Usually, when Dubai College A team play against their second string, a well-struck conversion means someone has to be sent to dodge the traffic to fetch the ball from Abdullah Omran Taryam Street.
This time around, it was a little bit different. Instead, they had ball boys to do that job. Or the elite players from the World Sevens Series, warming up for their matches behind the in-goals on Pitch 1. Or any one of the thousands of people in the stands behind the posts.
Dubai College won the Gulf Under 19s trophy at the Dubai Rugby Sevens. That much was guaranteed as soon as both their A and B teams made it to the final.
Perhaps predictably, the As won, 50-12, with Sam Reedey scoring a hat-trick of tries, and Harvey Bullock slotting several conversions – in much the same fashion as his older brother Sam had done in the corresponding fixture six years earlier.
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Read Paul Radley's look back on 10 years of rugby at The Sevens
“Back then, I thought ‘I want to be there, I want to make that kick that he made,’ and I did it there at the end,” Bullock said of following in his brother’s footsteps.
“I was happy about that. It is just brilliant. To have DC As and DC Bs in the final, I think we made history, and I am so, so proud of the boys. We couldn’t have asked for a better season.”
There once was a time when Dubai College had a monopoly on this title. As recently as 2011 to 2014, they won it four years in a row.
They missed out in each of the three years since, with Al Ain Amblers, Dubai English Speaking College (DESC) and British School Al Khubairat all inscribing their names to the trophy.
“It is a dream come true; we have worked so hard,” said Andy Jones, the long-serving director of sport at DC.
“Previously, I wouldn’t say there were cheap wins, but we had all the players coming to us and we could almost do what we wanted in terms of squad strength.
“Now it is spread across town. DESC have put their name to sport, and we have had to react to it. You can see the standard has gone through the roof.”
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Read more:
Fifth time's a charm for Saki Naisau as Dubai Hurricanes win Gulf Men's final
Dubai Rugby Sevens 2018: Final day of action from The Sevens - in pictures
Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2018: What to watch and when on Saturday
Al Maha make impressive debut as first all-Emirati female side at Dubai Rugby Sevens
