UAE and Qatar – A tale of two Gulf teams

Qatar are game away from title while UAE have been relegated twice, writes Paul Radley.

Liam Frost, centre, is happy with Qatar’s progress in Asian rugby but is unsure about the next level. Courtesy Elite Step

Qatar will attempt to extend a record that even New Zealand cannot match when they meet Malaysia in the final of the Asian Five Nations Division Two this evening.

The UAE’s neighbours have won every competition they have entered and have never lost a Test match.

Agreed, it may be a small sample size, given they have played just seven matches since their inception in 2011.

But a 100 per cent record and three successive titles is something to be proud of.

Their 24-11 win over top-seeded Thailand in the Division Two opener this week guaranteed them a place in the newly-revamped third tier of Asian competition next year. That means they will be pitted against the UAE for the first time.

“We feel this is the type of level we want to be playing at,” said Liam Frost, the Qatar centre, who scored a try in the win over Thailand.

“We did have three years on the bounce of not losing a game and some of those games were fairly one-sided in our favour.

“We want to see how we fare against Malaysia, but the boys are really enjoying playing at this level.

“Arguably when you look at the level above, it may be a semi-pro level and that may be a step too far for us at this stage.”

Even Angus Scott, the broadcaster who is used to shooting the breeze with some of the greats of the sport as the presenter of BeIn Sports’ rugby coverage, was impressed by the Tuesday’s win in Doha.

After the win over Thailand, Scott tweeted his praise, saying Frost’s performance was reminiscent of Tom Shanklin, the former Wales centre who is a pundit on BeIn Sports.

“That was great to hear and I think Tom Shanklin even retweeted it,” Frost said. “You have to thank the people who give you that kind of praise and try to emulate it again next time you go out to play.”

Qatar’s rise from lowly beginnings over the past four years has been in stark contrast to the troubles faced by the UAE in the same time.

The new Qatar national team were told to start from the bottom after the side that played as Arabian Gulf was disbanded at the end of 2010, while the UAE assumed Arabian Gulf’s place in Asian rugby’s top flight.

The decline since then has been marked. The UAE have been relegated in successive seasons, with just two wins in their 20 Tests.

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