The Saxo Markets Premiership kicks off tomorrow with a Super Saturday triple trio of Hong Kong Rugby Union action at Kings Park starting from 15.00.  

The clubs enter the fray off of a week’s rest after the postponement of last weekend’s final round of Saxo Markets Challenge Trophy action, (to be rescheduled for November).

The action in the warm-up has been compelling so far, with the six sides demonstrating they can beat anyone in early Challenge Trophy games. All four of last season’s Grand Championship semi-finalists, defending champions Herbert Smith HKU Sandy Bay, Bloomberg Hong Kong Scottish, Natixis HKFC and Societe Generale Valley, are off to positive starts with each claiming some important scalps in the early going.  For teams at the lower end of the pre-season competition, the slate is wiped clean with everyone starting afresh for what promises to be an intense ten-round title chase.

While the Challenge Trophy silverware is yet to be decided, the early threats are obvious with defending league champions HKFC out to erase a bittersweet finish last year, after claiming the league title but being ushered out of the Grand Championship by Sandy Bay at home.

The two sides will meet again in the final Super Saturday clash at Kings Park at 18.30, preceded at the same venue by Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers hosting Valley at 15.00, and Kerry Hotel Kowloon versus HK Scottish at 16.45.

Football Club have already taken a measure of revenge against Sandy Bay in the opening week of the Challenge, winning 50-19 in a game where bench depth proved the clear difference. 

Tomorrow’s tie, one of just ten in the season, adds an early burden of the need for results and for Sandy Bay coach Brett Wilkinson will provide an early benchmark of his team’s improvement since the first ball was kicked in anger in September.

“The pressure is on right from the start and teams definitely need to hit the ground running this season,” said Wilkinson a former prop forward at Connaught.

“Club is always strong and they have shown a lot of talent and depth this season already, so it will be a good benchmark for us early.”

Fortunately for Sandy Bay, Wilkinson will have nearly all of his early-season strength to choose from, including a few players who raised their hands with their performances in the Challenge Trophy.

“Most everyone is available and we are working really hard to improve our consistency and our depth. The Challenge Trophy has been helpful for us in that respect, it gave us a chance to give more guys some opportunity and to have a look at guys we may not have been able to, otherwise.

“I think we have been slightly off of it so far this season, and that comes down to our consistency. We have had good wins and then fail to perform the next week, which has kept us from building momentum. We just need everyone to do their jobs against Club.

“We had a lot of turnover in the off-season, so it is now about getting our new players and the returning Premiership players embedded into the systems and structures a bit more, and we are confident that that consistency will come,” added Wilkinson.

Kowloon snuck an early win over Scottish in the Challenge run, also on the opening weekend of the season, winning 17-12 after two of its Premiership debutants shone with ex-Bristol winger George Watkins scoring a brace of tries and fly half Joe Barker slotting a late penalty to snatch the win.

Scottish bounced back with a massive 32-29 win over Valley and then split their results against Tigers and Sandy Bay to complete a 2-2 run ahead of the Premiership kick-off, with some positive signs already of their season imports blending in well and continued growth amongst emerging players like James Christie and Mark Coebergh, both of whom were active contributors in Challenge Trophy play.

Kowloon’s chances will be lifted by the return of a complement of Hong Kong internationals including vice captain Jamie Tsang at hooker, with Hong Kong back rower James Sawyer captaining the squad alongside fellow cap No.8 Sam Tsoi, with scrumhalf Bryn Phillips and Lewis Warner (centre) and fullback Jack Neville all threatening out wide.

Heavyweights Valley were the only side in the Challenge Trophy able to stop the Football Club juggernaut with an impressive 26-19 win in Happy Valley a fortnight ago, when Valley pulled away with three tries in the second half to climb level first with Club on the Challenge Trophy table.

Valley will want to avoid the banana skin result against winless Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers, who will look to put a disappointing Challenge bid behind them as they look to start their league campaign on a positive footing. 

Tigers need more from their offence after having been largely stymied in producing just 38 points through four games, but that challenge is complicated by Valley’s rock solid defence, which has conceded the second lowest total points so far with 85, behind Club’s 76.

Super Saturday will no doubt lift the curtain on more plot changes ahead of a fierce Saxo Markets Premiership campaign.