run the ball from inside their own 22 and to make the definitive announcement of the arrival of a new era, the 36-year-old Bristol hooker was getting up to all the tricks the home side hate and fear when England come to town.
In particular he was ensuring that every time England were about to take a lineout in the first half, their hosts were made to wait. The dark blue shirts would be standing in line, growing increasingly fretful as Regan engaged his fellow forwards in a lengthy conference about 20 metres away. Then, having completed their agenda, they would march slowly towards their opponents. As a contribution to the spectacle, it was an example of wanton destruction, not to say rotten etiquette. As a means of teasing out the hidden anxieties of the inexperienced and highly-strung French, it was devilishly effective.
The fact England fared so poorly in the ensuing lineouts mattered not at all. Regan could overthrow and underthrow and generally hand possession to the home side with astonishing abandon but the necessary damage to the French composure had already been done. Their continuity had been disrupted to such effect that they were never able to achieve the momentum to match their noble ambitions.
Although Marc Lièvremont, their young coach, attempted to suppress his true feelings, eventually sheer exasperation got the better of him. "The English scrum was certainly very strong," he said, "although I didn't have the feeling that they were dominant. But I didn't appreciate the attitude of the English hooker. He really wasn't playing within the spirit of the game. At times it was ludicrous and grotesque. I know that sometimes you have to be pragmatic but this ..."
Invited to expand, Lièvremont poured all the evening's frustrations into a handful of terse, sardonic sentences. "He was playing a kind of anti-rugby. It was like a show, using up a minute before taking each throw. He was provocative. A clown. But that doesn't undermine the respect I have for the England team or for the fact that they thoroughly deserved their victory."
Brian Ashton initially refused to rise to the bait. "I can't comment on what other coaches say," he said. Asked if he would ever call an opposing player a clown, he remained deadpan. "I think I'm on record as saying I've got the utmost respect for every single player in the world who pulls on an international rugby jersey, because it's an incredibly difficult thing to achieve."
Eventually, however, he was persuaded to give his assessment of Regan. "He's an outstanding international hooker, he's an outstanding scrummager, he's a good scrapper in the nicest sense if the word, and a great bloke who the other guys like playing with."
Regan lapped it up, including the storm of jeers as he was prudently withdrawn in the 48th minute, having been whistled for raining blows on Lionel Faure, who was tugging his jersey in a maul. The resulting penalty brought France within three points. A minute or two earlier Regan had gone unpunished for a sneaky obstruction as the 19-year-old Morgan Parra retrieved the dead ball for a French lineout.
"To get booed off like that is a massive compliment," Regan said. "The whole of France hated me. You come here and you've got to get under their skin somehow or they'll get under yours. I'm selected to do a job. It irritates them and it puts them off their game. Brian Moore always did it and I'm following in his footsteps. We had to get back to the World Cup, getting horrible and arrogant, because we've been lacking that edge."

Knocking on Heaven's Door

2008-02-15T17:52:00.000+08:00

Life has returned to normal. Chinese New Year's been and gone. Skiing/golfing/lying on a beach/boozing is done and dusted and we're back to rugby weekends. You know what that means. Q will wear a perpetual frown. Tim Griffin will get yellow-carded (well, he would if he was playing). The Sequins will be in their corner, sadly reflecting on how the game has changed and ordering another beer. PT McGee will shout mild comments of gentle encouragement from the stands.

And what a day it could (should) be. Club can make their Division One title safe by despatching DEA. Drags face a battle royale with Scorps, but will be crowned Division Two champions if they triumph. Should Select win heavily against Kowloon Pussies, they stay in with a shout in Division Three. Indeed, Club increasingly resembles Ancient Rome in its pomp - every continent (for that read division) fears the force of our arms. And then it's Andy Malbon's Stag, and Miss Kowloon...and Saturday night.

The stakes are high, though. Will it be veni, vidi, vici and Cluba Victa or will those damned Barbarians come and sack the Colisseum in Sports Road? Club (and I mean the 1s now) are tantalisingly close to victory, but DEA will sense the opportunity to really spoil the party. There will be no room for hubris and complacency will be fatal. The same applies to Drags. Form goes out of the window in Club Derbies. If Club and Drags want to win the Laurel Wreath and ascend into elysium as champions, then they will have to play like champions, by Jupiter. And that, I promise you, is as far as I will stretch the Roman analogy. We who are about to play salute you!

See you at the Club.
Harps

Teams below...

CBRE Club v DEA Tigers
HKFC, Saturday 16 February, 5.30pm

1. Pete Spizzirri
2. Tom Cameron
3. Nigel Hobler
4. Angus Washington
5. Steve Matthew
6. Tim Edgar
7. Jared Smith (AQ)
8. Nathan Johnson (N)

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

Bench

Adam Harper
Chris Howard
Dean Finnegan
Phil Reid
James Kibble
Junior Naylor
Callum Nieto
Tim Robinson
Adam Raby (AQ)
Ed Johnson
Colin Begg (AQ)

CBRE Club Dragons v CBRE Club Scorpions
HKFC, Saturday 16 February, 4pm

1. Adam Harper
2. Duncan Robertson
3. Gary
4. Chris Howard
5. Ramsay Carter (C)
6. TBA/Andrew Corkery
7. Marcus
8. Dean Finnegan

9. Phil Reid
10. Junior Naylor / James Kibble
11. Callum Nieto
12. Robin Bredbury
13. Tibbett
14. Raby
15. Ed Johnson

Bench

Junior Naylor / James Kibble
Richard Gallagher

Support Michael Russell, running for EB research

2008-02-12T11:09:00.000+08:00

From Michael Russell

Dear All,

As you may or may not know my 22 month old daughter Isabella was born with the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). EB is a devastating and often fatal disorder, where the skin breaks at the slightest touch, causing painful open blisters and wounds. Bella suffers from EB Simplex which primarily affects the outer most layer of the skin only and is thankfully not fatal. See Isabella on DebRA's web site:
http://www.debra.org.uk/fundraising/events/sporting/racingtheplanetvietnam.htm

To raise money for research into EB, two work colleagues (Jenny Hill and Jason Parry) and I have signed up to compete in an ultra-marathon adventure race, ’Racing the Planet - Vietnam‘, which will take place from the 18th to the 23rd of February 2008 in the remote mountains of northwest Vietnam.

Racing the Planet - Vietnam is a self-supported foot race over 250 kilometres (150 miles) of north-western Vietnam. The race consists of six stages over six days, with distances of between 20 and 120 kilometres (10- 60 miles) per stage. Competitors are required to be fully self-supported throughout the event and must carry all their own food and gear, including a one-man tent and clothing, which they will need to complete the 250 kilometre course. Information on the Racing the Planet event can be found at the following site: http://www.4deserts.com/beyond/vietnam/.

While laughing at the thought of me doing this 250km race, please take a couple of minutes to logon to the link below to sponsor me in support of DebRA. Anything you can give is greatly appreciated.

http://www.justgiving.com/RTP-Vietnam

Thank you.

Mick

PS - I may as well get these questions out of the way now.

1. Yes, I am serious.
2. Even though I am approaching 40, bald and pudgy around the middle, I haven't yet purchased a sports car and I am still happily married, therefore, I am not having a mid life crisis.

Charlie don't Surf...

2008-02-06T10:56:00.001+08:00

And Club don't travel. That at least would seem to be the conclusion to be drawn from the last round of league games which happened, ah, the weekend before last. As I've said before, there's nothing quite like real time news.

What can I say? It's bl*ody disappointing, rather like England losing to Wales. Both Club and Drags went down by narrow margins at, respectively, Aberdeen and the PLA in Guangzhou. But in case anyone from our rivals is reading this: we are facing up. Yes, we lost. Yes, it hurts. And, yes, we'll be back stronger and hungrier in the Year of the Rat.

A special mention is due to Scorps here, who bucked the trend by putting one over their old rabbits Valley. Details of that one and the Club game are a bit thin (Giles Disney seems to have been overcome by modesty and Cookie by embarrassment), but I can tell you what mattered about the Drags game because I was there in the frozen wastes of Red China.

Firstly, Drags fronted up like trojans for an incredibly tough, physical game. We went toe to toe with the PLA and played, in many ways, better than we have all season. We rose to the occasion in that respect and deserved an early 5-0 lead through Peyton Burnett. But our lineout was shocking and our scrum inconsistent (forward on their ball, often back on ours). PLA took their opportunities, scored three tries, and defended welll when we threw everything we had at them in surge after surge in the second half. Richard Gallagher crashed over late in the game to make it 12-19 but the referee blew his whistle stright afterwards and Drags' dream of an unbeaten season was over.

It was a gutting experience, the more so because we had played harder and with more commitment than in any game during the long winning streak. To be honest, though, our set piece let us down and we didn't help ourselves by continually carping at the referee, who, it must sadly be said, was well below par.

Needless to say, a veritable mountain of grub from the Scottish restaurant and a rice-wine fuelled fines session on the train going back helped to ease the pain. This was masterminded by Junior Naylor wearing a jester's hat that increased his height by approximately one third and which he earned for taking the unusual step of hitting a PLA guy in the face with the ball as he attempted a tackle.

So, Club and Drags must raise their games after the Lunar New Year break in order to go on and earn the titles they deserve. For Drags, there is the added incentive of proving they are once again ready for Division One rugby by winning a four-way cup competition with PLA and the two bottom teams from the first grade.

In the meantime, enjoy the break. I'm off to Cambodia with Nick James, Nieto and Nazer....Lord help us!

Kung hei fat choy!
Harps

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Marc Sexton's former career revealed...

2008-01-25T19:02:00.000+08:00

If you read Tony's ramblings below, you may enjoy these delightful pictures of Sexton's glistening dome (ho ho ho) and a nice shot from when he used to present The Crystal Maze (which will be familiar to readers from the Motherland).

Let's smash PLA tomorrow (and Abderdeen).

Harps

The Captain's article the Club Magazine would not publish

2008-01-25T18:58:00.000+08:00

Well who reads it anyway?

From Das Kapitan, Anthony George...

You know, it’s not easy being the Captain of the Rugby Section. Especially when one is also a fully active member of the ninja community. I mean, you have to sit in committee meetings and listen to the likes of Woots and Foley wittering on about how it was better in their day (Hong Kong was a great place under Queen Victoria, apparently); you are held responsible for every minor indiscretion committed by a rugby player after over-imbibation regardless of whether or not it was you (Er, it generally is you – Ed.); the forwards moan that the kit’s too tight, while the backs moan that it doesn’t really go with their eyes, can we have a lighter shade next year please?; and, worst of all, comes a moment like this. Once a month, you sit down to write an article for the Club magazine, filling the avid reader (yes, there is one, apparently) in on what’s happened over the previous month. Except. This month, nothing has happened. No games, no tours, no amusing anecdotes, no momentous RFU decisions, even Kibble’s stayed out of trouble. Nada. When you read this in two weeks’ time, lots of interesting stuff will have happened – Ten’s Dinner, nail biting League encounters, Q smiling – well, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea. But in the here and now, right this instant, rien.
However, I am aware of my duty to keep the loyal readership informed (him again) so, to that end, I have prevailed upon our very own Section Psychic and coach of the Dragons, none other than Mystic Marc Sexton, to gaze into his Crystal Dome and give us his predictions for the coming month. So, without further ado, here’s the chat I had with him reproduced for your edification:

Tony: Hello Mystic Marc, how’re things? Good Christmas?
Mystic Marc: Great thanks, Tone. Had a smashing break.
T: So, don’t keep us in suspense. What’s in store for us in the coming month? And didn’t you write a hit musical, sell it for a pittance and eke out an existence presenting a really bad Channel 4 quiz show?
MM: Quiz show? What are you talking about? Hang on while I get my Crystal Dome ready. Pass me that mirror. Right, here we go. You ready? Because once I enter the spirit world…
T: Yeah, I’ve seen what happens when you enter the spirit world, especially if it’s rum, and no one wants that again.
MM: No, not that spirit world, muppet. Right, first prediction: Ben Stobart to miss more drop goals than he hits.
T: Not sure you had to be psychically gifted to see that one, Mystic Marc. And weren’t you one half of a two-hit wonder duo that had a smash hit singing something about their shirt?
MM: Eh? Oh well, another prediction: Q to smile before Easter.
T: Steady on there Mystic Marc! That’s a gutsy call! And didn’t you play an evil, murderous robot in a film set in a Wild West theme park?
MM: What? Oh, another prediction: Robin Bredbury to become a fully qualified psychotherapist specialising in anger management. And qualify as a referee.
T: Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Mystic Marc? And didn’t you sing a hit song about nothing comparing to someone and then jack it all in to become a priest?
MM: Stop asking me stupid questions. More predictions:
PT McGee to attend self confidence classes to bring him out of his shell more
The Dragons to spark a major diplomatic incident whilst playing the PLA in Guanzhou
Sam Cooper, Select Captain, to renounce meat as murder and become vegetarian
Tony George to write a good article for the magazine instead of the tosh we’ve had to put up with so far
T: Right, well think we’d better call it a day there, eh Mystic Marc?

Meet the Old Boys #4 - Jim Rowark

2008-01-25T13:19:00.000+08:00

Bouch - Jim Rowark's favourite player. Bouch in action in Manila, 2005. Top: Bouch in
hot pursuit of someone who looks certain to be a little quicker. Bottom: Bouch flaps at a lineout while your correspondent tries to put his head where it should not go.

Yes, it's meet the Old Boys with Broony again. This time we meet Jim Rowark, a stalwart of the Club whose image appears in nearly every 1970s, 1980s and 1990s team photograph in the tunnel and a commonsense Englishman - the first among this crop of middle-aged delinquents.

Name: Jim Rowark
Age: Younger than springtime
Occupation: Retired
Nationality: English
Rugby Position: Flanker (or as it was called when I played, “wing forward”)
Years at Club: 30 plus
Previous Rugby Clubs: Old Thornensians, Cambridge University, Redruth
Favourite thing about HK rugby: Touring with good friends and listening to Foley, both are highly amusing.
Current favourite Club player and why: Bouch. Never a dull moment watching Bouch, ranging from tragedy to comedy.
Most embarrassing spectating rugby experience? 1998 England v Australia at Brisbane. Score England 0, Australia 76. I was at the Park Hotel, Manila in the company of Woots, Burgess and sundry other Australian “gentlemen”. Morgs and I refused to leave our room.
Wanchai or Manila? Hard to decide. However, Manila on “The Wootten” is very hard to beat.
Sequins Corner or the Sportsman’s? Sequin’s Corner. There are plenty of characters in the "older we get the better we were" category, which makes for interesting commentary on the day’s events.
HKFC 10s or the HKRFU 7s? Not wanting to appear disloyal to the Club (I did play/coach the Club team in the inaugural 10s) but the 7s has a special place in my rugby memories
Drinks with Woots or shopping with the wife? The latter is safer and only marginally more expensive but nowhere near as much fun.
Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren? I have always been an admirer of the sultry, Mediterranean looks of Sophia Loren but Marilyn Monroe could always come on as an “impact player” when Sophia began to tire.

Long shot....

2008-01-24T12:02:00.001+08:00

Alright, this is phenomenal misuse of the blog and also a bit of a long shot, but does anyone have a pair of dinner jacket/tuxedo trousers situated in central/mid-levels that I could borrow? Have to go to an awards dinner tonight and mine are trapped in the dry cleaners after Saturday's escapades. I will stand dinner at the Club and a pint to any generous (and large-waisted) character that comes forward. Please email adam.harper@asia.ing.com thanks, Harps

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Blog goes kind of hi-tech-ish

2008-01-23T16:35:00.000+08:00

Gentlemen

Courtesy of Mr James Shum, it is my pleasure to offer these links to footage of two (Club...) tries from the Club v Valley game. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF_g4DuLMMw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBYSTDxLRM8

Harps

How to survive playing rugby in Guangzhou

2008-01-23T13:16:00.000+08:00

A fine day for a bike ride in downtown Guangzhou

An Idiot's Guide to Playing Rugby in Guangzhou

This weekend's the Drags will head to Guangzhou to take on the noble soldiers of the PLA. It's a crucial game - Drags have an unbeaten record to maintain and, after only narrowly beating the PLA on home turf, they know they will have their work cut out on their mainland trip. Many Drags will be on their first rugby pilgrimage to sunny GZ, however, and 'we' at the Blog decided it would be helpful to give them an idea of what to expect. Suffice to say, HKFC it is not.

Meeting for the Trip

Traumatised at the prospect of having to abandon home comforts and head into Red China, players will say long and tearful goodbyes to the nearest and dearest, arriving at HKFC approximately 5-10 minutes after the scheduled departure time (except me Murray). There will then be further delays as items as retrieved from the changing rooms and people have last minute bowel evacuations - bathroom facilities will be scarce and highly variable from here on in. Don't be alarmed by the delays, they are essential for causing a mad rush at...

Hung Hom Station

Ah, the Hong Kong bridgehead for China's rail network. From here, you can join the iron bloodstream of China and travel as far as Harbin, Urumqi or even Lhasa. Not us, though, we're going to Guangzhou. There will be further delays here as latecomers roll up and those who can't afford to live on the Island drift along. There will be just time to eat the local delicacy - a 7-11 cream bun - before the team boards the train en masse as the whistle blows. Train departs Hong Kong with the esky trapped between the sliding doors, players frantically trying to pull it in.

Your outward train journey

Sit back. Relax. You're on your way to China now. Marvel at the fortifications around the river at Lo Wu and enjoy a glimpse of China's capital of culture and plastics manufacturing, Shenzhen. After you leave Shenzhen, play a game of count the factories with your friends. Bizarrely they all look empty, which makes you wonder where Hong Kong's air pollution is coming from. It's probably really just Nigel Hobler barbecueing a couple of steers for dinner in Happy Valley.

On the way, why not?

- Have a cup of weapons-grade coffee

- Devour a bowl of tepid noodles with offal

- Snigger at the prospect of Stobart's misery on his Stag

Arrival in GZ

File off train in drips and drabs. Look on in disbelief as your healthy pre-match bananas are sniffed out by a dog and seized by customs (you will get a receipt though). Chortle at the sign that says "Absolutely to Pulverise the Smuggles, Illegal Crimes and Other Lavatorial Behaviours". Fill out entry form, enter China. Now you're ready to play rugby!

The match

Well, this is why you came. The PLA forwards - who seem to be entirely drawn from parts of Northern China where men spend all day moving boulders around by hand - will try and smash the cr*p out of you, while a bunch of lethally quick backs attempt to run rings around you. That's their plan anyway. The PLA are very decent outfit, even if Dinks' suggestion that they have the best lineout in Asia bar the Japanese national team was a bit of a push, and they will offer Drags a stern challenge.

For those used to playing on HKFC's delightful carpet, you're in for a shock. Some nearby agriculturalist would seem to have had a go at it with a moderately effective plough. It would also appear that a number of budding gardeners from among the local population have turned up to pinch small amounts of topsoil in the middle of the night, leaving foot-sized holes all over the surface. Add to that a profusion of worms who have surfaced to have a look around and an assortment of other organic (need I specify?) and non-organic (use your imagination) detritus and you can see why the Chinese name for the ground translates as "Brownish-green coloured field where you have to be bl*ody careful." Actually it doesn't. But it should.

Post-match

When you finish playing, don't be at all alarmed if several hundred Chinese soldiers emerge in formation carrying little wooden stools. Since the EU lifted its arms embargo on China, they can get hold of better weapons than that, so they will not be using the stools to attack you. No, these boys have actually come for an outdoor lesson in how to millitarily thwart the capitalist-roaders of Taiwan province and other enemies of the revolution. They will merely sit on the stools and will do you no harm. Under no circumstances should you have a shower. I don't want to be rude, but you'll see why. The Chinese military clearly have bigger priorities than the provision of humane washing facilities for their rank and file. Instead, take a change of clothese and get changed wherever you please (there are no changing rooms so they obviously don't mind). Then hustle back for the train station and the safety of dear old Honkers.

Before departure

Go to McDonald's and secure 25-30 Big Macs for a team dinner (remember how these look as you will be seeing them later). Go to the 7-11, try in vain to persuade them to accept HKD, and then purchase their entire stock of beer plus one or two bottles of Mao Tai, China's delicious rice wine on someone's credit card. Scramble though customs and immigration and hop onto the train. Congratulations - you survived! Or did you..

Your return journey

Now comes your punishment, or reward, depending on how you look at it. A monstrous fines session should kick off on the train with someone of a notably bitter and vengeful character (Bouch?) presiding. Watch as other passengers complain to the train staff when you open the rice win and the whole carriage smells like someone is painting the walls. Enjoy the challenge of digesting a Big Mac and four sculled tins inside 10 minutes. See Raby comatose within an hour. See Babis asleep within two. Then redecorate the bathroom yourself and attempt feebly to clean up by swilling water on the floor. Bowl down to the dining carriage and have a pint of Tsingtao and a smoke. By the time you get back to HK, you'll be the most popular guys on the train.

You have just toured GZ!

Harps

They only did it...

2008-01-22T09:10:00.000+08:00

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

It Matters Now

2008-01-18T13:57:00.000+08:00

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)

Meet another old boy...'The' Don Rider, #3

2008-01-14T09:22:00.000+08:00

Another day, another old boy.

This bunch are about as shy and retiring as a pack of geordie lasses on a hen weekend in Corfu, but enough of my own little world and onto Don Rider's instead.

It's a little known fact that Evelyn Waugh based the character of Charles Ryder in Brideshead Revisited on Don. Little known because it's not actually true, although I'm sure Don would look good in a boater.

Broony, to whom thanks are due again, initially supplied the Blog with an unpublishable image for Don. Fortunately he relented and settled for a picture of Alexander Cruden (1700-1770), a loony Scot who was involved in publishing and chased women in an "importunate" manner. There is apparently some resemblance between the unfortunate Cruden (read all about him on http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/cruden_alexander.htm) and our esteemed Don. I doubt this very much as I have never so much as seen Don out in the evening, still less anywhere where he could be importunate.

Less important rugby news will follow.
Harps

Name: Donald Rider
Age: 47 and a half
Year retired: 1997, but you never know...
Occupation: Assistant penguin trainer at Ocean Park
Nationality: Scottish
Rugby position: Flanker
Years at Club: 19
Previous rugby clubs: Middlesbrough, Northumberland, London Scottish and Hurworth Under 7s
Favourite things about HK rugby: Touring
Current favourite Club player and why? Laurence Denvir, because I know he doesn’t lose much sleep over which foot he should step off
Most embarrassing spectating rugby experience: Standing next to PT McGee
Wanchai or Manila? Bangkok
Sequins corner or The Sportsmans? Sequins – because it is nice to be the youngest
HKFC 10s or HKRFU 7s? 10s
Drinking with Woots or Shopping with the wife? Woots, because there is rumour he might buy me a beer

The Blog is Back for 2008...and meet Donagh Foley (Old Boy #2), if you dare

2008-01-09T12:01:00.000+08:00

The only reason this odd photo of a ginger Irishman who finds it rather hard not to get yellow-carded at crucual moments in international matches is here is because Donagh wanted it to be.

Happy New Year to all

Hope 2008 is treating you well so far. After two weeks of idleness (sorry Q, I have been injured), it's back to the fray this weekend. More to come on that, but to keep you happy for now, the Blog is proud to offer everything you never wanted to know about our esteemed Section Chairman, Mr Donagh Foley. Goodness knows what he's on about half the time but never mind. Once again, many thanks to Broony, whose links in the criminal underworld have been invaluable in setting up these delightful 'Meet the Old Boys' numbers.

Harps

Name: Donagh Foley
Age: 45
Year retired: 1998
Years at Club: 18
Occupation: Shepherd
Nationality: Irish
Rugby position: Centre (outside Woots and he was shit!!!)
Previous clubs: Associates (Perth), Wimbledon and Bective Rangers
Favorite things about rugby: Watching Sequins try to play rugby and then talk about it afterwards as if they had.
Favorite current HKFC player and why? Nigel Hobler. He's slow and looks like he needs a good feed. Reminds me of Don Rider in his prime. Now all Nige has to do is get the limp right.
Most embarrassing rugby spectating experience: 1999 World Cup. A pint of Guiness. Wootten. Sick. Need I say more (a bit of a Matt Dunning moment)?
Wanchai or Manila? Neither, but ex-Chairman Rider speaks highly of both.
Sequins corner or Sportsman's? Sequins Corner, where there is more bullshit spoken in one hour than at the UN in a whole year.
HKFC 10s or HKRFU 7s? 10s
Drinking with Woots or shopping with the wife? Shopping with the wife as I hate rum.
Marilyn Munroe or Sophia Loren? Sophia Loren - a better class of bird or so Burgess told me and he should know, they’re the same age.

Merry Christmas from the Blog!

2007-12-26T01:19:00.001+08:00

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

2007-12-07T18:47:00.000+08:00

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

2007-12-07T17:56:00.000+08:00

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

2007-12-06T17:46:00.000+08:00

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

2007-12-06T09:33:00.001+08:00

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

2007-12-04T18:31:00.000+08:00

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

2007-12-04T09:39:00.000+08:00

(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

2007-12-03T09:37:00.000+08:00

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

Club v DEA in (four) pictures

2007-11-29T18:13:00.000+08:00

Er, apologies for the non-existent layout of these photos. Frankly the technical side of blogging is a bit much for me (I am still overexcited about putting that incredible panoramic picture by Tim Edgar's friend Bryan up as the banner, even though it is way too wide for the average screen). Anyway, enjoy these photos of Club v DEA kindly provided by Mike McKee. Harps

From top to bottom:

- The lonely life of the goalkicker: Pat Foreman appears to contemplate sticking the ball into row 6
- The less lonely life of a forward: Spizz goes over after an impressive rolling maul
- Club lineout near the DEA line, looks like a good throw from Cowhead
- Ditto

Injury-ravaged Club stand firm against DEA

2007-11-27T18:37:00.000+08:00

CBRE Club 20 - 3 DEA Tigers

It wasn't pretty. But, and it's as big a but as Ramsay Carter's, the result was absolutely what mattered. With eight frontline players missing through injury, Club were never going to achieve the kind of fluency they managed earlier in the season. And although DEA were not without their own casualties (including captain and coach Nigel Clarke), this was just the kind of game in which they might have sensed weakness and turned Club over. Club will be relieved to have returned to winning form after their disappointing loss to HKCC Aberdeen the previous weekend, although I feel reasonably certain that coach Quinton Wrigley will feel there was room for improvement in the execution of Club's gameplan.

First the positives. A weakened team stuck together well and played for each other. Tenacious defending meant DEA did not score a try. Pat Foreman showed his versatility (and an enormous boot) by filling in at fly half. Phil Reid, called into the side after Pete McKee broke down in training on Thursday, was a doughty replacement. Alex Gibbs returned to the side in decent nick. And Ben Stobart, who came into the side to deputise for hooker Tom Cameron, showed an accurate throw-in at the line out and good mobility around the park (as well as his ever-surprising ability to wind up opponents with decidedly average banter...). Indeed, the whole side played with commitment and energy; they simply lacked the degree of cohesion and control people have come to expect.

Club will admit that this was not a hugely convincing display and more an example of gritting the teeth and winning ugly than anything else. DEA dominated possession for long periods of the game and were perhaps unlucky not to break through. Their one penalty does not accurately reflect the balance of the game. Both sides were guilty of ill-discipline and both were reduced to 13 men at times. For Club, Tim Edgar was yellow-carded for not rolling away while Stobart was sinbinned for holding on, although it looked more like hands in the ruck to me. Both were perhaps harshly treated, but both were nonetheless booked and two yellow cards within moments of each other left Club dangerously exposed with a two man disadvantage. Oddly, this was when they conspired to play some of their best rugby of the match.

Some good forward pressure enabled loosehead Pete Spizzirri to crash over in the first half, Kris Marin also crossed and Foreman - who was well on target - added two penalties and two conversions. Fixtures at this stage in the season are always affected by injury, but Club will need to rally again and get as many players as possible out of casualty and back on the park before next weekend's clash with a powerful Kowloon team that ran a full-strength Club side close in October. Make no mistake, Club have had a fantastic start to the season with seven wins from eight games and they go into the final match of the first round in a well-deserved first place, 11 points ahead of HKCC. But they will be desperately keen to be sure they do not take the gloss off round one by finishing 2007 with a defeat. Club's strength in depth and ability to draw on the rest of the Club's players will be critical.

Harps

CBRE Club v DEA Tigers
HKFC, 6pm, Saturday 24 November 2007

1. Pete Spizzirri
2. Ben Stobart
3. Nigel Hobler
4. Tim Robinson
5. Tim Griffin
6. Tim Edgar
7. Jared Smith (AQ)
8. Kris Marin

9. Phil Reid
10. Pat Foreman
11. Callum Nieto
12. Richard Rouse
13. Nigel D’Acre
14. Dan Parr
15. Alex Gibbs (AQ)

Replacements

16. Kahn Rudolf
17. Ben Stobart
18. Steve Matthew
19. Duncan Robertson
20. Ramsay Carter
21. Adam Raby (AQ)
22. Troy Hogan

Dragons defend fortress HKFC against strong PLA attack

2007-11-27T08:43:00.000+08:00

PLA warm up before taking on Drags

Dragons 24 - 17 Laxton PLA

Dragons go into the Christmas break as HKFC's most successful team and its only unbeaten one after Club succumbed to HKCC Aberdeen two weeks ago. Without question, the well-drilled soldiers of the PLA offered Drags' sternest challenge so far, but that challenge drew - in spells - Drag's most disciplined and professional performance of the season.

Having been reminded of the importance of starting on the front foot by the previous weekend's encounter with a motivated Scorps side, Drags came out of the tunnel with real intent and soon started to put the PLA under pressure. Before the game, Drags had been particularly aware that they would face near first-grade opposition and that the PLA lineout, in particular, was very strong. One Drags team member (who will remain nameless) went as far as to describe it as "probably the best lineout in Asia, apart from the Japanese national team." While this might be a bit of a stretch, the PLA clearly pride themselves on their lineout as a platform. But it was in this area that Drags forced the first mistake by their martial opponents. Some robust pick-and-drive play in midfield by Drags in the openining exchanges gave Dave Beckett the opportunity to slot a clever positional kick into touch inside the PLA 22. They then bungled the tap-down to allow a marauding Steve Matthews in for the first score of the game.

Adam Raby failed to convert, but went on to kick a Wilkinsonesque five from six in the game (Raby even emulates the Wilkinson pre-kick stance). For good periods of the first half, Drags kept up the pressure on the PLA, keeping the ball tight and playing good, structured rugby. Denied an open and chaotic game in which their fast men could thrive, the PLA struggled to establish a rhythm and Drags dominated. Late in the first half, a sustained assault from the Drags pack allowed Robin Bredbury to feed a subtly delayed pass to Beckett, who surged over from close range. Drags went into the break 15-0 ahead (I think) and looking good, although the first half had been blighted by the loss of the Andrews Corkery and Noble to injury, bringing Chris Howard and Bredbury into the game.

Those two tries were to be the only five-pointers of the game for Drags, though. Although Raby kept on slotting the penalties, PLA came back into the game strongly in the second half. As Dragons began to lose their shape, the PLA's fast men started cashing in on space out wide and, at 24-17 with maybe 10 minutes to go, Drags suddenly looked under threat. They dug in, however, refusing to let their season so far be tarnished by losing a game they should have won more comfortably. Drags were first relieved and then jubilant to emerge as winners, and should take enormous credit for delivering on their promise in the first half of the 2007-08 season.

If this form continues after Christmas, speculation will inevitably return to whether Drags could cut it with the big boys in Division One. While this team is far stronger than the one that limped from defeat to thrashing in the first grade last season, the new elite, five team structure of Division One and the increased number of professional players there has raised the quality, pace and physicality to a fearsome pitch. It is too early to talk about the possibility or desirability of Drags' promotion, but it will no doubt become a real issue in the New Year. For the record, Drags are 13 points clear of Valley Knights at the top of Division Two with 35 points from seven games and a stunning differential of 248 points for and just 69 conceded (giving an average match score of roughly 35-10 for the mathematically disinclined among you).

Harps

HKFC Dragons v Laxton PLA

HKFC, 3pm, Saturday 24 November 2007

1. Adam Harper
2. Duncan Robertson
3. Damian Babis
4. Laurence Denvir
5. Ramsey Carter (C)
6. Andrew Corkery
7. Rob Hewitson
8. Steve Mathews
9. Andy Noble

10. Dave Beckett
11. Ed Cosgrove
12. Troy Hogan
13. Romain Perret
14. Piers Nickalls
15. Adam Raby

Reserves

· Jez Lawson (Hooker)
· Ben Michael
· Chris Howard
· Diarmuid Kinsella
· Robin Bredbury

Select blow away Typhoons, make Blog debut

2007-11-26T09:44:00.000+08:00

From Tony George

'Mighty' Select 34 - 7 Typhoons

The Mighty Select have really been living up to their name this year, with 6 wins on the trot following their opening day loss to Valley Mustangs. Typhoons were no league whipping boys themselves, coming into the game third in the standings – just 4 points behind Select.

Despite Select personnel answering the call to higher honours of late, they still fielded a strong side for this away day at Aberdeen. They came out of the traps with all guns blazing (yes, Harps, mixed metaphors are an important part of my idiom) and were 5-0 up before the dust had settled. A succession of “pick and go” drives and some neat interplay between backs and forwards, not to mention some committed rucking, resulted in no. 8 Tom Creedon carving through the line to open the scoring.

The rest of the first half was a real disappointment. All credit to the Typhoons, who disrupted and harried at the breakdown, but Select will have been disappointed at being knocked out of their game plan so easily. The backs also conspired to drop at least 3 scoring passes.

Half time brought a rollicking from the coach, Peter Wray. It can’t have been all that effective as 10 minutes later Typhoons finally turned pressure into points with a converted try. 7-5 down, there was a palpable determination amongst the Select pack to turn things around and they certainly did, with an awesome last half hour. The Typhoons’ scrimmage was demolished, line-outs were crisp and the pick and go was once more being used to devastating affect. One could also argue that the backs’ decision to stop attempting 30 yard miss passes from first phase ball was helpful.

No matter, as strong running from Matty Gibbs, Sam Cooper, Nik Brunner, Chris Wolski, Shane Harmon and super-sub Dairmuid Kinsella, ably supported by a now dominant pack produced a deluge of tries – so many I can’t tell you who scored them. It was all a bit rapid fire, especially with Typhoons wilting under the onslaught. Nineteen points in the last 20 is a fair return – if any of the Select lads would care to help out with scorers etc then we can add to this!

Of Scorpions and Soldiers

2007-11-22T15:30:00.000+08:00

Far right: an Iraqi scorpion; considerably less fierce than its HKFC counterparts

Near right: Select head out for a night on the town - sorry - it's our brave protectors, the PLA

Afternoon Gents. It's Thursday. That means it will be Friday tomorrow, which is good, although not as good as the fact that Saturday will follow shortly afterwards.

First of all, some thoughts on the Scorps v Drags clash last Satutrday which, as you will no doubt know, finished 25-7 to Drags.

Frankly (and I write as a Drags player), that scoreline rather flattered the Dragons. Scorps came out with the fire and intensity of old and took control of much of the game. It never looked like first place playing last place in the division. Rob Gabbe, as ever, tackled like his life depended on it and smashed everything in sight. Despite being under pressure in the scrum from the massive Naylor-Cowhead-Babis front row (potentially the heaviest in Club history?), Scorps secured good possession for their backs through sheer tenacity and allowed Dave Beckett time to slot some effective kicks to the corners. By the way, after the exit of the indomitable Yutaka Yuzawa, Scorps played with a novel three-hooker front row consisting of Messrs 'Absinthe' Lawson, Sheren and Ali Iqbal Sharif Nazir, who was something of a revelation at tighthead, according to his learned opponents. In the keenly-awaited battle of the scrum halves, dare I say that Duncan Grewcock shaded Phil Reid this time? Although Phil was entirely sound, Grewers was full of pace, energy and ambition and seemed determined to make a point (as he did later at his Stag...)

Scorps took a deserved lead midway through the first half after a direct run from their new lock who's quite good (but whose name remains unknown to me) exposed the uncharacteristically hesitant and fragile Drags defence. Unfortunately for Scorps, they quickly conceded a soft intercepted try to Simon Shoebridge which was duly converted by Adam Raby. For those who are interested, unemployed former student Raby can frequently be seen getting on it in Taco Loco by the escalator with a bunch of other neophytes. Why they choose to go there is a mystery to me, although some of his female friends aren't bad.

As then game went on, Scorps continued to impress with their industry and application to the task, but frustratingly conceded another soft try. First of all, the Scorps back three failed to gather an innocuous-looking bouncing kick just inside their half and were ambushed by Drags winger Ed Johnson, who flew through, gathered and streaked away to the try line with the Scorps defenders trailing in his wake. Tim (little) Robinson crossed for another try to settle the matter late in the game, but I didn't see that.

Drags can take comfort that they were able to meet a serious challenge from Scorps and win without playing very well, that being the mark of a good side, which they unquestionably are. They will need to do better to beat the PLA this weekend, though (of which more anon). For Scorps, the manner in which they played will have done much to restore their morale, which was in the doldrums after a run of disappointing results since their miraculous victory against Valley.

There is no game for Scorps this weekend, but unbeaten Drags taken on the PLA in what should be the sternest test of the season so far. PLA are a strong side who bested Drags in the Dvision One table last year and a trip to our colonial-looking little bastion will no doubt get them all a-flutter with patriotic zeal. They have big guys and will use them to carry the ball very directly, taking passes from both the scrum half and fly half. The key for Drags will be tackling as these guys will run and run all day. It will also be vital for Drags to play structured, discplined rugby and to not kick the ball mindlessly. PLA have some tremendous broken play runners in the back three that can rip Drags apart if they lose their shape. Based on previous form, however, PLA will not have the tactial nous to defeat a team playing well-structured, patient rugby, though.

See you at training this evening.
Harps

Table Surfing at Dave Sheikh Ali Yusuf bin Fadil Nazir's birthday party (originally known as Grewers' Stag) - the Abridged Version

2007-11-20T12:46:00.000+08:00

"Hello and welcome to the fifth inaugural HKFC Table Surfing Tournament held once again at Shaffi's Malik Restaurant, Wan Chai Road on the occasion of Dave 'Arab' Nazer's birthday. The tables are greased with vaseline, the participants are totally hammered and stewards are holding back the traffic out in the road to allow them a good long run up, so let's get to the action [commotion at the back of the commentary booth]...sorry ladies and gentlemen, that's Grewers and he just wants to be noticed. Fortunately he can't speak because there's gaffer tape around his mouth and Phil Reid will smash the egg taped to his forehead if he gets out of hand.

Our first contestant is Dazzling Darien Bradshaw of Australia, who's sporting the traditional 'pants and shoes only look.' Here comes Dazzler from out on the road, crowds of passers-by are cheering him on and OUCH! he's completely failed to get through the doorway. Medics are rushing over, but I think that's the last we'll be seeing of Bradshaw in this competition.

Next at the starting line is Nicholas 'Knickerless' James, the Welsh tyro from the Valleys and noted ladies' man. The stewards have had to prevail on James to put on some pants - he's made a very strong argument that complete nudity delivers maximum aerodynamic effect (and added that he really likes the feeling of his tackle sliding across the greasy tables), but the jusges are unimpressed. Here comes now, accelerating to his full speed of a moderate jog in the road, vaulting off the chair and -- whoosh there he goes! Past the five table mark, up to the nine table mark, his faithful man-bag trailing behind him at all times...and there he comes to a halt. The chutney-covered peanuts laid on the table by saboteurs have covered his chest in nasty welts, but he's happy, so happy. Listen to him sing...yes, it's the English version of the Welsh national anthem that sounds just the same as the Welsh long as you don't laugh!

My hen laid a haddock, one hand oiled a flea,
Glad farts and centurions threw dogs in the sea,
I could stew a hare here and brandish Dan's flan,
Don's ruddy bog's blocked up with sand.

Dad! Dad! Why don't you oil Auntie Glad?
Can whores appear in beer bottle pies,
O butter the hens as they fly!

Thanks to Nick James for that. Now then, our last contestant is the birthday boy himself [more muffled shouting, sounds of bouncing off the walls]....oh no! It's Grewers again! He's somehow loose from his punishment chair! No Grewers! Don't throw that rice everywhere! It's not our falt you disowned your Stag do! Well, actually, we're all enjoying Nazer's birthday now. Ah, thank goodness! Here's Phil Reid, who's giving Grewers a proper schooling now, as ever. I don't think we'll have any more trouble from him.

So, here is Nazir, standing tense and focused at the starting line like a half-naked jihadi. Off he goes, what a leap! He's absolutely flying down the tables...he's past James at 10, he's past 12, he's reaching the end of the track and he's still motoring! He's flying off the end, ladies and gentlemen, hurtling headfirst into the bar, sending glasses and popadoms flying. Is he alright? yes, he's up, he's smiling, he knows he's won! That's the commitment you need at this level. Let's talk to the big man.

Salaam aleykum Dave and congratulations!
Thanks. This is the proudest day of my life. If only Sheren could have been here so I could have beaten him too.

What is the secret of your success?
Being heavier than my opponents. It's elementary physics old chap.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Would you like to buy some jewellry? I've got some lovely pendants just in. Your missus would love 'em mate. Tell you what, I'll do you three for...

Thanks Dave and goodnight.

Harps

Aberdeen end Club's fine run

2007-11-20T11:04:00.000+08:00

CBRE Club 5 - 15 HKCC

Club's amazing run of seven unbeaten matches came to a disappointing end on Saturday when a highly motivated Abderdeen team, stengthened by imported players in key positions, outmuscled a weakened Club side and added injury to insult by adding to HKFC's list of casualties. Club remain nine points ahead of Valley in second place, but will need to raise their game now that chasing pack has the scent of blood.

To achieve this, Club's strength in depth will be vital because a long list of key players are now sidelined by injury, including Rob Mills, James Kibble, Rory Hussey, Mike McKee and Andrew Chambers.

All good teams lose from time to time - even great ones do (need I mention the 2007 All Blacks?). What counts, of course, is how a team responds - whether it turns in on itself and implodes or comes back with a stronger sense of unity and ready to fight. Club should not beat themselves up too much about losing one game, but they should burst a collective blood vessel to be damn sure they come back stronger. Captain Nigel D'Acre and hooker Tom Cameron struck the right note after the game when they asked the team to stick together in the evening after the game: if you win together, you have to lose together and the shared experience of both is what binds you together and makes you a better unit.

The manner of the defeat was disappointing indeed, and that if nothing else should sting Club into doing better next time. The scrum came under pressure on the engage and when Abderdeen put the wheel on, often with devastating effect. Regardless of whether you think that law allowing a team to gain the put-in if they can twist a scrum through 180 degrees is easily the most brainless law in rugby (and I do), teams have to be able to defend against it at this level. Club were found wanting and must work hard to address this. To add to the problems in the scrum, lineout possession was not as reliable as ususal either. With so much potentially quality ball choked at source, the backs came into the game under pressure and without momentum, making it easier for Aberdeen to pick off isolated ball carriers. Kibble battled away admirably at fly half, but he was too often a solitary figure.

Despite Abderdeen's dominance, they were only able to put away one penalty in the first half to lead 3-0 at the break. However, they made their possession count in the second half with two tries, including one, embarrassingly, from a disrupted five metre defensive Club scrum. Club answered in the last 10 minutes with an unconverted score from Richard Rouse, but it was too little, too late.

In many ways, Abderdeen's victory was a lesson in making pressure count. They were more physical and more aggressive, putting Club on the back foot from the word go. And, having put themselves in the box seat, they did not ease up until the end. In truth, they did to Club what Club have done to many other teams this season. Clearly, what Club need to do is rediscover the aggression and intensity that allowed them to put this kind of squeeze on Abderdeen, Valley and Kowloon et al earlier on. With a diminished pool of players, it will be tough. But that is when Champions really emerge.

Harps

CBRE Club v Synovate HKCC
HKFC, 6pm, Saturday 17 November

1. Adam Harper (rep. Rudolf, 50 mins)
2. Tom Cameron
3. Pete Spizzirri
4. Angus Washington
5. Tim Griffin
6. Tim Edgar
7. Jared Smith (AQ)
8. Kris Marin

9. Peter McKee
10. James Kibble
11. Callum Nieto
12. Richard Rouse
13. Nigel D’Acre
14. Pat Foreman
15. Mike McKee (AQ)

Replacements

16. Kahn Rudolf
17. Ben Stobart
18. Steve Matthew
19. Tim Robinson
20. Ed Johnson
21. Adam Raby (AQ)
22. Timothy John Robinson

No complacency for Club, more sting for Scorps

2007-11-16T18:39:00.000+08:00

Friday night is here again, which can only mean one thing - tomorrow is Saturday, the day consecrated to rugby and beer (preferably in that order).

Club, unbeaten and 14 points clear of Valley at the top of Division One, will play HKCC at the Football Club, kicking off at the usual time of 6pm. Club are without Nigel Hobler, Dan Parr and Andrew Chambers this weekend, bringing Pat Foreman, Callum Nieto and your correspondent into the side. 'Big' Tim Robinson (the lock), thereby distinguised from 'Little' Tim Robinson (the winger), marks his return to Hong Kong rugby by making the Club bench (after playing for Drags). Jared Smith makes his starting debut at openside for the injured Rory Hussey, while Kris Marin returns to replace Rob Mills, also injured, at number eight.

With no other side having any realistic hope of catching Club in the league phase of the season, they will have to be sure to maintain the levels of intensity and determination that have carried them this far. Aberdeen may not be able to win the league, but Club remain the ultimate scalp in this division and you can be sure their opponents will come out with tomahawks in hand.

In Division Two, it's a 3pm Club derby for two teams with contrasting fortunes. Dragons have been in effervescent form, with a powerful set of forwards that have dominated every pack they have encountered, and a lightning backline. Plus they have Phil Reid. Scorpions, on the other hand, are having a miserable season. Last year's Division Two Grand Champions are languishing at the bottom of the table this year, with just one win (that remarkable 28-22 fightback win over Valley on 6 October). Scorps will know that they badly need to show some spirit and aggression to restore a sense of pride in their season. But what better occasion to start a turnaround than against their Clubmates from Drags? Scorps will need to dig deep but they can challenge here if they come in with the right attitude and get off to a good start.

It's a similar story in Division Two, where Select bestride the table like a colossus, while Sequins bring up the rear. Sadly, no-one tells me anything about these teams so I can provide no further illumination. Animal's back hair could have fallen out and Sam Cooper could have become anorexic for all I know... In any case, Select's game against SJM Macau has been postponed while Sequins will take on the Kowloon Pussies at So Kon Po. If someone would like to tell me what happens in that game, I'd be much obliged.

Also... PLEASE TAKE SOME BL*ODY PHOTOS AND SEND THEM TO ME SO I CAN PUT THEM UP ON THIS BLOG. Send them to adam.harper@asia.ing.com

I'm off for a quiet dinner and an early night after something of a night of it with Nick 'Jamesy' James & co last night. Bring on tomorrow!

Harps

Club v HKCC, 6pm, HKFC

1. Adam Harper
2.Tom Cameron
3. Peter Spizzirri
4. Tim Griffin
5. Angus Washington
6. Tim Edgar
7. Jared Smith (AQ)
8. Kris Marin

9. Peter McKee
10. James Kibble
11. Pat Foreman
12. Richard Rouse (c)
13. Nigel D'Acre
14. Callum Nieto
15. Mike McKee (AQ)

Replacements:

Damian Babis
Ben Stobart
Tim Robinson (BIG)
Adam Raby (AQ)
Ed Johnson
Tim Robinson

Drags v Scorps. 3pm, HKFC

1. Rob Naylor
2. Ben Stobart
3. Damien Babis
4. Peyton Burnett
5. Tim Robinson (Big)
6. Shannon Ford
7. Rob Hewitson
8. Steve Mathews
9. Phil Reid ( C)

10. Robin Bredbury
11. Ed Johnston
12. Simon Shoebridge
13. Tim Robinson (not so Big)
14. Adam Raby
15. Ed Cosgrove

Replacements:

Ben Harris
Ben Michael
Andy Walters
Troy Hogan
Romain Perret
Diarmuid Kinsella

Blogging, Caution

2007-11-16T11:32:00.000+08:00

The moral of the posting below is never, ever attempt mobile blogging after three pints and five rum and cokes. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. My apologies to Mr Hussey, the washrooms at Solas are actually delightful, even if the washbasins are a little challenging.

Bouch is threatening to contribute some of his inimitable wit to this humble blog but is not available to do this before next week. Such are the lives of important people. We wait with baited breath...

Harps

The bogs in Solas are crap

2007-11-16T00:59:00.001+08:00

Dear Rory Hussey

I write to complain about the lamentable state of the washrooms in Solas. In particular, I deplore the wash basins. They won't work unless you get down nearly on your knees and wave your hands around like a supplicant to Hare Krishna. Please instal some taps.

I remain, Sir, your humble and obdedient servant,

A. Harper

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Blue Jacket winner Cameron speaks to the Blog

2007-11-13T16:56:00.000+08:00

Cameron (left) celebrates as Club win the Grand Championship in 2004. Is that Nick Tempest in the background? It could be, you know. 2004 was Club's last win at the top level - will 2007-08 be the next glory season?

Last Saturday, former Club and Hong Kong Captain Tom Cameron became the first recipient of the Hong Kong Football Club's Blue Jacket, which can have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with rugby in Hong Kong. The award, which will be given out annually, honours the player whose contribution best exemplifies the spirit and values of the Club. Tom Cameron speaks to The Blog about the award and what playing rugby in and for Hong Kong means to him.

Blog: How does it feel to be the first recipient of the HKFC Rugby Section's Blue Jacket?

TC: It is a great surprise and a massive honour.

Blog: The award is for a player whose "contribution best exemplifies the spirit and values of the section." What do you believe those values to be?

TC: I just love playing rugby and there is no better place than the Club. The social life around the rugby section is great and there is always someone that can help with a problem. Play hard on and off the pitch.

Blog: Who were your rugby heroes as a lad? And why?

TC: Uli Schmidt - He was a small but tough Springbok hooker. He scored great tries on the wing - the original Seagull!

Blog: What made you join HKFC rather than any of the other clubs in Hong Kong?

TC: There was no choice! Donough Foley and Craig Wootten said there were no other clubs in Hong Kong ...... and then there were the white towels!

Blog: How would you compare your first season with Club to this season?

TC: Now we are going back a long time... Every year had its great moments and awesome players. This year we have some young blood in and the boys are focused on what they want to achieve.

Blog: What are your outstanding memories of playing for Club, and for Hong Kong?

TC: Getting an eight week suspension after my first Grand Championship Final must stand out. It's a great honour every time to put the 1st team jersey on or run out for the country you represent! That is a great feeling! Beating Korea was also a massive highlight.

Blog: Any regrets?

TC: Never.

Blog: Could you nominate the best two or three matches you have played in since you have been in Hong Kong (for Club or the national side)?

TC: The Grand Championship win in 2004, beating Korea [in 2007] and every win against Valley!

Blog: Which players have you most enjoyed playing the game with during your career?

TC: Rugby is a great game. Eevery team I played for had their characters and outstanding players. The list will be too long!

Blog: Who would you say have been the strongest influences on you as a rugby player? And in what ways? And why?

TC: My family - Mum, Dad, Brother and Melanie! They were always there to encourage.

Blog: What would you say have been the funniest moments for you in Hong Kong rugby?

TC: Every time I speak to Junior Naylor.

Blog: Club has experimented with professional players in the past, but has been against this approach in recent years. What are your views on the question?

TC: It is good to have these guys in your team, it lifts the level but if your club only relies on them to win you trophies, you're going to be in trouble. You need guys that have a passion for the Club and you need them to stick around for a few years. Club is on the right track with getting guys jobs.

Blog: How do you feel the Club has bounced back after the Bali Tragedy in 2002?

TC: The Club has been great but it is important that new section members know what happened and the spirit and legacy those that died left behind.

Blog: What do you think the rugby section has to do to ensure that Club and the other teams remain dominant at their respective grades in the years to come?

TC: Everyone should support each other - it's not about the teams, it's about the Club as a whole.

Blog: Do you believe that Hong Kong can qualify for a World Cup under the current system?

TC: The structures in place at the moment for Hong Kong are the best I've seen. Ivan Torpey has made a massive difference to Hong Kong rugby. With Japan at the top and Tonga and co in the repercharge pools, it's always going to be tough! But I would love to see that happen.

Blog: How would you like to be remembered as player after you hang up your boots?

TC: Tough bastard on the park but a great guy to have a beer with afterwards.

Take from them everything and give to them nothing!

2007-11-12T13:56:00.000+08:00

CBRE Club 13 - Valley 6

Alright, it wasn't quite as bad as the battle of Thermopylae (no-one was killed, for example, although I feared Churchy was quite close to death at one point). But Club v Valley on Saturday was the rugby equivalent of hand-to-hand combat. If you wanted running rugby and flash moves, you were at the wrong game. If you wanted backs-to-the-wall defence, guts, grit and determination, you were in exactly the right place. The Club steamroller drives on, but Kowloon - and now Valley - have provided the blue and whites with their toughest tests so far. At the end of a game in which the margin between the two sides was never more than a converted try, Valley's players were inconsolable. The look of pride and, frankly, relief on the Club side's faces told you both how close this game had been and how much it meant to everyone involved.

Like Napoleon at Waterloo, Valley threw everything they had at the Club defense for what seemed an eternity (there were at least 10 minutes of injury time), but could never quite do enough to dislodge their stubborn opponents. But Club's tenacity in meeting the runners head-on, or in hauling them down in more desperate circumstances, was admirable. Valley threatened again and again, but never crossed the Club line - an achievement of which the home side should be justifiably proud. At the other end, a typically robust run from Richard Rouse - who had a commanding game in defence and attack - gave Club its only seven-pointer, to which Mike McKee added with a conversion and two penalties.

The pressure exerted by Valley allowed them to slot two penalties, and it also resulted in two yellow cards: one for loosehead Pete Spizziri for not rolling away and one to replacement backrower Shannon Ford for, well, retaliation. Valley's onslaught took a physical toll as well. An early ankle injury to number eight Rob Mills meant Rupert "Churchy" Clarke had to come on and play the best part of a second game that day, which was an impressive effort from the big man. Rory Hussey was another casualty of the trench warfare, departing the field with a dislocated patella (that's a b*ggered knee to you and me).

It is on victories such as this that championships are built, and Club will know they can take a good deal more heart from this than walks in the park against Causeway Bay (81-3) or even their win against an oddly lacklustre HKCC (22-0). Once again the victory was bult on a solid forward platform (the scrum only wobbled when reduced to seven men after Spizziri's yellow card, but was otherwise dominant), intelligent play by the backs (bolstered by the return of Nigel D'Acre) and truckloads of grit. As we move into the business end of the season, there is every reason to hope that Club can deliver on their great start this year.

Harps

CBRE Club v Crown Valley

6pm, Saturday 10 November, HKFC

1.Pete Spizzirri
2. Tom Cameron
3. Nigel Hobler
4. Laurence Denvir
5. Tim Griffin
6. Tim Edgar
7. Rory Hussey
8. Rob Mills
9. Peter McKee
10. James Kibble
11. Dan Parr
12. Richard Rouse (try)
13. Nigel D’Acre

14. Andrew Chambers
15. Mike McKee (AQ), (1 conv, 2 pens)

Replacements:

Adam Harper (used, sin-bin replacement)
Ben Stobart
Jared Smith (AQ), (used)
Rupert Clarke (used)
Shannon Ford (used, yellow card)
Adam Raby (AQ), (used)
Callum Nieto

Dragons slay Knights

2007-11-12T12:52:00.000+08:00

Another inimitable writeup from Murray Sargant, Manager, Dragons

Drags Vs Valley Knights
10th November 2007, HKFC 3:00pm

A resounding 49 - 12 victory against one of the better teams in the competition.

Well led from the front by our latest captain Phil Reid, the team went about a great display in the first 40 min with well-structured and aggressive forward play allied with some impressive tries from our fleet-footed backs.

First half tries to Callum Nieto, Adam Raby (twice), Dinks (what???) and a penalty for Pat Foreman made it one of the best halves of the year for Drags to date.

The forwards dominated the first half line outs after their extra training session on Thursday evening, which clearly paid off well. Thanks to CJ for running the session. The back row with Rupert (Churchy), Jared and Shannon all played well, with 'Jarhead' deservingly earning another man of the match performance after an unusually democratic team vote. A worthy winner of the Stevie Speirs Mug (more on this award later).

The second half started the same way with tries to Peyton Burnett, Tim Robinson and a second try in as many games for Shannon Ford.

The backs played impressively throughout the game with Phil, Robin, Pat, Tim, Cozzie, Callum and Adam combining well. The extra speed out wide was put to good use and the backline always looked dangerous with ball in hand. Pat had a great game with some strong running and solid defence. He completed the day in style by preventing a late try from Valley with a great run across the field to put in a superb covering tackle just before time. A great effort given it was late in the game and everyone was running out of gas.

In the last 10 minutes of the second half, Drags did begin to get tired and started to lose the structure that had served so well in the first 70 minutes. Valley took advantage and managed to get a late consolation try from broken play.

Stevie Speirs Mug

For those not aware this mug was established to commemorate the late Stevie Speirs who was the regular Drags hooker. Unfortunately Stevie was tragically killed in the Bali bombing while on tour with HKFC Vandals . The pewter mug is now awarded each week to the player voted by his team mates to be the best and fairest on the day. The nominated player can then have the mug all night and at no time should it be empty. All drags team players and friends are obliged to keep the mug full for the rest of the evening. The nominated player can also at anytime hand the mug to any other team mate who must drink the contents. At the end of the night the mug should be returned behind the bar ready for next week's game.

Well done Jared on winning the Stevie Speirs Mug. Sorry you couldn’t enjoy it straight away as I know you benched and played well for Club later.

See you all at training Monday night. Congratulations once again on a great Drags win.

This is what it's all about

2007-11-06T12:44:00.000+08:00

Afternoon chaps

Thought you would enjoy the piece below; I thought it was the best rugby story I have seen in ages. This just speaks volumes about Jerry Collins and shows you that the spirit of rugby is far from dead, despite what you may have thought after reading about Catt and Dallaglio's disgraceful comments about Brian Ashton. I used to play sometimes for Bideford, Barnstaple's big local rivals. It's great rugby country down there in the South West of England, and the game is played by people of all backgrounds and walks of life (with a strong smattering of hardnut farmers and fishermen, just to make it interesting). It's not nearly as elitist as rugby can often be in the UK and all the better for that. It tends to be slow, physical, rugby-as-attrition stuff, but you certainly know you've been in a game. And we all know how useful that slow, physical, rugby-as-attrition stuff can be in World Cups...

Anyway, I wasn't at the club last weekend, so there't not a whole lot I can tell you about the games. Club trounced Causeway Bay 81-3 but will surely have a sterner test against Valley on Saturday, Drags didn't play, Scorps went down 15-3 to Valley 2s (boooo) and Select won, by how much I know not. I reiterate once again my appeal for more news from Select, Sequins and Bulls. The Blog needs you boys!

Harps

All Black gives Barnstaple second XV the edge
By Michael Roper
Last Updated: 9:09am GMT 01/11/2007

The amateurs of Newton Abbot's second XV had the shock of their lives when they turned up for a game and discovered that the All Blacks' Jerry Collins was playing for the opposition.

The 6ft 3in, 17-stone flanker - nicknamed 'The Terminator' for his ferocious tackling - turned out for rival Devon side Barnstaple against a stunned group of butchers, builders and bricklayers from Newton Abbot.

Collins, the hard man of the New Zealand back row and the proud owner of the biggest biceps in their squad, ran in a storming try and made three try-saving tackles during his 55 minutes on the pitch, helping Barnstaple to a 21-7 away victory in the Devon Merit Table fixture.

The Samoan-born Collins, 26, took part in the match after bumping into Barnstaple's head coach, Kevin Squire, while on holiday in Devon. Squire was enjoying a meal in a restaurant when he spotted the All Black. "I did a double-take when I saw who it was and knew I had to introduce myself," he said.

"He was very polite and unassuming. We talked for several minutes and I mentioned the club and invited him to come down and watch a game, but of course never expected him to turn up. He did though and even coached a session with the under-14 side, who were completely awe-struck.

"I told him we had a match coming up and he was welcome to join us, but again I was gobsmacked when he showed up to catch the bus with the rest of the players.
"It was very surreal for the lads as they are all amateurs - most of them are builders, bricklayers, plumbers and so on. He had even been to a sports store to buy a pair of boots."

Squire said his new recruit dropped down a gear to fit in with the standard of the game. "Jerry didn't play up his superstar status but was really one of the lads," he said. "He didn't crunch into them like he could have done – they would have gone flying. He adapted his level of play to suit the game like a proper gentleman. "It was a wonderful experience for all the players to play alongside such a big name in international rugby, even for the guys in the other team."

Newton Abbot coach Phil Burford said his side were "quite taken aback" when Barnstaple showed up with Collins in tow. "I think the second-team lads were pinching themselves after playing with such an icon," he said. "After the match he was inundated with fans asking for pictures and autographs and he was happy to do it. He was a true professional."

Meet the new lads #4 - Jez Lawson

2007-11-02T16:46:00.000+08:00

Above: Two thirds of the Scorps front row celebrates their remarkable win over Valley and England's workaday dismissal of Australia's feeble challenge. Modest Lawson (see the response below) is on the left with the beer-soaked shirt.

Name: Jez Lawson
Age: 29
Occupation: Headhunter and Eligible Batchelor
Nationality: British
Rugby position: Glamour Hooker
Previous rugby clubs: Downside School, London Irish, London Exiles
Favorite things about HKFC rugby: The towels
One thing you would change/introduce: I would like to change the perception of the club amongst the opposition. I hear a lot of accusations of arrogance and smugness. I feel that I can do a lot to alter this.
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Hooking against Trevor Leota for 20mins. I gave him some banter - he made me cry - I was subbed - my Father was watching.
SoHo or LKF? As long as its not WanChai.
Drop or Mes Amis? Drop. I like it when my shoes don’t stick to the floor.
Skiing or diving? Après-ski is one of my favorite pastimes. Après-dive..?
Reading or music? Music. Although I enjoy being read to.
Paris Hilton or Scarlett Johansen? I’m so tired of being asked this question. None of the reports are true.

Beer's amazing powers of rehydration

2007-11-02T16:03:00.000+08:00

Afternoon. Some tremendous news on a Friday for you (courtesy of Chris Howard and the Daily Telegraph, that bastion of all right-thinking opinion in the UK). Yes, beer can help you rehydrate. We'd always known it had many benefits (making you funnier, making women seem more attractive) but this is the clincher. No more gatorade for me! Harps

Beer after sport 'is good for the body'
By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 5:01pm GMT 01/11/2007

A beer after playing a game of football, a long run, or a strenuous round of golf can be good for the body, scientists say.
In a rare piece of good news for those who like a pint, Spanish researchers say beer can help someone who is dehydrated retain liquid better than water.Prof Manuel Garzon, of Granada University, also claimed the bubbles in beer help to quench the thirst and that its carbohydrate content can help to replace lost calories.Prof Garzon asked a group of students to do strenuous exercise in temperatures of around 40ºC (104ºF). Half were given a pint of beer, while the others received the same volume of water.
Prof Garzon, who announced the results at a press conference in Granada beneath a banner declaring "Beer, Sport, Health", said the hydration effect in those who drank beer was "slightly better".
Juan Antonio Corbalan, a cardiologist who worked formerly with Real Madrid football players and Spain's national basketball team, said beer had the perfect profile for re-hydration after sport.
He added that he had long recommended barley drinks to professional sportsmen after exercise.
Previous studies have shown most alcoholic drinks have a diuretic effect – meaning they increase the amount of liquid lost by the body through urination.
Dr James Betts, an expert on nutrition and metabolism at Bath University, said a moderate amount of beer might be just as good as water at helping the body retain liquid, but that he doubted it could be any better.
Dr Betts said: "If you are dehydrated to start with following exercise, a beer, as opposed to a spirit, probably does not have a high enough concentration of alcohol to induce a diuretic effect."