RAS AL KHAIMAH // A club that has flitted in and out of existence since the 1970s are on a fundraising drive to make their sand playing field fit for matches, which they hope will finally establish them within domestic rugby.
RAK Goats play in the third-tier of UAE competition but are yet to stage a home fixture in their own emirate. They are looking for sponsors to help meet the Dh81,000 cost of levelling their pitch.
In the distant past, all rugby in the UAE was played on sand. The Dubai Rugby Sevens only switched to grass in 1995.
World Rugby’s regulations still allow for competitive matches on it. Law 1.1 (b) says the “surface should be grass but may also be sand, clay, snow or artificial grass,” so long as it is safe to play on at all times.
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Having found a site via Google Earth, the Goats have been able to erect a set of goalposts after being given some pipes from the yard of BAM International, an engineering company.
Improvements to the surrounds of the playing area, which included re-erecting one of the existing, rudimentary floodlight pylons that had blown down, was carried out by ATP Global, a marine services company.
To make the pitch playable, they now need to removed 40cm of sand, create a firm and level baselayer, then reapply 10cm of sand.
“The pitch is the heart of every rugby club, and the Goats haven’t had one since the 1980s,” said Mike Silvester, who is managing the pitch project.
“In our naivety, we thought rolling the sand pitch would be suitable, but it is not. You can’t scrummage on this, there would be snapped hamstrings, and you would be knackered after running around for five minutes.”
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The Goats first played matches in 1979, but only reemerged in its current form at the end of the 2012/13 season, when they won the plate at the Sharjah 10s.
Now playing in the UAE Community League, in which they play the Emirati development side UAE Shaheen today, they say the future relies on them laying down roots.
“We start at Point A, we get to B, then we keep having to come back to A, and it all boils down to the pitch,” Craig Howling, the club president, said.
“We want to get Emirati players on the pitch, we want to get kids on the pitch, and train them properly, on a proper field.
“We keep on going round in circles, and it is unfortunate because there is a lot of passion in the club, and it is thriving.”
Playing matches at the ground will be a novel experience for opposition players, and not just because of the chance to play on sand.
The pitch at the Bin Majid Resort is 200 metres from the shoreline, and rather than showers, players will be able to cool off after matches by swimming in the sea.
“We are not being greedy,” Silvester said. “We want to go back to our roots and have a sand pitch, because we can’t afford the water. It is our cheapest option.”
Sonny Bill Williams will need to reshape himself for sevens success
Sonny Bill Williams needs to lose a stone, or just over 6kgs, in weight if he is going to make a success of his Olympic sevens bid.
That is the view of Zinzan Brooke, the former New Zealand No 8, who thinks Williams could struggle in his transition to the abbreviated format.
Having excelled in rugby league, boxing, and won two World Cup winners’ medals with the All Blacks in XVs, Williams is now targeting selection for the sevens squad for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Ahead of his World Sevens Series debut in Wellington this weekend, he said on social media that he is “excited and nervous”, but “not sure if I’ll have what it takes”.
Brooke, who had a lengthy career in sevens before becoming an All Black great, said it is unlikely Williams will find the transition a smooth one.
“I commend the guy for what he has achieved in all aspects of the games he has played – league, boxing and union,” said Brooke, who was in Abu Dhabi this week coaching with Middle East Touch.
“I hope he proves me wrong, but I think he is a stone, if not more, heavier than he needs to be if he is going to blow everyone away.”
Brooke compared Williams’s move to Sam Burgess’s failed conversion to England’s rugby union team from league.
“For Sonny Bill, I know he is not changing codes, but they are different sports,” Brooke said.
“Sevens and XVs are totally different. Skillsets are similar, but in terms of aerobic capacity I think he will be found wanting a little bit.
“He has got time, he just needs to reshape and reinvent himself because he has got to be a linchpin. England picked Burgess, changed him, then stuck him on the bench.
“If you are going to pick Sonny Bill, you have to start him. If he goes into the squad and goes onto the bench, it says you have your doubts.”
Read more: All Black Zinzan Brooke a South Africa fan – at Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
West Asia Championship
Review
• Doha 47-36 Dubai Hurricanes
• Bahrain 37-17 Jebel Ali Dragons
• Muscat 14-48 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
• Al Ain Amblers 17-53 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Table
W L D Pts
1 Doha 3 0 0 15
2 Dubai Exiles 2 0 0 9
3 Bahrain 2 0 1 9
4 Dubai Hurricanes 1 0 1 6
5 AD Saracens 1 0 2 6
6 AD Harlequins 1 0 0 5
7 JA Dragons 1 0 1 5
8 Al Ain Amblers 0 0 3 2
9 Muscat 0 0 3 0
UAE Conference
Results
• Al Ain Amblers II 7-51 Dubai Wasps
• Abu Dhabi Harlequins II 10-22 Sharjah Wanderers
• Dubai Exiles II 52-0 Arabian Knights
• Dubai Hurricanes II 17-30 Dubai Sharks
Table: top six
W L D Pts
1 Wanderers 8 1 0 40
2 Harlequins II 7 0 2 34
3 Hurricanes II 7 0 3 34
4 Exiles II 6 0 3 32
5 Dragons II 5 1 3 27
6 Sharks 5 0 4 26
Preview
West Asia Championship
• Dubai Exiles v Doha
• Hurricanes v Bahrain
• JA Dragons v Muscat
• Harlequins v Amblers
UAE Conference
• JA Dragons II v Arabian Knights
• Harlequins II v Sharks
• Exiles II v Wasps
• Wanderers v Saracens II
• Al Ain Ambers II v Heartbeat Tigers
UAE Community League
• JA Dragons III v Arabian Knights II
• Harlequins III v Sharks II
• Amblers III v Beaver Nomads
• RAK Goats v UAE Shaheen
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