It's game time!

YOU’RE never too young to try! The kingdom’s thimble-sized rugby stars tackled arch-rivals Doha at the Bahrain Rugby Club in Saar for a chance to win back a coveted challenge trophy.

The U9 and U10 squads were seeking revenge on Saturday after both losing in the away friendly fixture staged at the home of their Gulf neighbours last month.

Bryan Winning, a Golden Oldies rugby player at the club and one of the coaches of the U9 and U10 squads, said: “These matches are designed to give the players’ game time at the youngest age possible. The challenge that all Bahrain players face is organising enough match competition.
 
“The teams in the Emirates are lucky because they are able to play each other week in and week out, which is a big advantage.
 
“As a result we have set up a programme where we will play Doha home and away each year alongside other mini rugby tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Just a few weeks ago we went to Doha and this weekend they came to Bahrain.” 

The impressive U9 Bahrain team came out on top beating the Doha boys 11-3. The U10 squad, however, narrowly went down 4-2 to their Doha counterparts.

The teams were then mixed up in the spirit of good sportsmanship taking to the field as A and B teams. The B team drew 4-4 and the A team lost 2-4.

Winning added: “There were also U12, U13, U14 and U17 games taking place for a full day of rugby with some thrilling matches. For example, one final between Doha and Bahrain went into extra time, sudden death ... very exciting!

“After all age groups had played, we totalled up the matches won and the club with the most victories took the trophy.”

Doha picked up the trophy and Bahrain’s young players are anxious to make amends at the next tournament. The Bahrain Rugby Club man of the match awards went to U9’s Jordan Smit, U10’s Lucas Moes, Fin Matthews (Team A) and Tommy MacPhail (Team B) for their impressive performances.

The U9 and U10 sides will next compete in a Dubai tournament in the New Year. Winning believes that sport lovers interested in the game often benefit from starting to play at a young age.

He said: “Kids can start from U6 level as there is no physical contact and it’s a fun way to get used to the ball, learn the basic rules as well as keeping active and fit. As rugby is a contact sport, from U9 the coaches spend a great deal of time teaching the correct techniques to avoid injuries. With kids’ rugby, there can be a big difference in players’ size, speed and ball handling skills as they are developing physically at different times.

“I know of a player who was in a school B team until he was 16 but then went on to captain England and play for the British Lions.
 
“It’s also important to stress that kids don’t need to be big to play rugby, many of our top players are small. HSBC, sponsors of the mini rugby league in the Gulf, recently brought England and British Lions legend Jason Robinson to run a day’s coaching clinic at the Bahrain Rugby Club and it was interesting to see how small he is.

“There is no doubt that the sport is a physical game that teaches many life skills such as teamwork, discipline and commitment. But most of all, it is about getting the kids active and having fun!

“Also, there aren’t many children their age who get the chance to jump on a plane to compete in tournaments and represent the club and country. We make at least four international trips each year playing teams from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Al Ain, Sharjah, Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The Bahrain Rugby club welcomes all players no matter their experience, nationality or gender. There is even a Golden Oldies team for players over the age of 35.”

For more information contact the Bahrain Rugby Club on 17695809.