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Bahrain Rugby Football Club’s tiny terrors have returned victorious from their first competition in Dubai, triumphant with trophies and medals galore.
The Bahrain Tigers boys and girls, aged seven and eight, roared into action over the weekend to be crowned winners of the Under 8 category of the HSBC Dubai Rugby Festival.
Head coach and manager Ian Davis and team coaches Lee Stones, Gary Stubbs, Gavin Boyle and Ryan Atkinson, have watched the nine-member squad train tirelessly twice-a-week and believe this victory was well deserved.
Davis, a DHL pilot from Saar and proud parent of little rugby superstar, Amelia, said: “This team has played together since September 2014 and have never quite achieved their full potential but this weekend they proved to themselves that dedication and hard work pays off.”
The youngsters, mostly British and South African expats, of the Bahrain team were in for a challenging competition playing three games before heading into the semi-final and final. They faced teams from the UAE, Doha, Muscat and Abu Dhabi.
After losing 30-20 against the Arabian Knights, the Bahrain Tigers found their flow to win game two 20-15 against Dubai Exiles. The winning streak continued sweeping past Dubai Hurricanes 15-5 and storming through the Heartbeat Sports Tigers in the semi-final with a convincing 45-0 scoreline.
While the Tigers defeated Dubai Exiles in a previous match, they kept a level head and showed true grit and determination on the pitch. An intense game ended in a 5-5 draw which led to sudden-death extra time.
Hungry for the win, the Tigers fought the remaining minutes with some clever touches to clinch a dramatic victory, ending the match 10-5 victors.
The players were presented their medals and trophy by Fijian rugby legend and HSBC ambassador Waisale Serevi, which according to coach Davis was a particularly memorable moment for the children and, of course, the proud parents who cheered them on.
Coach Atkinson also couldn’t get over the look on the kids’ faces. He said: “When the whistle went, to see the joy on the kid’s faces when they realised they had won made all our efforts worthwhile.”
Ramzi Dahl and Amelia both received the Most Valuable Player awards in the final. Davis said: “They were truly amazing and showed great spirit throughout. Amelia scoring early in the first half to give Bahrain the lead and, following a last-minute equaliser by Dubai Exiles with seconds remaining, Ramzi scored in the first minute of extra time to secure the win.
“It’s not all about the try-scorers though. The whole team showed great defensive skill, determination and spirit at the end of a tiring day with players like Aston Marais, Oscar Boyle and Amelia leading the team in tackles made.”
Amelia, a student at St Christopher’s School, was delighted. She said: “We’ve all played in big tournaments before but things went well this year. When we got into the final our coaches told us to believe in our ability, make our tackles and enjoy ourselves which we did. I couldn’t believe it when we won.”
Davis also gave special thanks to the rugby club’s executive committee and all the parents for their constant support and for the families that flew out dressed in red and white to cheer on the team.
He said: “Travelling and managing events like this is not possible without the support from the Bahrain RFC management and the parents. We travelled with around 20 parents in support dressed in red and white and waving Bahrain national flags. Their support from the side-lines was outstanding and the players certainly picked up their game when the cheering started.
“It all went a bit quiet when Dubai Exiles equalised in the final with seconds to go but the win in extra time saw some great celebrations from the travelling Bahrain fans.
“When we flew back the Gulf Air captain announced their victory over the aircraft tannoy system to the cheers of the passengers and they entered in the arrivals hall at Bahrain Airport bedecked in Bahrain national flags to cheers from all the other passengers which was a very special moment!”
The team has already started training for its upcoming competition in Doha on February 19 as well as a local tournament later this year.
Davis added: “It’s the first time for several years an Under-8 side has brought home some silverware and I hope it won’t be the last this season.”
