Meet the new lads #4 - Antony Phillips

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......

Club, Drags dispatch the Old Enemy

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

How to survive playing rugby in Guangzhou

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

Contempts back in action

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

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

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

Have a lovely weekend.
Harps

Club finish the task for 2007

CBRE Club 16 - 8 InProjects Kowloon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harps

Club v DEA in (four) pictures

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

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

Drags smash Aberdeen at SKP

From Drags Team Manager, Murray Sargant

HKFC Dragons 51-7 HKCC

An outstanding result on the weekend against Aberdeen.

This weekend was not looking all that great for us as CJ and I worked hard on pulling the team together all week. Firstly on Thursday night Grewers hurt his neck and was not up to playing and secondly on game day itself Robin pulled up lame with a nagging calf strain. Luckily for Drags we called on Phil Reid and Shoey to fill the gaps and they didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately that did leave us with one reserve for the game itself but luckily it was super sub David Gutherie.

It became apparent early on that our pack was in a dominant frame of mind and the front row of Babis, Kim and Harper made sure that the Aberdeen scrum was going to have a long day in the office. We turned over at least four of their feeds and on our put in we were rock solid. This meant that we had heaps of procession and the result was some excellent pressure leading to the first try from Callum in left hand corner.

After that it was the turn of the Drags lineout to have a go. They didn’t disappoint with Tim jumping at 2 and Corks at 4 we dominated the air and made every lineout competitive. Plenty of quality ball for Phil Reid to distribute and the backline which didn’t disappoint. Raby was in confident form and looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. Two great tries from out wide and Aberdeen even with their star centre from the 1st were on the rack. Raby then did a Wilkinson and had an unsuccessful attempted at drop goal from just inside the halfway line. Won’t repeat what CJ thought of this use of the ball but you cant hold back the confidence of youth. He then went onto score three tries and set up a fourth so CJ felt all was forgiven. Stobart take note if you miss a drop goal you better score three tries.

Going into the half we felt comfortable and that resulted in our only lapse of the game. We were throwing the ball around from side to side and sure enough one of our passes got intercepted. The backs then recovered well bringing the Aberdeen centre down on the 22 meter line. However with quick ball and some fast rucks Aberdeen eventually got the ball back to their large centre who went over from close range. The resulting try and conversion really got Drags fired up and that meant more trouble for Aberdeen for the remaining second half.

The backs then really opened up with a second try to Callum on the wing. This was the try of the day as Callum raced down the right touch line Aberdeen seemed to have him covered. A little extra gas from Callum and a nice step made the Aberdeen defence hesitate and then the fullback went high. Callum brushed him off and managed to stay well inside the touch line for great solo try. The rest of the afternoon had Andy Yip get on the score board with two touch downs and also another for Raby and one each for Ramsey and Shannon finished off the 9 try wrought. The only negative was that Corkery got nailed in the ribs from a very hard hit in one of our many attacking moves. The result was three broken ribs and a painful end of the game for Corks. He is fine although he will need the next few weeks to get his ribs back in shape. I can confirm that straight after the hit and while he couldn’t breath his first words were “ I want to punch that fucker” Summed up the spirit in the team that day with everyone giving 110%.

By far the strongest game of the year from Drags despite not having a bench sorry David as you did get a run so we ended the game with no bench. The fact we never let up and kept scoring and putting the pressure on was excellent. We had starring performances right across the park with Raby leading the try count, Peyton and Shannon driving up the middle, Edgar and Corks in the air but the Man of the Match as voted by CJ and Ramsey as Captain was Phil Reid. Phil played a fantastic solid game in attack and was the fourth member of the backrow cleaning up any forwards that wanted to run in his direction. A great performance from him, a very worthy winner in what was a great day for Drags.

Well done to the entire team. A Superb effort.

HKFC Dragons v HKCC
Saturday 27 August, 3.00pm, SKP


1. Adam Harper
2. Kim Cau
3. Damien Babis
4. Peyton Burnett
5. Ramsey Carter(C) (try)
6. Shannon Ford (try)
7. Andrew Corkery
8. Tim Edgar

9. Phil Reid
10. Ben Harris
11. Adam Raby (3 tries)
12. Simon Shoebridge
13. Andy Yip (2 tries)
14. Callum Nieto (2 tries)
15. Ed Cosgrove

Replacement: David Gutherie

The Boks are Back; the Blog is Back

Allow me to start off by congratulating South Africa on their historic achievement in winning a second world cup. So much has been said about the final already that I don't propose to add to it beyond saying that the most complete, tactically astute and determined team in the tournament won it and they deserve massive credit. Nearly two months of 3am kick-offs and amusing rugby emails have left me mentally weak, as Stobart might say, but I can in all seriousness hardly wait for RWC 2011 in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Mr James Cook was even talking about organising a HKFC tour. God help us if the ABs don't win.

Back to Hong Kong, centre of the known universe. My blogging blockage of late has been largely caused by the massively time-consuming business of entertaining one set of parents in HK; I even resorted to making my Dad referee a tense encounter between Valley and Kowloon in Division 5 to keep him occupied. But here I am, back at the keyboard, with apologies for the hiatus.

Last weekend's fixture list was curtailed because of byes for Scorps and for the Drags, who were meant to be playing the PLA but were informed that the Chinese army boys couldn't make it because they were planning an invasion (or couldn't get visas, whichever). Club played DEA Tigers at HKFC, Select played Valley and I think I am right in saying that Bulls rather sadly broke their winning streak with a shock loss against those old bruisers from Police. We can satisfy the rugby world's curiosity concerning these games if Centurion Cooper and Mr Riordan would like to let me have details.

CBRE Club 22-10 DEA TIGERS

I am happy to report, however, that Club marched on, stretching this season's unbeaten record for another week in the face of a stiff challenge from DEA. As Coach Quinton Wrigley predicted, Club's fitness was key, allowing them to outlast DEA's intense initial challenge and go on to control the game. Club managed some lovely interplay in attack between backs and forwards, with James Kibble, Richard Rouse, Rob Mills and Rory Hussey standing out, but the victory was built on a bedrock of aggressive defence and solid set-piece play. With several key players - including prop Pete Spizzirri, lock Tim Griffin , flanker Kris Maren and Captain Nigel D'Acre - missing, Club did well to keep their shape and impose themselves against tough opposition. Captain for the day Andrew Chambers said afterwards that Club had showed some real 'mongrel,' as Aussies like to say.

Hussey, Rouse and newcomer Pat Foreman crossed for Club's three tries, while Mike McKee kicked two conversions and a penalty. Club were perhaps unlucky not to cross again for a fourth try and a bonus point, as notable Valley-lover and Club-critic Alvin Sallay was kind enough to point out in the Sunday Morning Post, but they will be happy to remain the only unbeaten team in Dvision One ahead of next Saturday's clash with Kowloon.

CBRE Club v DEA TIGERS
Saturday 20 October 2007, 6.00pm, HKFC

1. Adam Harper
2. Tom Cameron
3. Nigel Hobler
4. Angus Washington
5. Steve Matthew
6. Tim Edgar
7. Rory Hussey
8. Rob Mills

9. Peter McKee
10. James Kibble
11. Dan Parr
12. Richard Rouse
13. Pat Foreman
14. Andrew Chambers
15. Mike McKee

Replacements

Damian Babis, Laurence Denvir, Ben Stobart, Tim Robinson, Rob Naylor, Adam Raby, Sean Byrne