Including : Playing Womens Rugby in the UK
School v Club Youth Rugby An Argument for TOUCH
Contents UAE Rugby Leagues Dubai Sport City Eagles Season Highlights Get Into Rugby Asia Rugby RWC legacy Women’s Rugby in the UK School Rugby Touch Entering the professional Era Problem with player dispensation
There is plenty of Rugby in the UAE, but Sideline Rugby looks further than that. Asia Rugby’s western frontiers include countries such as Iraq and Jordan, where football has long been the mainstay back garden sport. This is a development region, with many twists and turns and challenges to administration and governance and to just simply playing the game. The UAE itself has a 40 year old thriving rugby game, but it is almost within a bubble surrounded by new countries making their first foray into a brand new sport. Asia however is the next stop for both the Rugby Word Cup and the Olympics which now includes the Ruby 7s after such as spectacular introduction in Brazil. Asia has more of a youth population that the rest of the world combined and Asia rugby has targeted them to introduce them to the rugby family. Rugby has a massive future in Asia, and with that. There is a lot to talk about.
The commitment is a defining consideration as much as ability and calls for promotion and relegation between leagues surely is outdated.
Men’s senior rugby for the 2017-2018 season, took a big hit with the political situation in Qatar resulting in the Doha team being unable to continue to play Premiership in the West Asia competitions. Abu Dhabi Harlequins lead the way A consequence of that being a reduc- this season after dominating in 2016tion in the Premiership League to only 2017 winning all but one final and the Dubai 7s crown. There are cracks in five teams and the amount of games for the season was a serious issue for the armour. The Dubai Exiles took the Dubai 7s title last December and Jebel clubs and coaches alike. Ali Dragons recently beat them at The creation of the Dubai Sport City home. Eagles and the introduction of a premiership cup tournament still means a very limited game time for top-level teams and this will continue to be a Gulf League issue for some time.
Dhabi Harlequins this season and the league is certainly not over yet. Dubai Exiles made giant strides when they beat a fancied Dragons side on the 2nd February and now seem to hold control of the league.
Saracens had a terrible start to the year off the pitch, but have regrouped, changed their committee, regained the use of the Al Ghazal pitch and have begun to reignite the passion and spirit that a club needs to succeed. Their recent single victory against the Dubai Sports Eagles, (who themselves gained their first UAE Premiership win against Saracens) was It is with some irony that the top as much the club leagues demise in numbers has seen supporters willthe bottom level league grow in team ing them over entries, and competitiveness, which in the line as playsome cases reflects the true nature of ers desire to get social player and perhaps more the back the passion of the team. We level of commitment rather than ability. Bahrain recruited heavily in the preneed Eagles and Saracens in the Premiership and hope both teams are Difference between Premiership, con- season but have not picked up away not discouraged by the apparent curgame points as they would have ference and Community is not so rent gap with the bigger teams. much the ability of players, but Prem- hoped for. Bahrain traveling more than iership teams travel, conference teams most and although have a 3 home play every week and community teams games to end the season may be one game lost to many to make up the gap. every other week. Dubai Exiles and Jebel Ali Dragons may be the closest challengers to Abu Community
The league with the most going on must be the community league. Saracens 2s opted to join this league this season rather than continue carrying the spoon and joining after the season started was Hurricanes 3s and Eagles 2s to make a 13-team league.
flexibility this season to make things what. work. With Shaheen and Sharks 3 now One barrier to that may be the pulling out of the league the chance of a full league of fixtures being complete regulation requiring all matches to start with trained front rows, is much higher and with four teams (or in other words, you cannot this season competing for the finals, start a game with uncontested the community league has taken on scrums). 8.2 All teams must be edge for the first time.
There are still many issues. The lower Such is the unknown player number teams and Sharks and Shaheen themquandary in the UAE, it is difficult for selves struggle with player numbers clubs to pre-commit team entries to the and commitments and one league league format and the community principle was always that of the game league teams have shown excellent must try and take place no matter
able to start a Match and contest the first scrum using Trained Front Row Players. 8.3 Team squads must contain at least the minimum number of Trained Front. UAE competitions struggle with front
this season competing for the finals, the community league has taken on edge for the first time. There are still many issues. The lower teams and Sharks and Shaheen themselves struggle with player numbers and commitments and one league principle was always that of the game must try and take place no matter what.
One barrier to that may be the regulation requiring all matches to start with trained front rows, (or in other words, you cannot start a game with uncontested scrums). 8.2 All teams must be able to start a Match and contest the first scrum using Trained Front Row Players. 8.3 Team squads must contain at least the minimum number of Trained Front.
The rule is quite flexible for movement between 1st and 2nd team, but seems to fade into uncertainty between conference and community, not to mention it needs some careful monitoring
9.1 For any player who, during the season has started four (4) or more matches for a Club 1st team (other than as a substitute) will be classed as a 1st team (Premiership) player. 9.2 For any 1st team player, to qualify to play a 2nds team final, they must have started five (5) or more matches for the Club 2nds team 9.3 A team which has been represented by a Player or replacement who is ineligible or selected in breach of Regulation [9.2] shall be
UAE competitions struggle with front rows and 14 (29) players can miss a game if there is one front row missing. However loosening this rule will allow teams to start matches with 3 wingers playing front row, so unless other agreements around rule are in place it will never start. ANY form of forfeit for reduced player numbers usually mean the forfeit team has no stake in turning up at all.
In case anyone has forgotten 8.1 A team may nominate up to the maximum amount of replacements as set forth in the relevant Specific Competition Rules for each Match. Senior matches are 22 player squads. Another interesting topic of conversation within the leagues is the movement of players between divisions. Naturally, there must be some element of movement to allow injury recovery for players or (rehabilitation) and for 2nd team players to be able to challenge for 1st team places.
treated as having Forfeited that Match.
Conference
The conference league this season has seen the Dubai Tigers finally break their mid-season split and they will now be competing for the conference Cup after filling their trophy cabinet with finals plates. Conversely, Jebel Ali Dragons and Al Ain Amblers, both previous Cup winners, are in the bottom 5. For Al Ain, this is a further slide down the ladder from a team full Island players who have moved on to Premiership teams. Al Ain who were in the Premiership for a while have suffered since that subsequent withdrawl from the league and are a systemic example if issues that can be encountered with club rugby in the Gulf.
This season the bottom 4 play home and way again, to end with a top 2 finals places, where the Top 5 play one more round and have a semifinal, prior to the final on April 13th. Sharjah, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Hurricanes and Dubai Exiles join the Tigers with the league more interesting with the table keeping the points from the first half of the season. Harlequins were the table leaders, but a first game forfeit and a loss to Sharjah see them slip to 3rd and Dubai Tigers having started the 2nd part of the league strongly move into 2nd. This conference is quite open in terms of competition, especially as Harlequins forfeit their first game after the league split. The next round of matches might make a clearer picture for the conference league, but the Top 5 has certainly become a true competition between the clubs.
Dubai Sport City Eagles The Dubai Sports City Eagles entry to the UAE Rugby family was not exactly the most welcome one. Social media was inundated with complaints and many a penny’s worth of comments. The two sides of the argument were that, incumbent teams such as Dubai Sharks and Arabian Knights did not deserve to be made homeless and the other side that UAE Rugby needed a new direction and at the time a new Premiership club in a league division system that is bottom heavy with teams to say the least.
match. Giving a great many ex conference players a chance to test themselves up a division. On the face of it a success, but the purpose behind the creation we hope has to be something more than just another team conveniently located in Dubai.
The Sport City of the future should be in place to act as a training ground to young Emirati players who we now hope to see coming through the MOE National Curriculum and to not only embrace the era of semi professionalism but to lead it. Only with clubs like these can West Asia look to spread out
What UAE Rugby needs is a rugby club that can be self-sufficient and cre- and assist the UAE to move really move forward into Asia. ate income to move into the semipro-
Whatever the arguments surrounding the Dubai Sport City Eagles amalgamation at the beginning of the year, one thing is certain in the UAE. There are not a lot of pitch options to play fixtures on. The Sevens Stadium was created as a venue for clubs to play their games, but it can be a burden to weekday training. Dubai Sport City Eagles then have worked hard to make a success in their first year and already have fledgling M&Y (boys and girls) program. In the seniors, the Sharks Women’s team decided to remain at Sport City and have since gone on to dominate the women’s league this season, including the Dubai 7s title and the men won their first premiership
fessional era. Gulf Rugby clubs such as Bahrain and Doha have been able to afford to exist due to a proper club house and revenue generating system and with Sport City, teams will hopefully leak less post match revenue to outside venues.
photo courtesy Bahrain Rugby)
Season Highlights (so far) Asia Women’s U17 Olympic Pre-Qualification Tournament at Dubai Sports City at the end of November. Memories of the girls from Kazakhstan, whose do not mess with us attitude was replicated with some serious and often card worthy hits on the pitch. The Indian team who were guest coached by Mike Friday for the weekend and whose presence propelled them to a 4th place finish. The Thailand girls who arrived about 8 hours before the first game, left four players behind and showed what potential they had and the eventual winners Japan, whose typical humility, professionalism, and skill showed them worthy winners in many ways. Jebel Ali Dragons v Fiji. Fiji in keeping with the legend of the team had a complicated Dubai 7s preparation and eventually managed to get some training time at Dubai Sports City, under the arrangement that some ‘practice’ time could be arranged with a couple of local teams. Sport City Eagles, as it was their home ground and Jebel Ali Dragons with their Fiji contingent. Pre-game and discussion centered on the match format and someone mentioned scrag. Many a rugby player will know that this has many forms, and mostly it depends on how willing the player is to set up a next phase when scragged. In the end it turned out, none of them and three 20-minute periods later, it was a surprise that any of them still stood. (Dragons that is) because each hit was greeted with a wider and wider grin from a Fiji player. To be fair Dragons got stuck in and it all ended in photographs and laughter. Could not really see England doing this could you.
Get Into Rugby The legacy of Japan winning the right to both the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the Olympics in 2020, is the massive opportunity and commitment to legacy of being the first Asia Country to host such an important International Rugby event. Just as France 2023 was touting the world for votes for their RWC bid, a lot of discussion was centered around what can France give back to the voters for winning the bid. Many countries in Asia Rugby have looked to Japan for leadership and assistance in their Rugby development programs. They are after all as team and rugby nation the only Asia Nation at the top table, mixing it with South Africa and even France. Japan have various projects around Asia, including coaching and technical support, which has Japanese coaches assisting in various countries, one good example being the recent Thailand U17 girls team at the Olympic pre qualification event in November in Dubai. Asia also have a beyond 2019 campaign moving forward, designed to introduce and ’keep’ as many players involved in rugby way after the RWC has gone and one tool for this campaign is the very well organized Get Into Rugby Program. Get into Rugby
The UAE use the get into Rugby program which is very successfully supported by Land Rover and HSBC, to and operate many rugby days to get new kids to play the sport. The idea in Asia is to see 1million new players touch a rugby ball before 2019.
INTERVIEW WITH HOLLY MYERS PLAYING RUGBY IN THE UK. There has been increased interest in the women’s game in the Gulf, particularly with Touch aiding the interest in the game in schools. U12 and U15 numbers have been particularly growing. There are also some very keen girls at U10 contact and U18 contact rugby. At senior level the Gulf have seen players with further aspirations and have made their mark on the senior game after their expat rugby experience. From Abu Dhabi Harlequins we see Fiona Reidy starting for Ireland Women’s against France in the women’s 6 nations and long term expat Holly Myers, who played junior age rugby in Dubai, is now a regular starter with women’s premiership side Harlequins, alongside many England players We asked Holly some questions about her experiences and asked some advice on how to get into the game at senior level in the UK. What has been the major difference in the women’s game in terms of structure in the last 5 years in the UK. In the last 5 seasons I've played for two premiership clubs - Richmond (who I won one Premiership title and one National Cup title with in 2015-16); and with Aylesford Bulls last season (officially changed to Harlequins this season) won the Premiership and the National Cup in
the 2016-17 season.
I've definitely seen the biggest change this season in playing 'officially' as Harlequins. The league now has it's own sponsor - Tyrells; renamed to Tyrells Premier 15s, and yes, we get free crisps. The league has gone from eight to ten teams, where clubs had to bid for a spot in the league by meeting certain criteria. The RFU put money into clubs so coaching and medical staff could go full time. Games are being shown on Sky and the England Rugby Facebook page. As well as the Premier 15s, we have a cup competition and an A League - same structure as premiership mens team structure in England. And how much of a difference has it made to the thinking, training and playing of the teams particularly of those in the Premiership this season. At Harlequins we are lucky that the club have invested a lot into the women's programme, I know this isn't the case across all premiership clubs. Before the new look Premier 15s league, everyone still trained and did everything we could to be at the top of our game. That is just a mentality that's bred into premiership players over recent years. What has made the biggest difference is the support
network around us, to enable us to do what we were already doing more effectively. Our Head Coach is full time, we have a scrum / line out coach, separate back and forwards coaches, two S&C coaches, a full time physio, and two sports therapist on training nights. Our team ethos has been built around specifically what the Quins shirt means to us on and off the field. However, at the end of the day we all work full time and spend about 15 hours a week with the squad on top of that. There is a lot asked of us for amateur athletes, but we do it because we love the sport, our team and we want to win the league. Can you explain a possible pathway for a player interested in becoming a Premiership player in the future, who (for example, heads back to the UK for A levels). Currently, the premiership clubs are an open door! The Head Coaches will scout for international players over pre-season to fit our international quota. Depending on what University you go to can help as well. Gloucester-Hartpury are linked with Hartpury College; Harlequins with Oxford University and University of Surrey; Loughborough Lightning with Loughborough University;
and Darlington Mowden Park with Northumbria University. Other than that it would be case of contacting the premiership clubs and asking to go for a trail. What is your advice on the best skills to work on to succeed in the modern day women’s game. Off the pitch routine definitely! The games are so physical so having a regimented recovery regime is key to preventing injury along with being rigid with your weights programme. Rugby specific execution of passing off both left and right hands, the games are so clinical and fast paced, so everything from offloads, push and spin passes need to be on point in both forwards and backs. Last one, definitely your one on one tackling and the tackle effectiveness. We've had selection decision made on players tackle stats and even down to the percentage of their positive to negative tackles. Do the simple things right. Do the Premiership matches still run during the six nations and do you see the top clubs suffering with losing players to International duty. Yes, Premiership, National Cup and A league games all still continue. For Har-
lequins we still have four premiership fixtures, one cup match and one A league match. We lose 7 players over the Six Nations - six to England and one to Scotland. Notably, our half backs Leanne Riley and Rachel Burford. Saracens also lose some of their handy players, such as Marlie Packer and Poppy Cleall. Each club can sign up to 60 players this season, so a lot of clubs have depth to still be able to fill the boots of those 1XV players on international duty. However, it does mean that the top two teams are putting out weakened sides, which in a way will make the league more exciting as those middle table teams will be able to challenge the scorelines and get some more wins on the board. Many people say the women’s game is a less contact-based type of game, but there are many photographs of you crashing the ball up the center channel. How physical can the game get? I would advise those people to take the time to watch a premiership or international women's fixture, as this is not the case at all. Obviously, the contact area does not seem as physical as two 110kg men running at each other but it's all comparable. There are a lot of big hitters and ball carriers in our league, who have
great ball handling skills as well, so that line break and ability to offload makes our games fast paced and exciting. I've mostly been playing on the wing this season. Playing on the wing warrants me to come off and offer short lines from the blind side to crash up and take some of the work load off our forwards. At 5'8 and 72kg - I'm not a typical small winger and I love a physical game so I go hunting for it. Have you seen a growing popularity with the game in the UK – are their more girls playing club rugby in the UK, at all age groups? Definitely! The taboo that rugby is a mens game is breaking down and rugby supporters are becoming more curious as to what women's rugby is all about. We have such a long way to go, but it is an exciting time to be involved at a high level. The inclusion of 7s in Rio, the exposure England women got throughout the World Cup, along with clubs and the RFU pushing for media exposure for Tyrell's Premier 15s is all positive. We've gone from 200 people watching our premiership final last season, to over 3000 people watching our league game against Saracens at the Stoop before Christmas. More schools are starting girls rugby programmes, girls
girls only rugby holiday camps, and clubs building their women's section through recruitment. It's all heading in the right direction. 8) Who will be England’s strongest opponents for the 6 Nations do you think. I would usually say Ireland, however their performance dipped in the World Cup and they haven't had the support they deserve from their union, which is a shame as they were one of the teams to watch. Scotland put in some fantastic performances last six nations, and they've had girls going over to France to play professionally. However, I think France will be England's biggest contenders. Their domestic league is really professional, they have great home support with thousands attending club games and they are so physical. Their big carriers like Romane Menager and Safi N'Diaye will cause England some problems in defence, and their aggression at the breakdown with rival England. Follow Holly on Instagram hmyers92 and harlequinsladies
(Photo courtesy of the excellent Melissa Lear Photography)
School Rugby Today the DASSA league boasts over 23 individual schools involved in rugby leagues. That is 23 schools, (not teams) and with age group entries from U8to u19 and that is before you include the Touch leagues. One could almost say that rugby has become an epidemic
well as kids realized that an after school game was preferable to a ruined weekend. Schools understood quickly that a good rugby program was of significant social importance to the moral of the school. Schools changed from PE teachers who did Rugby to Directors of Rugby at the School (the cause).
The ‘effect’ being, now schools entering teams to the Dubai 7s before even fully incorporating a team at the school itself and the impact on club player numbers. What is significant in all this is, the observable decline in numbers at senior (colt) level teams in traditional clubs and the question then must be, are the club days numbered and what do they have to offer? Sharjah no longer has a Youth Section, HSBC have withdrawn from Doha and Bahrain and Abu Dhabi this year are seriously struggling with their once record breaking tournament not solely due to concerns over sponsorship, but because there is a school tournament scheduled for the same weekend. Schools have no need for sponsors to keep them going, they pay no pitch fees and they don’t rely on parents to make sure players turn up for games. It may not be family but maybe the needs of the family entity have changed from what they once were. School leagues are well managed and very competitive, especially at U19 age group. Dubai College are historically a strong U19 side, but the relatively new DESC in Dubai have committed great resources to the school rugby program, with strength and conditioning and off match analysis computer programming to assist the team performance. The results show with DESC being top of almost every age group.
in schools and to such an extent that it is almost a game changer to parents when choosing a school for their kids. Not for nothing was the interest and recognition that British School Al Khubairah (BSAK) won the Dubai 7s U19 title this year, beating out perennial champions Dubai College (DC) and pretenders to the throne Dubai English Speaking College (DESC). U19 rugby in the DASSA league is of such a standard now that a referee could note a favourable appointment on a weekend as being Gulf Premiership first and U19 second in their wished for games. Of course this rugby development did not come without some cause and effect. While as schools become more and more sophisticated and parents as
Melissa Lear Photography.
Touch Rugby
wide open pitches enabling creation of space between players, but matches are as easily played on an area as Touch Rugby has seen something of a small as a tennis court and although revolution in the UAE. Since the arrival professional Touch can lend an annoyof John Larkins with Middle East Touch ing petulance to the rules there can be there has been a fundamental shift in found a flexibility in rulings that makes the attitude towards the game and a the game as easy as playing beach monumental explosion in player num- cricket. bers of this often maligned sport. Touch has also benefited from a quite Touch was a game played by most if fortuitous element of timing. As the not all rugby players in warm ups or dangers and understanding of concuspreseason, it is simply rugby without sion have grown, modern day duties of
care among schools and clubs, which struggle to offer any form of indemnity, have seen the incorporation of Touch as a way of introducing and keeping the sport of rugby in the community.
away regular rugby and now boosts several blue chip corporate Touch teams each year rather than a handful of clubs and social rugby teams. Perhaps the biggest growth area of the sport is at girl’s level in the schools, where more than 20 schools with teams from U10 to U19 can play in a single event. There are 3 tournaments this year or girls at U12, U15 and U19 with around 300 players taking part. Touch as a development tool One area where Touch is starting to filter into is development rugby, where World Rugby has Get Into Rugby programs, many coaches will encourage or incorporate Touch training drills and games for skills promotion and as a low impact training game for space awareness.
It is no coincidence that Southern Hemisphere players strong in touch backgrounds at an early age are so the contact, or ‌. It used to be. successful at International level. Now Today in the UAE Touch has permeatcountries such as England, Ireland and ed not just among the school playNow in the UAE we have Touch teams the USA have all joined forces with grounds and club age group teams, but in the clubs, with Abu Dhabi Harlequins Touch Federation counterparts to comin the boardrooms and is becoming an long having Touch Leagues, but Dubai bine training systems and sell the increasingly adopted tool for skill deExiles starting Touch teams, which game of rugby. velopment and a lot of that has been have begun to knock on other clubs The Super 6s League in Dubai has through the wearing repetitive mesdoors for friendly matches. Touch is proved very popular in its first season sage of John Larkins himself. creeping into the business world with with a strength of the game being the the every growing and immensely pop- ability to mix ages and genders with Of course the message has been helped by the ease by which the game ular Corporate Touch 6s. A concept teams. A unique social opportunity that that started and very quickly moved rugby does not provide. can be adapted. FIT Touch calls for
Enter the Professional Era
as made up of the following sce- At the moment all contracts benarios. tween club and player are unregulated and remain between The social amateur, made from club and player. The UAE Player 2nd XV players down to vets, movement regards all players as this player is the occasional social and they will only hinder trainer and expects to play on movement between clubs if Player obligations to clubs are the weekends, but may not do there is some sort of disagreebecoming increasingly compliment between players, (which cated as rugby in the Gulf is no so that regularly. should be limited to nonthe battleground for the social The serious amateur, a 1st XV payment of clubs subscriptions). weekend warrior. Clubs are not player, squad member or with Unions getting involved with unthe ‘other’ family home for the st 1 XV aspirations; this player is regulated player agreements is tenure of ones expat contract. on time for training 2 nights a a step into semi professionalism Dubai Exiles and Sharjah Wanweek; hits the weights at least maybe we are not yet ready for. derers players of old would play once a week and is in bed by rugby because of being club (player descriptions concept courtesy of Matt midnight the night before any members. Now people go to a Oakley) match day (the coach hopes). rugby club to play rugby and there are a great many options The ‘paid' amateur, as per serito choose. ous amateur above, but follows a provided, tailored S&C proSuch is the state of movement gramme (which the club rebetween clubs that a player serves the right to check) and transfer system exists now in receives some cash or in kind UAE Rugby, a player transfer benefits, but still has a full-time window that has unearthed job elsewhere. This player idealsome nuances of the modern game that were previously con- ly does not go out or drink alcosidered closed internal subjects. hol the day (night) before a match day (there may even be included an agreement of forfeit What is a contracted player is benefits if conditions are broken). Ideally there will be has The most often thrown about some form of signed MOU (or term these days is semi‘contract’) to agree these points. professional. Some UAE clubs are now in a position to reward, or compensate players for their The semi pro, similar to paid time with the team, but how far amateur above, but, for examdoes this obligation go with both ple, trains twice a day at or for the club (could be the Player parties is where the lines beCoach); receives enough remucome fuzzy. neration to stop being poached The UAE system has no regula- by other clubs, but has other employment too. Would presumtory inclusion for contracted players. That being players that ably have some form of formal have some (any) written agree- contractual agreement. ment between club and player. The full time pro, who is a full There are in World Rugby, but then the regulations veer more contracted player, whose primatowards full professional and we ry focus is, and income comes certainly are not there yet in the from, preparing and playing for his club. UAE. Rugby in the Gulf can be seen
Age Grade Regulations and the problem with player Dispensation World Rugby regulations can be quite open or in some cases very specific. There are also a lot of them and interpreting the regulations can be complicated. This is because in the regulations that are open, World Rugby has left the home Union or regulatory body to incorporate a structure that best suits them.
Player dispensation is in place for the unique player who is either far too strong or skillful to play within an age group and looks to move up, or, is not strong /skillful enough to play in his or her own age group and looks to move down.
UAERF regulations state - Players are only allowed to move one age group up in a season. (for example this means from U10 Regulations that are very specific to U12 or from U14 to U16). meanwhile tend to lend themselves Although this rule states up, the thought process works up and towards the professional players and one therefore that is more lia- down. ble to cross International jurisdicPlayers who start the U16s can be tions. Hence therefore why they are 14 years old and therefore the World Rugby regulations. younger and smaller, less experienced players. In a league with Asia Rugby’s members are arguamore advanced and older 15 year bly the youngest Federations olds, i.e the next class up in school among the rugby fraternity, and and games can become very one have a great deal of initial guiding sided. Coaches pull teams and or try to create B leagues and without influences from incorporated and Tier 1 Nation Unions. Just as much a ‘middle year’ to adjust the disparity, there ends up being a massive marine law is laced with British le- B league division and very few A gal precedent, so too is the regula- league entries. tory work of many new Rugby FedSchools have age groups playing in erations. their correct year due to numbers The biggest minefield of them all is and of course PE and class timYouth pathway laws, where compli- ings, so the below rules are more cations in age determination stems easily applied. from the North and Southern hemiFor schools rugby (Primary only) sphere differences between term Year 6 teams are allowed one (1) times. over age player per match. Notification should be given to the oppoTwo issues standout in Youth Rug- sition and referee prior to kick off. by in the UAE, one is that due to For all other year groups, the corplayer numbers in teams, it is more rect age bracket will apply. practical to operate a two year age pathway, U10, U12, U14 and so In clubs then, there is a lot of effort forth and the second being the reg- to create teams (numbers) and try ulations regarding (and ultimately to find a fair balance in competiwho makes the determination) on tions. Hence the introduction of the player dispensation.
player dispensation form. However as it is worded:We certify that all the information on this form is correct, that a risk assessment has been carried out and hereby consent to the above player playing out of age grade.
There is a fine line between a proper risk assessment and the needs of the team. This year’s U19 competition at the Dubai 7s was about 50% player dispensation and maybe more for the U19 Girls.
40 years of Sharjah Wanderers It is the year for anniversaries. Dubai Sharks are 10 this year and Jebel Ali Dragons are 25, but hot on the heels of Dubai Exiles 50th last years comes most peoples 2nd favourite rugby destination. Sharjah Wanderers. There has of course been rugby in Sharjah for a long time and being the center of the RAF and BOAC in the early days during and after WW2, rugby has always been a part of Sharjah and many Gulf countries, but the club itself was not formally named and created as Sharjah Wanderers until 1977. Since then, Sharjah have had their rugby day from time to time, immortalizing victories over the old enemy Dubai Exiles in song and T shirts and creators of sport bar surfing (with many an ingenious method of body waxing) and the Sharjah Wanderers ball. A song that was the mainstay of many a sing fest, which was the Sharjah Power off the pitch even when it was not such a power on. Sharjah still is a club that hold fond memories for any ex player and a marked expectation on the fixtures list for any visiting team. It is in a way a club that still maintains an image of the old school and very specifically, doing it their way. So happy anniversary to Sharjah Wanderers and good luck to the team this year in the conference league Hopefully this photo will remind everyone of what they are playing for.
Next month Special Feature on Jordan Rugby
Jebel Ali Dragons Money and Rugby A look at the new law book Build up to RWC 2019 Problems with the League Structure
The Gulf Conference