The UAE national rugby sevens team surprised many pundits of the game on their international debut by claiming the scalp of Chinese Taipei and going down in the Shield final to hosts of the Sri Lanka Sevens tournament.
Arabian Gulf Sevens coach Shane Thornton was himself surprised by the tremendous achievement of side which was assembled just two weeks before the event.
“To beat Chinese Taipei was brilliant. It brought the smiles on their faces. We didn’t expect to beat any team there but we did take a scalp,” said the New Zealand after UAE scored a historic 33-14 victory to enter the Shield final.
The UAE side which comprised a mix of expatriates and Emiratis performed beyond expectations and were unfortunate to beat Asian giants Japan in the pool stages.
“They scored on the hooter and won 28-24. That would have been a great scalp had we beaten Japan,” said Thornton.
UAE managed to contain Samoa in the first match 35-5 and Kazakhstan 21-7 in their final pool match.
“They did really well to hold Samoa which was probably was one of the better scores on the day,” said Thornton.
“They were improving all the time. We were unlucky in the Shield final (losing 31-19 to Sri Lanka). Significantly we were scoring tries and points were being scored. Everyone gave their 100 percent,” he said.
Asked how the Emiratis in the team fared, Thornton made special mention of the three Shaker brothers. “They fitted really well. Most of them played as forwards. Everyone put their best foot forward,” said Thornton who expressed the hope that more Emiratis would come through in the near future.
“All of us learnt a lot playing in the tournament. The standard of teams is different but we played with lot of spirit and managed to score a first win for UAE,” Mohammad Shaker told ‘Emirates 24|7’.
“We have to try and work with their ability and always encourage them. The more they play, the more experience they get. They need time on the field and playing against good sides,” said Thornton who is a part-time coach with the UAE Rugby Association (UAERA).
Thornton felt the player-base had to grow so that they could pick talented Emiratis. “It’s not going to happen overnight. It will take probably five or six years to see the difference of good coaches coming here and helping them through their paces,” he said.
Arabian Gulf veteran Sean Hurley felt they should take a cue from Japan who have taken in expatriates in the national team because they are good players.
“The Emiratis will be able to learn from them because some of them have not played rugby their whole life. A lot of the expats based here have. It is this knowledge and skills that can help them,” said Hurley who will be making his 11th appearance for the Arabian Gulf at the upcoming Dubai Sevens tournament.
Hurley called for a gradual phasing out of expatriates before UAE form a full-fledged team of nationals.
“You can have a purely Emirati team but I’m not sure it will benefit them. In five years’ time, UAE will eventually have a team that will be strong enough to compete on the world stage,” he said.
The Arabian Gulf players Khaled Helal, Duncan Murray (captain) and Hayden Palmer were members of the UAE team at the Sri Lanka Sevens tournament which was won by Fiji Barbarians team.
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