Dubai: Roelof Kotze’s UAE side showed vast improvement in the second round of the three-stage Asian Rugby Football Union’s (ARFU) Asian Sevens Series in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday.
Although they finished 12th in the 12-team format for a second event running, the UAE still managed to get on the scoreboard in three of their four matches.
The UAE lost 48-0 to South Korea and 29-7 to Malaysia in the group phase on Saturday, before a 34-7 defeat to Kazakhstan in the bowl semi-final, and a 24-7 loss to Chinese Taipei in the 11th place play-off on Sunday.
In round one of the series in Hong Kong last month, the UAE had lost 40-0 to Malaysia and 51-0 to Japan in the group stage, before a 29-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei in the bowl semi-final, and a 40-5 loss to Kazakhstan in the 11th place play-off.
The UAE’s record of 135 points conceded to 21 points scored in Malaysia, is much better than their form in Hong Kong, where they scored five points after conceding 160 points. The third and final round of the series is in Beijing, China, from October 18-19.
The UAE were planning to use the first two stages of the Asian Sevens Series as preparation for the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, from September 19 to October 4. However, the UAE National Olympic Committee have decided not to include rugby in their list of events. Kotze’s side will now focus on Olympic pre-qualifiers in Dubai on October 31 and India on November 30, in order to qualify for next year’s final-12 decider.
But only one team from that 12 — which includes powerhouses Japan and South Korea — will qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
