When rugby first came to the Middle East nearly 70 years ago, turf was in such short supply that the first game on record – between British soldiers and expatriate employees of the Kuwait Oil Company – was played on sand. Sand pitches remained the norm until relatively recently, breeding a special brand of the sport adapted to conditions unimaginable to the English public schools where the sport was popularised.
Like most other aspects of life as this region transformed from frontier towns to the comfortable metropolises we know today, sand pitches made way for grass. For the nostalgic few who hanker for the old days and others who wonder what it must have been like, there is a solution. As we reported yesterday, the RAK Goats team still has a sand pitch, providing a reminder of the particular skill set it dictated. How many modern rugby players instinctively shut their eyes as they tackle? Sand-pitch veterans know failing to do so is a recipe for temporary blindness.
