A year on, the UAE seek redemption

Dubai: It was just under a year back that Asian rugby powerhouses Japan hammered relative infants the UAE 111-0 in an Asian 5 Nations match at 7he Sevens in Dubai. Fast forward to May 5 this year and the UAE will be hoping to avoid similar humiliation when they take on Asia's no.1, and IRB 14th ranked team at Fukuoka's Level 5 Stadium.

This year's Top 5 division kicked off last weekend at 7he Sevens with the opener between Asia's 3rd ranked UAE Rugby and Asia's 2nd ranked Hong Kong. Hong Kong posted a 85-10 win over the hosts.

However UAE Rugby's Performance Manager, Duncan Hall remained optimistic about the team's overall performance. "It was a tough test match, Hong Kong are very physical and have a lot of pace" said Hall. "While we put points on the board we, more importantly, were able to put into play a number of combinations (that we've been focusing on in practice) successfully."

Japan sit on top of the ARFU ladder ranked well above their Asian counterparts and competed in the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup. Although it will be a new look squad that will run on to the ground on Saturday, Hall is under no illusions of what his players will face. "Japan have put forward an almost new team and they still managed to put 87 points into Kazakhstan (Asia's 4th ranked) in their first game. They have set a clear demarcation.

"We will be using this game to step up and improve, you need to be prepared to play against teams that will challenge you and take you to another level, mentally and physically. That's one of the great thing about competing in the Top 5 division, it provides this opportunity" he added.