UAE poised for historic debut at Dubai Sevens

It will be an emotionally charged weekend for hosts UAE when the Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby Sevens gets underway on Thursday at The Sevens stadium off Dubai-Al Ain Road.

Thousands of fans are expected to converge on The Sevens for what promises to be an exceptional three days of entertainment as 16 international men’s sides and eight international women’s teams, as well as more than 160 Invitation sides, battle it out.

More history will be made as the first ever IRB-sanctioned women’s event kicks off as part of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. Eight international women’s sides will contest the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup.

With the nation all decked to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 'Spirit of the Union' on Friday, UAE Rugby will make a historic debut at the 42nd edition of this three-day international extravaganza.

"We are quite emotional because UAE will be taking part for the first time on our 40th National Day in an event hosted by UAE Rugby Association for the first time. It is a dream come true for Emirati players. We are looking forward to be proud representatives of the country this weekend," said Mohammed Falaknaz, Chairman of the UAE Rugby Assocation (UAERA).

"UAERA records its thanks and congratulations to Emirates Airline. It is also a special moment in history with the 40th anniversary of the union of UAE which we have commemmorated on our new playing kit. It is also the first year of Emirates' sponsorship of the national team. We are working hard to ensure a strong legacy for future of UAE," he added.

UAE have been drawn in what was described as a "horrendous" group by England coach Ben Ryan with Fiji, Samoa and Argentina in pool A.

“Playing against the best professional teams in the world is going to be a massive challenge but our guys are really looking forward to having this opportunity and learning from it,” said UAE coach Wayne Marsters.

Falaknaz went on to predict that the winner of the tournament would emerge from this group.

But both Ryan and New Zealand's legendary Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens welcomed UAE into the big league.

"I think it's great that they are here for Dubai and UAE but you have got to be playing consistently in tournaments to get up to the levels if they need to. It's really big ask for a team that has not been involved in a World Series to do well. No one wants to see teams comprehensively beaten in the game of Sevens," said Tietjens when asked about minnows being included in such a high profile competition.

However, UAE Rugby is an extension of the disbanded Arabian Gulf with the exception of a couple of home grown players Mohammed Hassan Rahma and Cyrus Homayoun.

"Arabian Gulf have been in a situation over the years where they've had some good games and also they had to take a pounding. I think they (UAE) are in a similar situation but it's great for UAE to be involved in their first tournament right in Dubai," he said.

"To be good at this game you have to be playing and training consistently and you only get better playing games. It will be a real struggle for them. The plus side of this is they have a lot of support like they always do. It's a massive challenge for them certainly," said Tietjens.

Defending HSBC Sevens World Series champions New Zealand will be heading the charge having won an incredible nine Series titles in the last 12 seasons.

“We have a couple of new faces but we also have a lot of the experienced guys coming back,” said New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens. “It’s a real challenge playing three weekends in a row but we’re looking forward to playing in Dubai. It’s my favourite destination. I have a lot of friends here and love coming to Dubai,” he added.

Also keen to get their hands on some more silverware following their memorable victory in Dubai last year will be England, who finished third in the Series last season.

“I'm confident we will be better than we were last season,” said England coach Ben Ryan. “That doesn't necessarily mean we'll do better because the opposition will

improve too. But we've adjusted a lot of what we're going to do on the field, so there will be some surprises for the opposition. We're confident but also aware there are some outstanding teams that we'll do well to compete with,” added Ryan.

IRB World Sevens Series manager Beth Coalter explained that the new format of the competition adds to the excitement of this year's series.

"After each tournament now we will do a draw for the pools whereas before it was always set in advance. This will reflect the current performance of each of the teams. It is something the teams have been discussing and looking out ove the last couple of years because in Sevens it changes quickly," she said.

She said the new system will encourage the so-called smaller teams to fight for ranking points.

"Last weekend we saw with teams coming in like PNG and Tonga, all know that they've got something to play for and you have to get points. We don't have a proper ranking for all teams except 12 core teams. Now for all participating teams going forward into future it is going to help considerably in seeing the standards and helping them as well to improve and play for something other than winning a game really," said Coalter.

With the IRB World Sevens Series expanding to new frontier like Japan, she said the competition will start in the second week of October next season but assured that Dubai will retain its December date.

"Dubai will stay same. It will be third round after Gold Coast. The second leg has to be decided but the dates with Dubai and South Africa. We are moving to Port Elizabeth instead of to George. Tokyo will be hosting a tournament that will be linked in with Hong Kong. After we've finished with South Africa, Wellington (New Zealand) and USA (Las Vegas), it will be Hong Kong and Japan followed by Scotland and England," she said.

Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, Gary Chapman, President Emirates Group Services & dnata, said: “With rugby fever still gripping the globe as New Zealand celebrates winning the IRB Rugby World Cup, which Emirates was proud to be a Worldwide Partner of – this year’s tournament promises to be particularly special.”

“This heightened level of passion for rugby – combined with celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of UAE National Day – should result in an unforgettable carnival atmosphere to rank alongside the best we have seen at The Sevens,” he added.

“It is a tremendous honour for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens to host the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup and great news for spectators who will be able to see the best players in the world in action.”

While the teams are providing entertainment on the pitch, there will be a variety of other fun activities on offer in the rugby village area with something for everyone.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate from Thursday. Thursday is free entry and children under the age of 12 enter free of charge on all three days, provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

As in previous years, numerous buses will be on duty to transport fans from TheSevens back to locations across Dubai, free of charge. These locations include: Dubai Media City, Crowne PlazaDubai FestivalCity (family drop-off points), Barasti, Nezesaussi (Old Town), IrishVillage, Chi @ The Lodge and more. Buses will start from 5pm on Thursday and 6pm on Friday and Saturday and will run on a continuous loop until 12 midnight.

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