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The Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Men’s Premiership gets underway on Saturday 4 October 2025, featuring six men’s teams. We have caught up with all six clubs and their CCOs to find out what is new this season among the respective teams, their goals and which players to keep an eye on.

We've got you covered with all of the essential new season information you need.

What to Know This Season:

Each team plays against each other three times across 15 rounds of action to determine the League Winner.
The top four teams will advance to the knockout stage, where the 1st place team faces the 4th, and the 2nd plays against the 3rd.
The Grand Championship final will take place on 14 March 2026.
The league’s traditional Super Saturday also returns, with all six men’s teams coming together for back-to-back matches at King’s Park Sports Ground in round two on Saturday 11 October.

HKU Sandy Bay RFC

Last season, HKU Sandy Bay RFC men were the Premiership Grand Final champions after beating HKFC 40-29 to earn their first title in 6 years, which fits nicely with their slogan of ‘The Tide is coming in.”

Marno Meyer is the Men’s Club Coaching Officer (CCO), and he has held various roles over the years, ranging from Assistant Coach, Head of Recruitment, Youth Pro-Coach, and was himself a pro player in South Africa and in France.

“I was initially asked to come over to Hong Kong for six months to help them out and play a bit, and help on the coaching side of things. I always said I wouldn't coach, but then I really enjoyed it. I got the opportunity to get involved with Sandy Bay, which was my first year as an assistant coach, and we did really well - we won the Premiership.

I was an assistant coach for four years, and then got this CCO opportunity two and a half years ago, and have been involved with the men's representative team from a contact side of things.”

Marno says the club have had to rebuild the Men’s Prem’s team this season after clinching the title last season. “We built a very strong squad over the past three years, to where they were consistent, but we have lost around 11 of our 23 who played in the final last year. Then you also add on top of that, the unavailability of the representative players for the first five rounds, so we have had to go deep in the recruitment to try and replace those players.

It's been a big challenge for us; keeping players and making it sustainable, and not recruiting 10-11 players every season. Yes, it will happen every three-year cycle like now, but that's not really what we're trying to do. I think from this cycle we are hoping to retain these players for the next three to four years.”

Home Ground: Aberdeen Sports Ground

Head Coach: Marno Meyer

Captain: Dana Fourie

The new captain for this season is Dana Fourie, who has also been newly brought into the HKCR Men’s setup. He's been in Hong Kong for five years.

Marno said, “He's also one of the first players I brought over five years ago. So that's sort of what we try to do. He plays second row or back row and is a really hard worker. Over the last few years, I've had leaders who lead from the front. They're not really big talkers. I think they're more of ‘lead by example’ people. And I think we've tried to keep that example going, to try and get people like that in leadership positions.”

Players to Watch / New players signed:

The club had at least three players in the men’s HKCR representative squad which successfully qualified for a historic first Rugby World Cup, and has players who have taken on contracts with HKCR.

Marno said, “Finding players is not the easiest. But we've tried our best to find players that fit into Hong Kong, that fit in with our type of culture, and that really just want to be here. I think that's a big part for us, to be culture-driven. We're very big on the players who take ownership of everything. So it's very important that we find players to keep going with that.

We've managed to bring two players back who were born in Hong Kong, and who were part of our youth structures back in the day.

You need to find people and players who fit into the Hong Kong workforce. I think that's the big thing. It's sort of the workforce that drives the rugby, not the rugby driving the workforce.”

Of some of the new signings, Marno said that the likes of Finn Hamilton have stood out in pre-season, and from the existing players, he identified a few players who are returning from injury layoffs. He also singled out the likes of Dean Nieuwoudt from last season, who has had to switch positions but is also a leader within the team.

Nicki van der Westhuizen - A scrum half that covers fly half and fullback, who comes from Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Stephan Smit - A South African with experience winning the Varsity Cup title with the University of Pretoria, and played with the Bulls and Griquas and plays as a back row forward.
Connor O Byrne - A back rower who was born in Hong Kong and has family roots with Sandy Bay, Connor joins from Nottingham University.
Werner Coetzee - The second rower has played for the Springboks U20 and Junior Sharks, as well as competing in the Varsity Cup. He comes from Durban, South Africa.
Sam Porter - Another lock, but this time from Wicklow, Ireland, who has progressed through the Leinster pathways and age grades.
Samuel Townsley - A graduate from Hartpury College in the UK, he has had stints in Australia and New Brighton, New Zealand.
Barend Joubert - The front-rower comes from Maties (Stellenbosch University) in South Africa.
Finn Hamilton - The hooker joins from New Brighton in New Zealand.
Jaime Chuidian - Played his youth rugby at the club before studying and playing at Dartmouth, and joined LA in the MLR. He mainly plays in the centres and has represented the Philippines in national age-grade rugby.
Guy Lansdown - From Hamilton, New Zealand and a product of Hamilton Boys High, Fraser Tech, Waikato Harlequins.

Season’s Goals

“I'll tell you realistically at the end of the season how it went for us. It's more about the process of resetting and understanding that we do have some sustainability coming through, and players will need to step up and take over from players who left.

We’ve made it a bit more youthful with the players coming in and still here, and the challenge would be, how quickly can we get everyone to gel and buy into everything? If we are able to do that, I firmly believe we can challenge again and be in the top three or four, which is where you want to be at the end of the season. From there, if you make the playoffs, anything can happen.”

What else should you know?

One of the key areas they have also identified is the consistency of performances and the set piece. “We've had a few blowouts last year where we just didn't show up on the day. I think that's something we identified last year already.”

Marno added, “I'd like to see how we go from a set piece perspective as well, and I think having all the new players immediately trying to replicate what these guys did last season will be a challenge, and that's something we've identified from the get-go, really putting a lot of emphasis on our lineup and set piece and scrum.” The club has also brought in Fai Mika (he played in NZ and in France’s Pro D2) as the scrum coach to assist and develop younger players, as the club expects to be without their representative team front row forwards for parts of the season.

Website and Socials

Kowloon Rugby Club

Another club celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, Kowloon Rugby Club finished 5th in the Prem league last season and missed out on a semifinal spot, but CCO for the Men, Lewis Wilson, is excited about the season ahead.

“I think last year fit the mould of where the club's been for the last couple of years. We finished fifth in the table and won less than half our fixtures, but as in previous years, we managed to pull off big results versus the top teams. Kowloon has been inconsistent, but has always been throwing punches with big teams in the league.

This year, we've tried to freshen it up a bit. It's our 50th season, and we've sort of ripped up quite a bit of what we've done previously as a coaching group and playing group, but kept our core identity. We want to be a much more consistent outfit this season.”

He says the pre-season games have shown they are moving in the right direction in what will be his third season with the club.

Speaking about the opportunity to coach Kowloon, Lewis said “It was a perfect fit for me. It's been awesome since my first season, and quite a bit has changed, but entering the 50th year - it's a pretty exciting period.”

On the 50th anniversary celebrations, he said, “It's a massive privilege, the amount of players, the quality of players, the coaches who've been through the club. It's pretty remarkable, and I am really proud to be part of it. There's a team in the background working pretty hard with 50th anniversary events.”

Home Ground: King's Park Sports Ground

Head Coach: Lewis Wilson

Captain: Euan Humphreys will captain, and Dylan White will be vice-captain

Players to Watch / New players signed:

“We have managed to keep a core group of guys who are young and who've been with us for three years, a big core group of big characters. And we've recruited players to fit in with that group. It is a really strong contingent within the team who will maintain that Kowloon identity.”

Part of the recruitment drive has been signing players who are Hong Kong-based or Hong Kong-born and Hong Kong-qualified. The Kowloon Academy and the junior pathways with the Stingrays mean the club is secure in knowing that over the next few years, they will have a large group of players who are well adapted to the environment.

We're pretty confident that over the next two or three years we'll reap the rewards of that. We have an eye on the future, and increasing the number of Hong Kong boys we've got in our group.”

Barney Horberry - Born in Hong Kong and having featured in the World Rugby U20 Trophy in Scotland in 2024, he has been playing in England and can play across the midfield in the backs.
Oliver Nicolle - Also Hong Kong qualified and has been playing in Australia but will be joining the club for the first time and can play across the back row in the forwards.

Season’s Goals

Lewis said, “You don't want to put a number on it, but anything outside the top four would be another disappointing season for us. I want us to be competitive throughout the season, and we're definitely looking to reach a semifinal. Historically, the club regularly reached the knockouts, but over the last 5-6 years, it has slipped off a little bit.”

What else should you know?

“We've changed quite a bit as a group. A lot of old boys have left the club, and they've done a massive service to the club, and we can't thank those guys enough. There is now a new, young, talented group, with lots of new Hong Kong-qualified players in the team, so it's a really exciting time at Kowloon both on and off the field.

We are a very young group of coaches. So, I like to think we're quite creative, and up to date with the rugby trends, which I think definitely appeals to our young talent. And then Hong Kong sort of sells itself - the careers alongside rugby. It's an unbelievable city, an awesome opportunity.”

Website and Socials

HKFC Natixis Club

HKFC has signed up former USA 7s and 15s player Andrew Durutalo as the Director of Rugby Operations, while last season’s Head Coach Logan Asplin has stepped up to coach the HKCR Men’s XV team, but will still lead the Men as they look to appoint a new Men’s CCO for the season.

Logan has been getting the team ready for the new season as they look to go one step better than their Prem Grand Final loss to HKU Sandy Bay RFC. They have the additional challenge of having more than a dozen players signing full contracts with HKCR and a contingent still active in the 7s programme, meaning they will be spread thin throughout the season.

“I was having a little cappuccino around numbers, but it's just a different challenge. I'm kind of split, because I also coach the Hong Kong China men’s team at the same time, so it's a little bit different and has been a really different feel to preseason. Our mindset on that is ‘next man up’. We’ve gotta build the depth.”

As a former teacher and rugby coach in New Zealand, Logan made the move to Hong Kong to pursue his rugby coaching goals, saying, “There was an opportunity to come here, and I threw my name in the hat. It has been a bit of a whirlwind three years, and I wouldn't have pictured where I am now three years ago.

So saying that, I don't think my approach to coaching has changed in that time, whether I was coaching Hamilton Boys or now coaching the representative team. There aren't many opportunities to be a full-time rugby coach in the world, and there are so many people chasing these roles.

Coming to HKFC, I inherited a pretty good group of players who were established and had achieved on-field success. The main thing I did was to just put it more back into their hands and allowed them to have more say, which they didn't have beforehand, from most accounts.”

Home Ground: Hong Kong Football Club

Head Coach: Logan Asplin

Captain: TBC

Players to Watch / New players signed:

14 HKFC players have been contracted with HKCR Men’s XVs, so HKFC have had to recruit for this season and have players returning to Hong Kong as well as signing players from England, Australia, and New Zealand.

Logan said, “Recruiting players is a funny one. You have to ask, are they going to make your team better? Are they going to be able to fit in and not get lost in the environment of Hong Kong? We've done that really well in terms of recruitment over the last three years, which has contributed to our success.”

Matt Worley - He returns to HKFC after stints in the UK and France, notably winning the Premiership Cup in 2018/19 with the Northampton Saints and more recently with Bedford Blues. Logan said, “It is obviously cool to have Matty back. He played all his junior rugby here, and he has been pretty thankful for his relationship that took him to France and then Northampton, but we are really stoked to have him back.”
Max Murphy - Returning to the club after 14 years, having been previously part of the mini and youth teams. He most recently played at Richmond Rugby, which won the English NL1 title. Logan added, “There aren't many six-foot-eight humans floating around Hong Kong, so it is exciting to have him back.”
James Holmes – “Welcoming James to Sports Road! James joins us from across the harbour and brings tenacity to our front row, with both Premiership and international experience.”
Bryan Byrne - Hooker, Newcastle Falcons, Bristol Bears, Leinster, Ireland U18s, U19s & U20s. Logan said, “He's got over 50 caps for Leinster - he'll be awesome to have, and he is the right kind of man that you want to supplement your group with.”
James Pollard - A prop who has represented Cardiff University RFC, Gloucester, England U19s
Josiah Lewis - Prop with experience at Bay of Plenty Development, Cook Islands 7s, NZ Marist Colts
Quintony Ngatai - Scrumhalf/Fly Half, Hautapu Sports Club, Waikato Rugby (NPC)

Season’s Goals:

Logan explained, “I'll want us to play more freely than last year and let them play with a bit more freedom. We won 14 out of 15 games, which was awesome, but obviously, got knocked over and got outplayed in the final, so that will open some wounds.

We've talked about how we bounce back, but also how we bounce back with the adversity of starting the season in a little bit of a trench, compared to other teams who will be affected far less.

It's a good adjustment and mindset to have. I kind of like being the club that everyone loves to hate. That's a good way to be, but still doing it with the right morals and be good guys and accept that you've got to show humility.”

What else should you know?

Of the Prem in Hong Kong, Logan said, “You're only playing five other teams, but I guess that allows you to be innovative and to think around creativity, how you're going to manipulate and beat teams and how to be consistent. We probably spend too much time on previewing the opposition, where everyone knows you, and what you can do. It allows you to work out what your identity is and makes sure you train and play to those strengths.”

Website and Socials

Societe Generale Valley RFC

Augustine Leger (commonly known as Gus) joined Societe Generale Valley RFC in 2023, having prior experience and roles within Super Rugby with Moana Pasifika, Auckland Blues U20’s, New Zealand Secondary Schools and the New Zealand Barbarian Schools program.

Heading into his third season with the club, he hopes to improve on last season, where they finished third in the Prem and lost to the eventual champions in the semifinal playoffs.

Of what attracted him to make the move to Hong Kong, he said, “It was really an opportunity to try something different. I've been in education as a teacher for more than a decade, and just saw this as a chance to explore and see another part of the world, and also be challenged to take on a club side to see if I could add some value there, based on the way that I see the world and how to share what I think, which is important.”

He added, “Just creating community - I think that's really important. It stands out quite strongly. So, for a club that doesn't have a clubhouse physically, the fact that we've got a community without having bricks and mortar, and we just appreciate that people are part of the Valley programme. I'm very, very grateful and privileged to be part of the Valley programme for this third season.”

Home Ground: Happy Valley Recreation Ground

Head Coach: Gus Leger

Captain: Laurence May will captain with Nyasha Tarusenga and Luke Treharne as co-vice captains.

Players to Watch / New players signed:

Gus said the club has some consistency as not too many players retired or stepped away and they have also promoted from within the Valley Fort programme.

“We're in a pretty good holding space. I know there's probably been more movement in other clubs at this stage. We're pretty comfortable with what we've got there in terms of guys that are new to the club; we've also got a couple of our younger athletes that are coming out of the Valley Fort programme (players coming back from university overseas).

James Sawyer - The representative HKCR team player has signed from Kowloon.
Isaac Campbell-Wu - The Hong Kong-qualified player joined with high expectations, as he has good skills and came through the Bristol Bears programme. He was part of the HKCR U20s that went to Scotland and played in the World Rugby U20 Trophy. He was also previously selected for the England U18s.
Asepeli Ve’a - The young Kiwi comes from Kelston Boys' Highschool.
Levi Hazelton - The New Zealand prop joins from Hautapu in Hamilton (the club has a strong connection with the area).

Season’s Goals

Gus said, “It is great to have a chance to support the programme as well as lift and promote the game here in Hong Kong, because there are some tricky little bits to it all, but all you can do is control what is controllable.

The takeaways from last year are that you have to make sure you have good depth. And this was possibly one of the reasons why we fell short of the mark of making it to the final game. We’re ensuring that we have that depth in the majority of our positions, and just creating a culture that once you do get to the last two or three games in the season, that everyone's contributed so as to be better versions of themselves.

And just make sure you've got a game plan that also supports the profile of your team as best as you can.”

What else should you know?

Gus Leger’s brother, Nick Leger, formerly coached the Valley RFC Men's Premiership side in the early 2000s.

This being the club's 50th anniversary celebrations, keep tuned for Societe Generale Valley RFC 50th Anniversary Golden Weekend celebrations.

Gus said, “It is a milestone. And I think we need to reflect back on the last time we had success, We've got the 50th anniversary as one piece, and then another piece is when a particular team achieved that success. I think it was 2018-2020, and I put that up when we did a group value session. So just reflecting on the last time we had that success, and just remembering those who created the club.”

Website and Socials

Milwaukee Hong Kong Scottish

Ngatai Walker is the only new Head Coach in this year’s Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Hong Kong Premiership, but he brings with him ample experience having held high-level coaching roles with the New Zealand Māori XV, NZU85kg National Team, Hurricanes Poua Super Rugby Women, Manawatū Turbos NPC, and NZ Secondary Schools.

Last season, Hong Kong Scottish came fourth in the Premiership, and Ngatai is excited about what lies ahead after making the move and being appointed to the CCO role. “When the CCO role came up at the club, I looked at the job a bit more. I quite like the Hong Kong Scottish story. I liked the values of the club. I thought they were quite aligned with Maori values back home.

I also liked the challenge, as they haven't won a championship. They've been really close, and there's just a good crew of people here.”

Of the new additions to bolster the club, there are several aspects he has been looking for. “Probably at its simplest, do they align with the club's values on the field and off the field? Our values are around one clan and teamwork, excellence, respect, and inclusivity.”

Home Ground: Shek Kip Mei Park (affectionately known as "The Rock")

Head Coach: Ngatai Walker

Captain: TBC

Players to Watch / New players signed:

The Men’s side has a number of HKCR XV representatives, including James Christie, Faizal Solomona Penesa, Alessandro Nardoni, and Gregor McNeish, but they have made several additions to the squad this season.

The new Head Coach added that aligning the coaching crew is a priority, and then making sure that they are aligned in the messaging and what they are doing.

“They are a fit group. They remind me a little bit of our NZ under-85s in regards to being lean athletes that are fit. We lost a couple of key players in a few positions in the front five. So, guys who were probably number two and number three in their positions last year now get a chance to go for number one now. I'm hoping the connections have been really strong.”

Lachie McGowan - Joins from spells at Cardiff Met University, where he represented the side in both the BUCS Super rugby league and Welsh Premiership. Plays flank and can cover the second row.
Tom Hughes - Will play in the back row and joins from Cardiff Met
Harry Rice - Joins as a halfback and also a recruit from Cardiff Met
Marcus Ramage - The former Nottingham and Cardiff Uni player also has Premiership Cup appearances for Leicester Tigers. He is Hong Kong qualified and previously was at the club in 2018.
Jack Breen - The Cork-born player has been playing in Australia most recently, and Ngatai said “He's got a real good toughness about him.”
Patrick Parker - Hails from Taranaki
Trinity McQueen - Played at Northland in the NPC and is a loosehead prop. He has played with the Western Sharks and Thames Valley in Heartland Rugby.
Kai Tiltman - The Hong Kong-qualified player was previously with the Junior Crusaders in New Zealand and plays as a number 8.
Oliver Kirk - Oliver Kirk received the Nelson College Scholarship, and was called a standout player for the Chicago Lions high school team. He spent time at Nelson College in New Zealand.
George Brosch - Plays in the centres

Season’s Goals

Ngatai said, “I'm not really worried about the other teams because I need to learn about my own team first. The initial impressions of the club matched everything I went through in the interview process of being true.

We've got the widest pitch in Hong Kong for our home grounds. And we play quite an attractive brand of rugby. We really spin it, and our counter-attack's really good. But we can also grind moments of the game out.

But yeah, you want to win it. We're not here to muck around. We want to win the championship and be the first team to win that for HK Scottish in their 14-year history.”

What else should you know?

Ngatai said, “I am huge on connections on and off the field. If we learn about each other and learn what makes each other tick, then that should help us with our connection points.

He added about the way the season is set up with international breaks and players ringfenced, “Some of the teams have got heaps of players that are basically just like getting their bodies ready for war. They're going to come back with totally different players, so rugby after January is going to be unreal. Like it's going to be top quality.”

Website and Socials

Kroll USRC Tigers RFC

Nigel Hotham joined Kroll USRC Tigers RFC last season on the back of an incredible career in New Zealand, where he led the rugby programme at one of their most prestigious rugby schools, Hamilton Boys' High School, for more than two decades. They won multiple national titles and have produced many NPC, Super Rugby, NZ Sevens, Māori All Blacks and current All Blacks players. His daughter is a gold-winning Olympian in Rugby Sevens and one of his sons was capped by the All Blacks this past year.

His first season in Hong Kong saw him oversee a side that mustered just a solitary win throughout the season and finished bottom of the league - but one of the reasons he made the move was to have a new challenge in a new environment.

“It was just the right opportunity at the right time. I'd been at Hamilton Boys, and I only really taught in two schools, Kelston Boys in Auckland for 10 years and then Hamilton Boys for 20 years, and it was a pretty busy lifestyle, and this just felt like the opportunity for a change.

I found out a bit about Tigers, and I knew that they were kind of a team that were looking to improve. They have struggled over a number of years, and it just seemed like a very good challenge, and the opposite of what I was doing at the time.”

He said of the results and the season ahead, “I enjoy the challenge of the Tigers. Did I get used to not being on the right side of the scoreboard? Probably not. I spent some lonely nights walking back, going home to my apartment and thinking about what I had done and trying to reflect on how I could do that differently and make some changes. And we still face those same challenges this season.”

When I'm with the team, I still have the same feeling that I have when I coach any team. A group of guys who want to do well and want to work hard, enjoy being together and enjoy learning. So certainly all the reasons that I've stayed in coaching for so long are still definitely there at the Tigers and in Hong Kong.”

Home Ground: King’s Park Sports Ground

Head Coach: Nigel Hotham

Captain: Jamie Williams, who qualifies for Hong Kong next year, with Swansea previously and played at Swansea University.

Players to Watch / New players signed:

Current stars in the side include, among others, HKCR-capped players Jack Combes, Cado Ka To Lee, Liam Herbert, Shiven Dukhande, and Kyle Sullivan, as well as the emerging Joe Knight. Nigel points out that in actuality, they have probably the second most ring-fenced players for 7s and 15s when it comes to the national representative sides, compared to the other Men’s Prem teams.

They have signed new additions to the team from the UK, NZ and South Africa, and Nigel said, “It's almost like a chicken and egg scenario that you have to fill your spots, but lots of guys will just come and go. If you can find those players that do come for a lifestyle change in Hong Kong and stay here and work, then that's a real blessing for your club.”

Henry Mortimer - Rejoins from the UK as a halfback, and Nigel said, “He is a really good addition to the crew and a leader.” He played in the National League 1 for Esher RFC.
Hakaraia Richards-Coxhead - Ex-Hamilton captain and first XV, brings leadership to the club
Mone Ma’afu - Centre from Sunnybank
Darius Mafileo - Huge tighthead from Palmerston North who has played Shute Shield.

Season’s Goals

“The first years are really interesting in Hong Kong, because there are so many things you don't know. The word I use all the time is it's just unique and a unique rugby environment. I don't think there's anywhere else in the world that has a similar rugby environment to Hong Kong. And both in a positive way and in a challenging way,” said Nigel.

He wants the side not to focus on the scoreboard and results, but to focus on improving and getting better. The Head Coach feels he has seen some encouraging signs in pre-season.

“I like that feeling of being already ahead of where we were. In the second year, I would have been disappointed if I didn't bring that. "

What else should you know?

Of the rugby scene in Hong Kong, Nigel explained, “I really love the camaraderie between the players. Everyone seems to know each other, and grew up with each other. So it's a classic rugby scenario where you play the game and it's tough and it's brutal at times, but afterwards there's still a very close feeling.”

南豐集團 | AIRSIDE 本地超級欖球聯賽：認識男子隊伍

發佈於 [日期]

What to Know This Season:

HKU Sandy Bay RFC

Website and Socials

Kowloon Rugby Club

Website and Socials

HKFC Natixis Club

Website and Socials

Societe Generale Valley RFC

Website and Socials

Milwaukee Hong Kong Scottish

Website and Socials

Kroll USRC Tigers RFC

Website and Socials

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