Coyote Match Report: Sandy Bay Prems 38-5 Kowloon RFC

Urgency was the call during the week, and from the opening minute of this one, the Herbert Smith Freehills HKU Sandy Bay men’s premiership team looked like the message had got through.

Head Coach Brett Wilkinson was less than enthralled over the previous weekends 34-31 win over Tigers, which saw the Bay very nearly blow a 14-point lead in the final 10 minute to the USRC Tigers at the same venue.

The team was largely unchanged but with Wilko’s crankiness ringing in their ears and aided by a charge-down try in the first 30 seconds to vice-captain Liam Slatem, this team bristled with purpose.

At the 10-minute mark, from a line-out on the Kowloon 10-metre line, flyhalf Nik Cumming put flanker Dean Rossouw through a tiny gap in the midfield with a beautifully timed pass. Rossouw smoked the covering fullback before popping the ball inside to leading points scorer Jack Metters who went over for his first try of the season. Metters duly converted to take the score out to 14-0. Metters had a tidy day with the left boot, 100% from the tee with five conversions and a penalty, taking his tally out to 67 for the season – still some way short of his whopping 191 points tally in the previous season.

Loon tried to launch a comeback with an unconverted try at 28 minutes but Sandy Bay flyhalf Nik Cumming replied almost immediately. The move started with a Sandy Bay scrum just inside their own half, with Luke van der Smit coming away and popping to Slatem who hit outside centre, Simon Bienvenu, who steamed through the defence untouched. After several more phases it was superb interplay between Metters and free-ranging hooker, Alex Post, who finally delivered the final pass off the ground to Cumming who bagged his fourth try for the season. Metters again converted and it was 21-5 just after half an hour.

The score stayed that way until five minutes into the second half when Sandy Bay managed to convert pressure into a penalty. Metters slotted the three points and the path back for Kowloon looked like it might be beyond reach as the home team dominated.

The third Bay try come after concerted pressure within the Kowloon 22. The defence finally buckled under penalty advantage and Slatem again sniped from the ruck, shrugged off a couple of desperate tackles and banged down his second for the match, and his fourth for the season.

Currie’s men hammered away, but Loons defence held strong, until eventually, in the 75th minute, a cunning and well-timed intercept from explosive substitute George Humphreys underscored the afternoons performance.

Metters hit home his sixth goal for the day and the Bay ran home with a sizable 38-5 victory, reversing the 16-12 loss from just four matches earlier.

The win solidifies third spot on the ladder behind Valley and HKFC with a seven-point buffer ahead 4th-placed HK Scottish with just three rounds remaining.

A big match looms next weekend as the Bay march to Sports Road for the final round against HKFC, whom they trail by seven points, before the holiday break.

Full match video: https://www.facebook.com/hkusandybayrfc/videos/595049281268731/