Goa, India: The UAE's national rugby team finished third at the Goa Sevens yesterday (Sunday), finishing behind winners Hong Kong and runners-up China. Meanwhile, the UAE Shaheen side, made up entirely of Emirati talent, finished eighth in their first ever taste of global exposure.
Beating Singapore 14-7, Iran 42-5 and losing to Hong Kong 22-7 in the pool stages, the UAE first team made up of expatriates then beat India 29-12 in the quarters before losing to China 38-0 in the semis.
In the third-place play-off, the UAE realised their hopes with a 19-12 victory over Kazakhstan. This makes up for their earlier disappointment in the three-leg Asian Rugby Sevens Series, where they finished ninth in Shanghai and seventh in Borneo.
In the other pool, UAE Shaheen battled hard despite losses to China 50-0, Kazakhstan 46-0 and India 38-12. They lost their quarter-final 47-0 to Hong Kong and their semi with Iran 33-5. Qualifying for the bowl competition, UAE Shaheen lost to India 31-0, ending up eighth from eight.
The outright final of this event was won by Hong Kong, who beat China 43-0. The UAE RA will now merge top talent from both squads to build the best team for their first participation as a nation in the forthcoming Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens between December 1 and 3.
