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.
Above: Watson still requires constant supervision
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