LONDON // The South African rugby captain, John Smit, is hoping his team will play in the UAE next year after a proposed game in November was scrapped. The World Cup winners were due to face Ireland in a one-off Test in Dubai, but the lack of a suitable venue means it has now been put off. It could yet be resurrected for next March and Smit says his side would welcome the chance to play in new areas.
New Zealand and Australia are playing a similar one-off match in Hong Kong on November 1 and the Boks skipper said: "Rugby is now going out to places like this and it gives fans in other countries a chance to see their national teams. "We were pushing for the game in November to be held in Dubai and it's a shame it won't happen there this time. It's somewhere we would have loved to have played and hopefully will in the future, if they can get it sorted out.
"There are a lot of South Africans in the UAE and the sport is growing out there, especially rugby, so it's something that I can see happening in time. "It is an ideal location for the countries coming from both hemispheres and I am sure we will be having events out in Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the future." The Irish game in November may now take place in Spain and will be a warm-up for the Boks as they take on Wales, Scotland and England on their UK tour.
Despite finishing bottom of the Tri Nations table, Smit believes there is a lot more to come from Pieter de Villiers' side. They will have to cope with life without the full-back Percy Montgomery, their most-capped player and record points scorer, but the winger Jongi Nokwe's four tries in the crushing 53-8 win over Australia showed he will be one to watch. akhan@thenational.ae
