Monthly Maul December 2008

Triumph with last-gasp try

By John MacDonald

For the second time in a week a Springbok team broke English hearts.

Seven days after the Boks notched a record-breaking win at Twickenham, the Magnificent Seven Springboks won the final of the IRB World Sevens Series in Dubai, beating England 19-12 in the final with a last gasp try.

With the scores locked at 12-12 after a great England fight-back, South Africa’s Gio Aplon broke from inside his own 22 after a turnover to outsprint the defence and pass to Rayno Benjamin with not an England player near.

Benjamin scored under the posts with the final hooter sounding after the successful conversion.

South Africa took an early 7-0 lead after a try by Robert Ebersohn and, helped by many handling errors from England who tried to run at speed with their big backs, had territorial advantage until Mpho Mbiyizo scored nine minutes into the first half for a 12-0 lead.
A swarming Bok defence and up to three players contesting the breakdowns clearly unsettled the English in the first half.

But Tom Biggs cut the lead to 12-5 and, down to six men after a yellow card, the Boks conceded another converted try scored by Rob Vickermann.

Earlier in the semi-final, caretaker Bok captain Mzwandile Stick dramatically put South Africa into the final with two fine kicks just minutes apart.

The Springboks beat Fiji 10-7 in extra time after England had eliminated defending champions New Zealand 21-19 in the other semi-final.

It seemed all over for the Boks when Fiji held a 7-0 halftime lead until the last scrum of the match which the Boks disrupted for Vuyo Zangqa to pick up and score about 12 metres from the right touchline.

Stick judged the angled kick to perfection and the ball, seemingly to the wrong side of the left upright, drifted in to square matters at 7-7.
Into extra time they went and within seconds, from the first lineout, Stick let rip with a drop kick from more than 40 metres to break the hearts of the Islanders.

In normal time, the Boks had it all to do. They tried to keep the big Fijians from spreading the ball wide and succeeded to a great extent, employing slow rucks unless they could take it wide themselves.
It was stalemate until the last seconds of the first half when the Islanders had too much power and pace and numbers on the wing for them to take a 7-0 lead.

It was only the third try conceded by the Boks in their four and a half matches to that point.

Renfred Dazel squandered a certain try when he kicked into the belly of a Fijian after the break with an overlap and it seemed all over – until that scrum, conversion and drop kick, that is.

Kenya, who had a topsy-turvy tournament but surprised some of the big sides, lost the Plate final 12-7 to Samoa while Portugal beat France 24-0 and the US ran out 31-7 winners against the Arabian Gulf in the Bowl and Shield finals.

Women’s Gulf Cup

Last years winners the Dubai Falcons had a tougher time of things this year. With the Arabian Gulf Women’s International Team not competing as usual, all rep players were released to play for their club sides making for a very competitive club contest. Dubai Hurricanes have been the top side regionally in recent years but have not seen success at the Dubai Sevens for some time, and this year was no exception – despite being fully tooled up with all their international players. Abu Dhabi Harlequins, winners of the last two Gulf Women’s League Tournaments, maintained their hot streak, comfortably disposing of Dubai Falcons 20-0 in the final.


Big day for local players

While the sixteen international teams competing at the Dubai Sevens tend to grab all the attention, more than 1,500 other keen ruggers were suited and booted for the many other competition sections that mark the Dubai event as unique on the IRB World Sevens Series circuit.

Any available grassed and floodlit area in the weeks before the tournament was more than likely occupied by an enthusiastic rugby team. Dubai’s Safa Park alone was a hive of rugby activity as teams got in their last sessions of preparation.

Much interest focused on the legion of regional based teams fighting it out for top honours and a chance to run out onto the main pitch in their respective finals in front of a packed stadium in the party atmosphere of 7s Saturday afternoon.

Gulf Men’s Cup

This one was wide open for 2008 bragging rights. Last year’s finalists Dubai Hurricanes (who won) and Dubai Exiles had their team lineups impacted greatly with the two clubs making up the vast bulk of the Arabian Gulf Men’s Team who were footing it with the big boys in the main competition. Hurricanes had the services of two returning stars, with Arron Brown and Gerry Considine return to the fold after months of Gulf squad training and international play.

New kids on the block NBAD Abu Dhabi Harlequins fancied their chances as did a revitalised Doha, but the final came down to Dubai Dragons and Dubai Exiles, with the Dragons running out comfortable 41-12 winners.

Local Vets

Current Champs Abu Dhabi Harlequins have quickly become the glamour club of the region with their association with the famed London Harlequins and were the team that Dubai clubs and others from around the Gulf love to beat. And they got their wish, with Dubai Hurricanes clinching the trophy with a 24-0 win over Al Ain Amblers in the final.

The result brought back fond memories for Dubai Hurricanes and Doha RFC whose many ‘vastly experienced’ players remembered the days when the boys from the capital were a soft touch and relished seeing the flash and dash of the ‘Quins set packing down the Sheik Zayed Highway.

Local Social

This section gets more competitive each year with many of the teams putting in months of training and recruiting aggressively to put out some very talented sides. Dubai Exiles top try scoring machine Luke Sinclair was a huge boost to reigning champs Multiplex who overran a still embarrassed Air Miles V-Blacks in a one sided final last year.

This year’s was a repeat performance, but with a vastly different result – Air Miles V-Blacks overcoming Multiplex 12-7. Generous sponsor Dave Battison of Air Miles made a welcome return to the perennial finalists after being invalided out of the event last year in the opening minutes of the first match and Adrian Kerr took time out from his jet-setting lifestyle to don the black of the V-Blacks.

Arabian Gulf Men’s Team

While our boys in the main competition are always firm crowd favourites, special interest focused this year on the efforts of the region’s best sevens exponents. Captain Stephen Cooper and his side were not be the cannon fodder they have been in previous years for the world’s heavyweights of the shortened form of rugby.

The local lads have been in intense training for many months and this was evident in their results, the highlights being a 2-12 win over Georgia and running Scotland close in going down 19-14.

Local Update

Abu Dhabi reverse result

Dubai Exiles absorbed an initial committed and direct Dubai Hurricanes in the opening minutes of their Super Five match in Dubai before taking control in an absorbing match in the new five-team competition. After repelling the frequent attacks of the Canes and losing their captain Ed Finch in the opening minute the Exiles slowly took charge scoring a try through centre Brett Williams and adding another in the second half after the ball had been passed through several sets of hands before reaching winger Luke Baxter who touched down wide out to take the game beyond the reach of current League Champions.

Hurricanes have uncharacteristically lost three matches with the season not yet at its halfway stage. For the defeated Canes, replacement winger Gerry Considine was a constant threat with the ball in hand while fly half Rama Chand made some probing runs at a generally sound Exiles defence.

NBAD Abu Dhabi Harlequins RFC turned around their Premiership defeat against Dubai Dragons with a 33-27 victory in Abu Dhabi. After a whirlwind start the Quins looked to be cruising to a comfortable win going into the 2nd half with a healthy lead only for a spirited Dragons comeback that put pressure on the hosts. For the victors debutant fly half Murray Strang scored a try to complement his tidy all round play and looks to be another valuable asset for the fast developing club while substitute scrum half Simon Walster put the brakes on the Dragons fight-back with some savvy play from behind the strong Abu Dhabi forward pack led by strong running Kiwi Lele Tusitala.