DUBAI // Martin Southern, the new director of rugby at Xodus Wasps, said he is under no illusions about the task ahead as they seek to be competitive when the UAE Premiership starts next month.
Four years after he was last involved in Middle East rugby, Southern returned to the domestic game when he was appointed to his new role with Wasps in July.
He had been employed as the rugby services manager of the now-disbanded Arabian Gulf union that governed the sport here until the end of 2010.
His spell in that role coincided with representative rugby reaching its zenith in this region.
The Arabian Gulf played at the World Cup Sevens in 2009 as hosts. The XVs side beat Hong Kong and South Korea to finish third in the 2010 Asian Five Nations, the best international finish in team history.
During his hiatus, the Englishman remained an active follower of UAE rugby, although his input did not extend much farther than social media.
However, he decided the time was right for a return, having been approached to oversee the development of Wasps this summer.
“After being involved on a professional level with Arabian Gulf, for almost seven days per week for four years, I needed a break,” he said. “Craig [Gibson, the Wasps chairman] had heard my background and contacted me via LinkedIn and asked if I’d be interested in helping out. We discussed what the role was, the vision for the club, and we were pretty much on the same page.”
Southern is cautious about expecting too much for a club still establishing themselves at the top level of UAE rugby.
Despite a busy summer recruitment drive 12 months ago, Wasps underwhelmed in the UAE Premiership, failing to win a game.
They retain the same aim this time around to qualify for the cross-border elite competition, the Gulf Top Six, by finishing within the top four of the domestic league.
“We are under no illusions,” Southern said. “First of all, we want to close the gap. Then, if we can win any games in that division, great. Last year we lost five out of five, and a lot of them were by hefty margins. We need to reduce the deficit. That is my first target. We need to reduce the amount of points we concede, and we have brought in a number of ex-rugby league guys to help solidify that.
“But there’s no egos here, which some other clubs have struggled with. Everyone has a blank canvas and everybody is here willing to work.”
Ollie Turton, recruited from the UK to add spark to the Wasps back division, said his new team have plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the new campaign.
“It seems like everyone here is ready to take on the fresh ideas the coaches have,” said Turton, a former England sevens development player.
“If I can bring something to that, and come back with decent form, hopefully Wasps can have a decent season.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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