Spirit of Joining Jack and J9 Legends jostles with competitive skills

It did not matter whether Joining Jack or J9 Legends won as long as the big names of rugby, across the Union and League formats, served up a visual treat, writes Paul Radley.

Carlos Spencer of J9 Legends, right, is tackled by Joining Jack’s Jason Robinson in a match full of big names. Jake Badger for The National

DUBAI // Ever wondered what it would be like if Pele and Diego Maradona lined up in the same team? With maybe Johan Cruyff and Eusebio on the wings? And Zinedine Zidane and Paolo Maldini in the opposition?

Rugby had its own version of the ultimate fixture yesterday morning. All on an oddly lush grass field in the middle of the UAE desert. Bizarre.

Anyone who just stumbled across the stellar congregation, modestly going about it in front of a handful of spectators on Pitch 4 at The Sevens, might have feared they had had too much sun and were seeing things.

If a World All Star Rugby Union team was ever picked to play the Intergalactic Rugby League Select Ten, it might have looked a lot like this. The Dubai Rugby Sevens has always done a good line in Fantasy Rugby, but never quite to this extent. When Stephen Larkham, the Australian World Cup winner, is relegated to the role of third-receiver because the two players inside him are better on the ball, you know something special is cooking.

The trouble was, Waisale Serevi, regarded as the greatest sevens player, and Carlos Spencer, the former All Black who has decent claims to being the most entertaining player of the professional XVs era, were being too modest for too much of it.

No, you take the restart, Carlos. Please, you show the way to sidestep first, Waisale, they appeared to be saying. And the opposition stole a march. Not that they were short on firepower, either.

“We knew Joost van der Westhuizen’s team, J9, were going to be very, very tough,” said Jason Robinson, the England dual-code great who scored the decisive try for Joining Jack.

“They have some fantastic talent, guys like Serevi and Spencer are some of the world’s best players.” It takes one to know one, Mr Robinson.

For the record, the Intergalactic Rugby League Select side – otherwise known as Joining Jack – got the better of it, this time.

The World All Star Rugby Union side – or J9 Legends, for short – will still be hoping they can avenge the loss at some point tomorrow when the International Veterans competition – where sides have 10 players instead of seven – reaches its business end.

“There were a few names out there,” said Larkham, the J9 player who piloted Australia to the 1999 World Cup title from fly-half.

“They’re all league boys, we are all union boys so there were two different styles out there.

“We missed a few opportunities in the first half and they only had two.

“They got the better of that one but we are hoping it can get back round and we can meet them again in the final.”

The stars were not confined to the playing area, either. Joining Jack had Josh Charnley supporting them pitch side.

Unfortunately for him, the Wigan Warriors winger has been afforded the weekend off to come to Dubai, after his England side were knocked out of the league World Cup in last weekend’s semi-final at Wembley Stadium.

Joining Jack are a charity team set up to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Their opponents are doing their own part, too, for the cause of motorneurone disease research, the condition which afflicts the team’s organiser, Van der Westhuizen, who was on the sidelines watching.

“It is very competitive but it is played in the right spirit,” Robinson said after the 14-7 win.

“We are all a little older and not as quick as we used to be but there are certainly some skills out there and it is certainly great to play against the guys.

“You see someone like Carlos in front of you, with the great, great skills he have, and it is a privilege to play against.

“When you get the ball you just want to do what you do best. For me that is just trying to beat people.”

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