The Dubai Rugby Festival came to a fitting end as the U13s Dubai Hurricanes grabbed a tight 12-10 win over the Dubai Exiles in the weekend’s final game.
Thousands of rugby lovers flooded into the Sevens complex over the course of the weekend that saw a feast of action.
The spirit of rugby was what the travelling hoards will take away from the tournament while many of the players will have made memories they will never forget.
As the weekend wound down, people made their way to Pitch 3 where the Canes and Exiles squared off in the U13s final. It was perhaps fitting that the two sides met with both clubs arguably the most impressive over the course of the weekend – with the two winning eight trophies between them, more than any other club.
Patrick Dowling and Chris Assimacopoulos scored the tries for the victorious Hurricanes in the 12-10 win with Keanu Boucher’s conversion ending up being decisive.
“It was a very tight game considering we beat the Exiles 36-0 in the group stage,” said Canes coach Greg Boucher. “We made some changes and we were on the ball.
“The teams down in the 13s are so close, the tournament could have been anyone’s, it was really tight. This year the players have gone up a few notches.”
The Dubai Exiles arguably have the strongest youth programme in rugby in the UAE. But perhaps their strongest youth squad is their U12s. With the all-conquering U18s team – that went 10 years unbeaten – soon entering the senior realm, the U12s can now stake a claim.
The youngsters not only won their tournament yesterday, they did so without conceding a try. Their final against Bahrain was never in doubt despite the extremely competitive nature of the game and the physical game employed by the Bahrainis.
Winning 30-0, the Exiles once again made short work of a tough opponent. Tries from Ben Hatcher, Keenan Prinsloo, Stephen McConnachie, Seb Snoas, George Boon and Joel Harrison did the damage while Boon took the Man of the Matchaward that could have gone to anyone of the team.
Taking a rampant 20-0 half time lead, the Exiles held off a strong Bahrain team, staying perpetually camped in their opponent’s half while making full use of the wings with superb offloads.
“We went six matches and didn’t concede,” said coach Mark Harrison. “What I really like about the U12s is they really play as a team and they really represent the spirit of playing rugby. They play for each other, they play fair and they work very hard. There’s no individuals, they’re a team and they’ll do great things.
“Our boys were good and they’re a great bunch of kids who have been together for five or so seasons.”
The Exiles are, of course, the oldest club in the UAE but they are starting to find competition from some of the new ones. The Al Ain Amblers impressed at various age groups and finished the weekend with a pair of Plate gongs and came so close to winning a trophy when they played the Abu Dhabi Harlequins at U16 level.
Boasting a host of local Emirati players, the less experienced Amblers pushed the Quins hard but came out 10-0 losers.
The Quins got their winning play with virtually the last touch of the ball in the first half and early on in the second.
Michael Salusala (No8) ran the ball in for a 5-0 lead before openside flanker Robbie Law made sure the trophy went back to Abu Dhabi.
“I thought we put a really good fight,” said Amblers coach Craig Dixon. “What I said to the boys is that we only have about 13 of our regular players – so we had some U14s with us. We didn’t expect to get this far but through sheer team spirit, determination and skill we managed to get to the final which is a major achievement for us.”