Dubai: If players of the Arabian Gulf women's sevens squad were ever guilty of a lacklustre approach to the “national team'' in the past, that is something you are not likely to see too often with Bruce King in charge.
The man recently appointed as head coach of the squad, is a firm believer in discipline and hard work. And in the space of three months, it is clear from watching the ladies prepare for this weekend's Asian Women's Rugby Sevens tournament which kicks off in Thailand, they are already familiar with his no-nonsense approach.
Talent pool
Aside from his methods, King also has no doubts about the pedigree of his team. He says proudly: “I genuinely believe we've got some of the world's best women's rugby players over here. What we're trying to do is give them a fair crack of the whip and get their fitness to a level that matches their abilities and their skills and to marry that with a team environment where we can all work together.''
The squad is on a redemption path after missing out on last November's Dubai Sevens and then failing to qualify for the inaugural IRB Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament which was held in Dubai in March. King's first big assignment was the annual Hong Kong Sevens in which a new-look side impressed, especially in a 36-0 defeat to World Champions Australia, before finishing the competition in sixth place.
It proved to be a turning point in the mentality of several players, believes King. “The girls' attitude has completely changed,'' he says, adding: “They have come round to realising that it is international rugby, and to play international rugby you've got to take that step up not just in training but your thought processes and the way you approach the whole issue.''
Future goals
King has already mapped out a packed schedule for his players over the next year, including seven [international] tournaments. “The Dubai Sevens is my main focus,'' he says. “These Asian Championships came round quite quickly.
“With the IRB laws on eligibility, we had to come up with a plan to get eligible players in, which has been great because we actually uncovered some players whom I didn't know about. “I'd love to think we are going to make the semis.
“If we do, I'll be over the moon. But I'm not putting pressure on the girls on performance, that will come in our nice three- to four-month run into the Dubai Sevens,'' says the 39-year-old UK national.
World Cup made a huge difference
Dubai : The negative perception of women's rugby is a problem that extends beyond the shores of the Gulf, says Bruce King, head coach of the Arabian Gulf women's team.
“I wouldn't say it's just a regional problem. I would say it's an issue all over the world,'' says King, adding: “I spoke to the Canadian coach at length whom I very much respect and her problems are the same.
A lot of people don't think that women's rugby is marketable. That's the terminology that she expressed to me which I think is so wrong.''
Skipper Jenny Thompson believes the inaugural Rugby Women's World Cup Sevens went a long way in making fans sit up and take notice of the women's game. “The best thing they did was have a women's World Cup,'' says the Dubai Hurricanes player.
“You can't just wake up tomorrow and expect women's rugby to be the best thing in the world when the coverage is not there. Until the World Cup came about, I don't believe people actually understood that the standard of women's play had gone from scratch to as high as it was.''
And Thompson agrees with her coach's views on the necessity of international competition if the women's game stands any chance of growing in the region. “For us to have seven international tournaments is really a must. It's something that needs to happen. If it doesn't happen, women's rugby in the region is never ever going to get any better,'' she warns.
