Dubai: The Arabian Gulf and Chinese Taipei XVs are primed to contest the Rugby World Cup 2011 Asian Qualifier in Dubai today while Sri Lanka and Thailand, the losers of the opening matches of the HSBC Asian Five Nations Division I tournament, will meet in an evenly matched third place playoff in the curtain-raiser.
Chinese Taipei overcame a committed Sri Lankan squad 36-24 in the first semi final while the hosts Arabian Gulf beat Thailand comfortably 36-17 to win the second semi-final on the opening match day of the HSBC Asian Five Nations Division I.
One notable change will be enforced for the Arabian Gulf XV as captain David Clark makes way for new captain Taif Al Delamie who takes the leadership reins in just his second cap.
The inspirational Clark, a veteran of 27 tests for the Arabian Gulf, fractured a rib in the waning minutes of the opener versus Thailand, sidelining him for today's pivotal Rugby World Cup Qualifier.
The winner of today's match (5.30pm kick-off) will be promoted to the elite HSBC Asian Five Nations Top 5 competition for 2010. The Top 5 winner in 2010 will be Asia's direct entrant to Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
Al Delamie becomes the first Arabian Gulf National to captain the local XV in a testament to the continued localisation of rugby in the region. A 22-year-old centre with a winger's pace, Al Delamie was brought into the Arabian Gulf frame during the recent Rugby World Cup Sevens held at the same grounds as the Division I here in Dubai.
The Muscat-born Al Delamie only earned his first XVs cap in Wednesday's opener and is a harbinger of the potential of the Arabian Gulf. The team, under new coach Bruce Birtwhistle from Auckland, New Zealand, featured 15 new caps in its 27-man training squad entering the HSBC Asian Five Nations 2009 and ran out 8 of those for the first time on Wednesday against Thailand.
Al Delamie said: "It is a real honour for me to captain such a great group of players and it is a massive opportunity for Arabian Gulf rugby with promotion to the Top 5 and a chance for the Rugby World Cup 2011 at stake."
"It would have been nice to happen under a different set of circumstances with Dave going down, but rugby is a physical game and you have to take your opportunities when they come," added Al Delamie.
Chinese Taipei will return the same 22 as on Wednesday with some positional changes in the starting order, particularly in the forwards, as coach Jason Lin places a premium on extra fitness ahead of the titanic clash with the Arabian Gulf.
"We have good self-confidence ahead of the match with the Arabian Gulf we just need to make sure that we play to our patterns, particularly on defence, and keep our levels of concentration strong," said Lin.
Thailand meanwhile are relishing the opportunity to be the first HSBC Asian Five Nations team to be promoted (as winners of the Division II in Bangkok last year) and remain in the upper tier as they meet Sri Lanka on Saturday at 3.00pm.
