Match Report: USRC Tigers 17-5 HKFC Ice

It was a thrilling match over at King’s Park between premiership veterans, and last season’s third place finishers, USRC Tigers and confident newcomers Hong Kong Football Club Ice. Slippery wet conditions resulted in a few missed tackles leading to an early try putting the Tigers ahead 5-0. However it did not foreshadow the rest of the match. Ice immediately regrouped and worked their way up the pitch with some well-placed kicks and strong ball-in-hand running, they found themselves within their opposition’s 5m line. Accurate handling and control while using the width of the pitch stretched the Tigers’ defence and they could not catch speedster Sarah McMillan, who touched down near the side-line. The adverse weather led to both sides turning over the ball repeatedly; mostly in rucks, with neither side retaining the ball long enough to score. The whistle blew for half time: a 5-5 deadlock.

The second half saw an intense and hard-fought battle between two strong-willed sides, each clawing at every opportunity for the ball. Ice dominated the scrums and hard running while Tigers showed their experience through tactical play. Some big hits from both sides and too many players trying to do too much in less than ideal weather resulted in knock on after knock on and it was definitely a clash of the forwards at set piece and contact areas throughout play. The Tigers managed a break through the middle, some neat passing and timely offloads put the Ice defensive line under pressure, which finally yielded as USRC touched down just outside of the posts. With 15 minutes to go and the conversion missed, it was 10-5 to Tigers.

The last 15 minutes of the match proved to be the most exciting with Ice’s team rallying together to fight for every inch and worked their way towards the Tiger’s try line several times. However some questionable turnovers allowed the Tigers to claw their way back upfield forcing Ice to start again. Support for Ice was at an all time high, recognising what a game they were watching to show premiership teams they were not to be underestimated. Another fantastic solo break by Sarah McMillan through the middle of the Tigers’ defence almost saw a retaliatory try to tie the teams, however she was just caught by the back of the shorts and dragged down just short of the line. With 5 minutes to go, the Tigers scored under the posts with some fluid play first going blindside, then down the middle, to seal the match. However, Ice did not give up and came close to scoring again, but were punished for penalties in the breakdown. 17-5 and it’s full time at King’s Park with the Tigers earning a hard-fought win over Ice hopefully highlighting some future upsets for the Premiership’s usual suspects.