Photo credit: HKRU
In a nutshell: new season, new sponsor, new format.
Like last season, the 6 sides comprising the highest level of club rugby will vie for both Premiership and Grand Championship titles over a 15-week campaign.
This season promises to be a crucial year for Hong Kong rugby- buoyed by their recent Asian Games success, the men's senior squad are set to go all out in their mission to secure a place at the Japan World Cup via Repechage qualification in November.
In context of the newly-rebranded Saxo Capital Markets Men's Premiership season, the departure of many key players to France in this period means that the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) have decided that a month-long minor cup competition will ensue, with remaining players drawn from both the Premiership and Premiership A into an inter-club Hong Kong and Kowloon side.
Regular fixtures resume at the start of December, with the exception of a two-week break for the period between Christmas and the New Year as well as a one-week Chinese New Year break in February.
However, the final act of the season will see a revised Grand Championship structure in that the eligible teams will be streamlined from all 6 teams to only the top 4 this season, spreading the action over two consecutive March weekends in a semi-final/final format.