The new sheriff in town

Similar in appearance to his South African countryman John Smit, Peter Sampson symbolises a new era at the capital's rugby club.

The new club captain of the Abu Dhabi Harlequins rugby union team Peter Sampson stretches after a training session.

ABU DHABI // Similar in appearance to his South African countryman and World Cup winning captain John Smit, the new skipper of the Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Peter Sampson, symbolises a new era at the capital's rugby club. The flanker has been made the new club captain following Matthew Hozle's retirement at the end of last season, despite the fact this will be only his second full season at the club. His aggression, tactical nous, communication skills and leadership qualities were all noted by the club's board of directors, who voted unanimously in favour of Sampson leading the team out next season at their annual general meeting. The call came as no great surprise to the South African, who discovered the news by text message from the club's chairman while back in his homeland visiting his family. "I was away for the AGM when the club voted on who the new club captain should be," Sampson said. "I was back home in South Africa and was out for a meal with my dad when I got a text from Richard (Harris) saying everyone had voted in my favour. "I was obviously very touched but I thought it might be on the cards. I had only been at the club for one season but I knew I was in with a shout for it (the captaincy). "It showed that I had the confidence of everyone at the club - the chairman, vice-chairman, the players ? which means a lot to me. "Abu Dhabi is a great team to be a part of. There's a fantastic atmosphere among the players and any new arrivals are made to feel welcome straight away. At the end of training everyone shakes hands and we're a tight knit group socially, too."

Sampson's contribution is not limited to what he does on the pitch. He has been instrumental in initiating a club subcommittee focused on enhancing the club's name and brand throughout the municipality, as well as setting up the club's page on social networking site Facebook and organising club events that include the traditional end of season ball; one of the highlights of the year on the Abu Dhabi social calendar. The Abu Dhabi club attracts a healthy following on match days and every new season sees more players joining the club. They also have teams for all age groups ranging from the juniors to veterans and women's teams. More than 570 players registered for them last year - 350 of which were juniors - which suggests rugby in both the capital and the region is on the increase. Sampson inherits the armband of a team very much in the ascendancy. The much publicised affiliation deal with the famous English Guinness Premiership club Harlequins has put the club on the rugby map while the team capped a successful season last term by lifting the Arabian Cup following a dramatic 24-21 victory over the Hurricanes. The interest and benefits generated by the deal are apparent the moment one casts an eye over the Quins' preseason training routine. The team's season only ended in April but the players have been preparing for the new season since the start of July, all at the behest of the captain Sampson, who seems determined to kick start his reign by installing an attitude in his players that would not look out of place at a professional club. "Our preseason before last year only started two weeks before our first match and that was something I felt we needed to address right away," said Sampson. "That irritated me a bit and so we've been back since July. None of the other clubs we'll be coming up against can say that, not even the Dubai clubs." This season could potentially see the Quins play 22 league and cup games should they reach the finals of all competitions and despite the soaring temperatures there is a focus in the team that is bolstered by at least 14 new players which will help the club field a second string side in the Emirates League, the second tier of domestic rugby in the country. "Abu Dhabi is getting as big and popular as Dubai in sport and other areas," says Sampson. "With more people moving to Abu Dhabi we're seeing more people joining the club. "That's why this season we feel we're ready to put out two competitive teams with players ready to step up (to the first-team) if they're needed. "Last season we had a very strong first-team and could compete with anyone, but if someone got injured we were desperately short of numbers. We were running on empty at times." The Abu Dhabi Harlequins start the defence of the Arabian Cup against arguably the toughest opponent they could face in the opening round against the Exiles on Sept 14, one of the reasons Sampson is keen to implement a strict preseason regime. "We have a dedicated preseason coach whose focus is to get us in the best shape ahead of the new campaign - especially since our first match is going to be a real tough one against the Exiles," he added. "Each player has his own personal schedule: we have monthly beep tests to see how our fitness is progressing to try and get a better idea of where we're at and where we need to be.

"I know none of the other clubs have put in the work we have and we're hoping we'll see the benefits of that as the season goes on." Sampson is reaching for the stars in his debut season as captain, insisting anything less than winning the Dubai Sevens, a successful defence of the Arabian Cup and winning the league will be seen as a failure. "The treble is achievable. Yes," said a confident Sampson. "We won the cup (Arabian Cup) last season with a skeleton crew. This season we could have as many as 40 players to choose from for all three competitions. "We'll be doing something wrong if we're not dominating in the league and challenging for trophies."