Dubai : We catch him just as he is finishing his ice bath after a scorching workout at The Sevens.
Powerfully built with a shock of dark hair, Taif Al Delamie is the lone Arabian Gulf player with Arab blood running in his veins among the 22 who went down fighting in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations against Kazakhstan.
The 24-year-old, who has an Omani father and Irish mother, considers himself an integral part of the team despite turning out for Lansdowne FC, one of the oldest clubs in Ireland. Al Delamie told XPRESS: "I spend half the year in Ireland and half in Muscat.
"I joined the Arabian Gulf team in Dubai two weeks back from Ireland. I qualify to play because of my Arab roots. I really feel at home here given the bonding we share."
Cup ambition
Al Delamie, a centre, admits the Arabian Gulf now have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2011. It is their last chance before the team, comprising players resident in the Gulf, make way for individual Gulf nations. "I really hope we can qualify for the World Cup. The guys in the team who have been there say it's a whole new ball game, but then they also say that this is the best bunch they have played with," said the man who captained the Arabian Gulf during promotion last year. "Japan are maybe a bridge too far for us," he added of their opponents. "We did manage to run Kazakhstan close and we stand a chance against Hong Kong and Korea," he said.
Al Delamie is also worried about the Arabian Gulf being disbanded. "I really don't know who I will be playing for once that happens.
"Will I be playing for Oman or the UAE? I am worried about the standard of the game. I just hope whatever the International Rugby Board is doing is for the best," he said.
Did you know?
Al Delamie is a Sports Science and Health graduate from Dublin. He works as a strength and conditioning specialist with Sports Med Ireland - a rehab and performance clinic. after injuring his anterior cruciate ligament last year, He used his physiotherapy skills to recover instead of having surgery
