ABU DHABI // England international Ugo Monye has praised young UAE rugby talent as he trained with rising sporting talent in Abu Dhabi.
The rugby union star and HSBC Rugby Ambassador was at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Harlequins Junior Rugby tournament at the weekend, where more than 3,000 players from 236 teams across the Gulf region came together at Zayed Sports City.
Monye said he was astounded by the quality of rugby on display and the passion from parents involved.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Abu Dhabi this weekend and the scale and quality of this event was beyond anything I could have imagined,” he said.
“To see thousands of boys and girls charging around and giving 100 per cent in 30 degree heat was just fantastic to witness and shows how healthy the game is in this part of the world.”
He said one of the highlights of his trip was meeting the all-Emirati team Al Ain Wolves.
“It was amazing to see lads who did not know what rugby was a few years ago now enjoying the game so much with their mates,” said Monye.
“I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on the game in the UAE over the coming years and have only fond memories of playing here myself.”
HSBC is a long term sponsor of rugby at all levels including Principal Partner of the Player Pathway Programme, a UAE Rugby Federation (UAERF) youth development programme. HSBC supports the work of the UAERF through funding, the supply of playing and training kits, expert coaching from its global rugby ambassadors and the creation of the first ever Arabic language coaching manual in 2012.
jbell@thenational.ae
