Exercise against touring London side a positive experience for UAE team

UAE performance manager Roelof Kotze said the national team will be better equipped for this month’s trip to Malaysia after losing to an invitational touring side from London on Friday night.

Justin Walsh, centre, and his UAE teammates faced Lloyd’s, a physical London-touring side, last night at Dubai. Jeff Topping / For The National

DUBAI // Roelof Kotze, the UAE performance manager, said the national team will be better equipped for this month’s trip to Malaysia after losing to an invitational touring side from London on Friday night.

The UAE are targeting three wins from Test matches against Thailand, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei, starting on May 11.

The series of matches, played during the course of a week, comprise the Asian Championship Division 2, which is the third tier of continental rugby.

The national team have been relegated in the past two seasons and are bullish about their chances of bouncing back by winning promotion in Kuala Lumpur.

The mood of optimism was not dented by the 36-31 defeat to Lloyd’s RFC, sealed by a late try from a charge-down by the touring side, at The Sevens, Dubai.

“I don’t think we are going to get a hard game like this [on tour in Malaysia],” Kotze said.

“These guys were very physical, they had a massive front row scrumming against us.

“I don’t see, from what we have seen on the video, Malaysia, Thailand or Chinese Taipei having a pack like that. That impacted on how we wanted to play.

“As an exercise, it was very worthwhile. It is a good start and the boys are positive.”

The opposition are nominally a social side who play together for approximately seven or eight matches per season.

That description belies their pedigree, though.

Several of the Lloyd’s tour party have played professionally for English Premiership clubs in the past.

They had arranged this fixture en route to Australia, where they are due to play matches against high-calibre grade sides in Brisbane and Sydney. As such, defeat was no disgrace for the new-look national team.

Tellingly, when the UAE had the majority of their likely starting XV for the Asian Championships on the field in the second 20-minute period, they scored four of their eventual haul of five tries. Jonny Greenwood had scored the first try for the UAE, just before the first water break, to reduce the arrears after the home team had fallen behind 12-0 early.

Mikey Botha, Niall Statham, Jaen Botes and Hareb Al Azri, the Emirati winger from Al Ain Amblers, all crossed to give the hosts a 31-12 lead by half time.

Their advantage was eventually overhauled, but Kotze was not discouraged.

“We could have played against a club side and beaten them by 40 points, but we need competition,” the coach said.

“We lost some structure, but I would expect that in the first game because they are not used to each other.

“They know that, and they know it is something we can fix this week.”

Justin Walsh, the Dubai-born centre who gave the UAE considerable impetus after his 20th-minute introduction, also said the performance was positive ahead of the championship campaign.

“We had a good second 20 minutes, and them being an English team who are used to playing in the mud, they have big forwards,” the Dubai Exiles back said.

“They wore the team down, it was physical - and that is good. Some of the boys haven’t played for a while, so it was nice to get a tough game in, as that is the intensity we want to play at.”

Follow us on twitter at @NatSportUAE