Emirati touch to an expat sport

Dubai: Two Emirati players have made the 22-man squad that will represent the UAE team in the opening round of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations rugby tournament, as the process of having a UAE passport-holding squad in the foreseeable future began. The UAE squad will square up against 42nd IRB ranked Sri Lanka at Colombo's Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club on Saturday in what will be the new UAE Rugby association's first competitive match since the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU) was disbanded at the end of last year.

Ali Mohammad and Mohannad Saker are part of the squad that boasts five past A5N players and, understandably, they are overjoyed at the opportunity.

"I am very proud to have been selected to represent UAE Rugby in Colombo on Saturday. This is the first match in the Asian 5 Nations where a full UAE-residents team will be playing; we know how important our performance in this game is and are very aware of the responsibilities Ali (Mohammad) and I take with us as Emiratis. It will definitely be a very proud moment when we run onto the field," Saker said

Mohammad added: "By being selected, Mohannad [Saker] and I take on the role of being ambassadors for our country, our fellow Emiratis and for UAE Rugby. We are role models to our youth and are very excited to show through the Asian 5 Nations that rugby is a sport that Emiratis can enjoy and excel at, regardless of age and current skill."

UAE Rugby CEO Ian Bremner revealed the masterplan that could see the UAE fielding an all-Emirati team at the 2020 Olympics.

Realistic goal

"It's not realistically possible to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics given the Emirati passport-holders only criteria. There are only about 30 Emirati players playing the game in the UAE and the transition from expats will take time," he said.

And for that, Bremner believes, it's time to fall back on the basics, since as he says UAE rugby is at ‘Ground Zero'. "We have already earmarked certain Emirati private schools to get the process started once the sessions open in September. The idea is to have students play the game and enjoy it for starters. We will be talking to schools who can host academies. The schools will then have to be linked to clubs. There will be rugby development officers who will be visiting the schools. So far we have jotted down 18 Dubai schools and we will expand to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain," he said.

Seems like a tough ask, but Bremner is optimistic. "Ours is a four-year strategic plan and we hope to have about 4,000 kids playing the game in three years' time. The legacy left behind by Arabian Gulf has already given us so much. We have a great facility and the game is so popular here, so there is no reason why we can't make it happen," he said.

Squad to play Sri Lanka

• Mike Cox-Hill (c) - Dubai Exiles,
• Andrew Millar - Dubai Dragons,
• Carl Von Rosenveldt - Dubai Exiles,
• Chris Jones Griffiths -
• Abu Dhabi Harlequins,
• Dan Boatwright - Dubai Hurricanes,
• Dan Heal - Dubai Dragons,
• David Clouston - Dubai Hurricanes,
• David Vittes - Dubai Exiles,
• Duncan Murray - Dubai Hurricanes,
• John Beeton - Dubai Exiles,
• Jonathan Grady - Dubai Dragons,
• Lloyd Budd - Dubai Exiles,
• Mike Cox-Hill - Dubai Exiles,
• Ali Mohammad - Dubai Wasps,
• Mohannad Saker - Dubai Wasps,
• Renier Els - Abu Dhabi Harlequins,
• Scott Kerr - Dubai Dragons,
• Sean Hurley - Dubai Dragons,
• Simon Osbourne - Dubai Hurricanes,
• Stephan Imbert - Dubai Frogs,
• Steve Smith - Dubai Hurricanes,
• Stuart Quinn - Dubai Exiles

Home schedule

The HSBC Asian 5 Nations will get rolling on Saturday April 23 through until May 21. The home games for the UAE will be held at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City stadium on April 29 with UAE up against 27th ranked Kazakhstan, and at Dubai's 7he Sevens complex on May 13 where the UAE will square up against 13th ranked and defending champions Japan