Abu Dhabi Harlequins, in green and white, will begin their UAE Premiership title defence against Jebel Ali Dragons. Pawan Singh / The National
Abu Dhabi Harlequins, in green and white, will begin their UAE Premiership title defence against Jebel Ali Dragons. Pawan Singh / The National
Abu Dhabi Harlequins, in green and white, will begin their UAE Premiership title defence against Jebel Ali Dragons. Pawan Singh / The National
Abu Dhabi Harlequins, in green and white, will begin their UAE Premiership title defence against Jebel Ali Dragons. Pawan Singh / The National

Size of Niall Lear's task at Abu Dhabi Harlequins is clear as new UAE Premiership season kicks-off


Paul Radley
  • English
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UAE rugby season

FIXTURES

West Asia Premiership

Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles

Dubai Tigers v Bahrain

Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Division 1

Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II

Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II

Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens

Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II

Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II

 

LAST SEASON

West Asia Premiership

Winners – Bahrain

Runners-up – Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership

Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners – Dubai Hurricanes

Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Conference

Winners – Dubai Tigers

Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers

If Niall Lear had any doubts about the size of the task facing him as the director of rugby at Abu Dhabi Harlequins, the opening day of the new season should cover it.

The Scotsman was installed in the role this summer. He has a broad mandate, overseeing the running of the capital club from mini and youth section, all the way up to the first XV’s bid to return to the top of West Asia rugby.

On Friday, he will be refereeing an Under 19s match, before filling the bench for the Harlequins third XV, then plotting the first team’s opening match of their UAE Premiership title defence, away at Jebel Ali Dragons.

“It is living the dream, and there is nothing like jumping in at the deep end,” Lear said, on the eve of the kick off to the domestic rugby season.

Lear might be new to the region – his lone experience of the UAE before his arrival six weeks ago being as a player for Scotland at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the mid-2000s.

But he is already up to speed on the standards expected of a club who have grown used to success in recent years.

They start the campaign as the defending UAE Premiership champions, but the ultimate target for each of the seven top-flight clubs is to become No 1 in West Asia by the end of it.

That mantle is currently held by Bahrain, who beat a Harlequins side short of a number of established first teamers in a pre-season friendly two weeks ago.

“We want to be there challenging,” Lear said. “We should be there or thereabouts, but the transient nature of the region means I don’t think there are many squads out there with the strength in depth.

“Everyone has a very, very good match day 22 or 23. Outside that, it is tough, and we are exactly the same. If we get a lucky run with injuries, we will do well.

“We have that core of established players who have been here for years and done it, and we have managed to complement that with some really exciting guys coming in.”

Lear is not the only one new to West Asia’s top competition. Dubai Tigers will begin their first season in the top flight on Friday, having accepted promotion following two title wins in successive seasons in the second tier.

They could scarcely have been handed a tougher start, with the champions Bahrain heading to Dubai College, but Aaron Persico, the Tigers coach, is optimistic.

“If there is one week where we’d want to get them, it would probably be this week,” Persico said.

“They don’t know anything about us, but we have heard a lot about them.

"If we have to play the strongest team straight away, then it is a good opportunity for us to work out where the standard is.

“We are going to have to hope they are a little bit off. We have to try to be competitive and play our rugby.

Dubai Tigers, in white, will begin their first season in the top-flight against champions Bahrain. Pawan Singh / The National
Dubai Tigers, in white, will begin their first season in the top-flight against champions Bahrain. Pawan Singh / The National

“This year in some ways is going to be easier. Last season we had a reputation to play for, and everybody wanted to knock us off. Now, we are the underdog.

“Everyone will want to prove they are a lot better than us, so in some ways we can just go about our rugby and enjoy ourselves.”

The other new entity in the top division, Dubai Knights Eagles, will start their season against Dubai Hurricanes at The Sevens.

The side was formed this summer in a merger between the thriving junior club Arabian Knights and Dubai Sports City Eagles, who played top-flight rugby for the past two seasons.

They will have their work cut out on the opening day. Hurricanes, who won the Gulf League tournament at the Dubai Rugby Sevens last season, made some impressive recruits in the off-season.

Most notably, Emosi Vecanuau joined from Harlequins, while Haydn Palmer, a former Hurricanes youth product, is back from living and playing in Wales, where he won representative honours in sevens.

Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

MATCH INFO

Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)

Delhi won the match by 11 runs

THE SPECS

2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE

Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors

Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode

Power: 121hp

Torque: 142Nm

Price: Dh95,900

Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE rugby season

FIXTURES

West Asia Premiership

Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles

Dubai Tigers v Bahrain

Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Division 1

Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II

Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II

Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens

Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II

Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II

 

LAST SEASON

West Asia Premiership

Winners – Bahrain

Runners-up – Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership

Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners – Dubai Hurricanes

Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Conference

Winners – Dubai Tigers

Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers