Hong Kong Rugby Premiership: Kowloon see off Scottish in scrappy opening encounter
- Low-scoring affair, which Kowloon won 11-5, is ultimately decided by a James Piercy try three minutes from time
- ‘That will take a little pressure off … but now we’ve got to be a lot better on the rugby front going forward,’ coach Joe Barker says
After Hong Kong Football Club and Sandy Bay made clear statements of intent with comfortable wins on the opening day of the Premiership season, HK Scottish and Kowloon were involved in a slightly scrappier encounter on Saturday.
The low-scoring affair, which Kowloon won 11-5, was ultimately decided by a James Piercy try three minutes from time. The fact it came after HK Scottish wing Eliesa Kaleca Rauca dropped the ball inside his own 22 when facing empty space out wide largely summed up the occasion.
Two sides who had “difficult off-seasons” came into the last game of the day with varying degrees of expectation weighing on their shoulders.
For Scottish, victory over defending champions Football Club in a preseason clash the weekend before had raised questions about how far they might go this season.
Kowloon, meanwhile, like many clubs, have experienced a loss of personnel through players retiring, leaving the city entirely, or joining other sides.
So depleted were their ranks, that coach Joe Barker was unable to name a full squad of 23 and had to play 80 minutes, a week after getting 11 stitches in a cut above his left eye in his side’s final warm-up match.
