Across the rugby divide

Although rugby in the UAE is likely to be unaffected by the IRB's decision to reconstitute the AGRFU, the outlook for some neighbouring countries is bleak.

DUBAI // Although rugby in the UAE is likely to be affected little by the IRB's decision to reconstitute the Arabian Gulf Union (AGRFU), the outlook for some neighbouring countries is bleak. The game's rulers approved a plan last week to devolve and empower the six nations who currently play under the one banner of the Arabian Gulf. The standard of rugby being played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and even Al Ain is improving all the time, as the large expatriate workforce that supports the game continues to expand. Saudi Arabia has three rugby clubs. In comparison to the UAE, which has 14 listed clubs, the player base is small but, promisingly, the ratio of nationals playing the game is far higher than it is here. That could be given fresh impetus thanks to the involvement of Prince Sultan bin Faisal al Saud, who is hoping the game will become a genuine rival to football among Saudi children. Prince Sultan, whose interest in the game was first sparked during a holiday to Fiji, has been playing prop-forward for Jeddah rugby club. He was part of their Dubai Rugby Sevens squad at the weekend, although injury precluded his involvement. "I used to play on the beach with my brothers and cousins, then I started to train at the rugby club," said Prince Sultan. "I used to work in the special security forces, so was used to combat sports and used to do martial arts. I liked rugby very much because of the physical aspect." Prince Sultan has scheduled a meeting with the ministry of sport in January, as he hopes to get rugby a part on the syllabus at government schools. "We need the really young kids to start playing in schools, because we are too old. Hopefully we can have a very good team in the future, inshallah," added Prince Sultan, who hopes a full national team can be constituted within two years. Dave Kinkead, the English club captain of Jeddah, added: "We have mainly always been an expat club, but we realise we need a base of nationals, and that is what we are trying to do with Sultan. "Expats come and go every couple of years, but the people that live there are the ones who will keep the club going. "There is such talent, especially among Saudi nationals. They are very, very quick and they like the physicality, because there is nothing else to rival it in Saudi. "There are very few combat sports played - it is all football, football, football. For those that want that more physical challenge, rugby is perfect." [e-mail]