UAE rugby performance manager Roelof Kotze claims his Under-20s squad have learned that every second counts in a match after losing two of their three games on the opening day of the Asia Rugby Under-20 Sevens Series.

The UAE go into the second day of the tournament, however, still in with a chance of claiming overall victory despite defeats of 28-5 to Malaysia and 19-17 to Singapore on Saturday.

Kotze saw two of his men sin-binned in the two-point defeat to Singapore, although they ended the first day on a high with a 24-19 win against Kazakhstan.

The youngsters finished third in Pool B which has set them on course with Pool A runners-up Sri Lanka today in the quarter-finals. 

Win that, and the UAE will finish at least fourth, which Kotze had set as the minimum requirement before the tournament.

The South African admitted his side started slowly against Malaysia, a trait he said he was keen to avoid in this series, while Kenyan forward Kip Chirchir was both hero and villain in the second game against Singapore, scoring a hat-trick before being one of two players sin-binned.

“We have learned from previous tournaments but it was still a slow start against Malaysia,” said Kotze.

“We got better as the day went on and we should have beaten Singapore and would have had it not been for the two yellow cards. Those 
really cost us.

“They realise now that every second counts and if we want to win we have to execute well or we won’t succeed. We have to keep the 
momentum now and start today how we finished.”

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Fijian Tomasi Tirikula scored a debut try in the Malaysia defeat, a conversion then the difference in the Singapore defeat.

Abu Dhabi Harlequins’ UK-bound Izzy Foa’i played in the Kazakhstan game, having been called up as a late replacement for Abdulla Al Shkeili. Foa’i scored a try, as did Chirchir, Jeremaia Kilicanasau and Majid Al Balooshi in what turned out to be a five-point win.