UAE are determined to rise phoenix-like against Hong Kong in a key HSBC Asian Five Nations Top 5 clash away on Saturday after being handed a bitter rugby lesson by Asian giants Japan at home last Friday.

World Cup-bound Japan celebrated their third title success in the A5N tournament by hammering UAE 111-0 at The Sevens, running in 17 unanswered tries.

UAE, who took the place of the disbanded Arabian Gulf this season, did not fancy their chances much against the 13th ranked team in the world but admittedly failed in their bid to close the gap against the Blue Samurai.

However, all is not lost for UAE who have achieved their primary objective of retaining their Top 5 position with a precious 13-all away draw against Sri Lanka and a solid 24-10 victory in Abu Dhabi against Kazakhstan.

UAE are gunning for second position in the Top 5 when they go head-to-head with nearest rivals Hong Kong who crushed Sri Lanka 48-3 last weekend.

“We always knew it would be a hard game. Our objective is to take second place in the A5N. We have all to play for. We did not achieve the objective of closing gap against Japan. But considering it’s our first year as UAE rugby association we have done well,” said skipper Mike Cox-Hill after the Japan match.

“We were shown a lesson in rugby tonight. From players’ perspective, it’s good to see how rugby is played on the pitch. We will definitely bounce back,” he added.

UAE were virtually starved of possession and were off the pace. “Japan are very good at keeping the ball alive and their support play was good,” noted UAE’s head coach Bruce Birtwistle who appeared shell-shocked by the end result.

However, Chairman of the UAE Rugby Association (UAERA) Mohammed Falakhnaz offered some encouragement to the fledgling side despite their devastating loss to Japan.

“We were up against the best team in Asia. They are tough, fast and aggressive. And the team are going to play in the World Cup. All this adds up to the score,” he said as explanation for their huge defeat.

“This season we were testing ourselves. How we fit in the whole thing. Our position is looking very good. We are considered to be top amateur team in Asia and they (Japan) are professionals. One day we will become professionals. I have looked at the set-up Japanese have which is great and looking to go in their footpath, the way they have set up their team,” said Falakhnaz speaking to Emirates 24|7.

He lauded the commitment of the squad which comprises largely European expatriates. “They are part of the community. They represent the country as good as Emiratis,” said the UAE rugby boss.

“Emiratis are taking more interest in the game and they would like to become part of the national team. It will not happen overnight but I can see it coming. With every development plan that we have, you will see lot of Emiratis joining the team,” he added.

A few Emiratis have been named in the raft of changes made for the trip to Hong Kong. The 26-man squad sees seven changes ahead of this crucial match.

After starting on the bench in last week’s game against Japan, Stuart Quinn will take the field as no.9 (scrum half) with Steve Smith getting his chance at no.11 (left wing).

David Clouston and Michael Hartley will await their call-up from the bench. Dan Boatwright, Andrew Millar and Stephan Imbert’s unavailability sees the bench boosted with the additions of Chris Deacon, Mohanned Shaker and Scott Kerr. Added to the bench are Phillip Stevens and Abdulla Ahmed.

“Hong Kong have improved noticeably over the past year, in fact they outscored Japan in the second half despite their loss,” Birtwistle said.

“The first few days of this week were spent reviewing and comparing our and Hong Kong’s performances during this series and we have been working a number of tactics,” he added.

“The team is fired up and are focused on walking away with a win which will see us take second place in this year’s series, as well as recognise us as the best amateur team in Asia.”

Hong Kong finished in third place in last year’s Asian 5 Nations, one point behind second-placed Kazakhstan. Walking into this game, Hong Kong sit in second place with a seemingly comfortable 11 points to their name, with a draw enough to secure their retaining this spot on the podium.

The UAE goes into Saturday’s match on eight points and will be fighting for a convincing win.
“For UAE Rugby, this match is undoubtedly the most important in this year’s Top 5 division,” claims Ian Bremner, UAE Rugby CEO. “We expect to see a more level playing field in our pairing against Hong Kong and we know that they are a side who is on the up” 

“The team is certainly charged after last week’s performance (against Japan) and are looking toward a big away performance to finish off the season,” he added.

UAE will take on Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Football Club on Saturday at 4pm (local time). The UAE v Hong Kong match will be televised live on ESPN Star Sports throughout the region.

UAE squad:

1. Chris Jones Griffiths - Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2. David Vittes - Dubai Exiles
3. Mike Riley (Munib Haddad) – Dubai Exiles
3. Simon Osbourne – Dubai Hurricanes
5. Mike Cox-Hill – Dubai Exiles (captain)
6. Renier Els – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
7. Jamie Clarke – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
8. Carl Von Rosenveldt – Dubai Exiles
9. Stuart Quinn – Dubai Exiles
10. Jonathan Grady – Dubai Dragons
11. Steve Smith – Dubai Hurricanes
12. Duncan Murray – Dubai Hurricanes
13. John Beeton – Dubai Exiles
14. Sean Hurley – Dubai Dragons
15. Tim Fletcher – Dubai Dragons
16. Dan Heal – Dubai Dragons
17. Mohanned Shaker – Dubai Wasps
18. Phillip Stevens – Dubai Exiles
19. Lloyd Budd – Dubai Exiles
20. David Clouston – Dubai Hurricanes
21. Michael Hartley – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
22. Ali Mohammed – Dubai Wasps
23. Scott Kerr – Dubai Dragons
24. Cyrus Homayoun – Dubai Dragons
25. Chris Deacon – Dubai Exiles
26. Abdulla Ahmed – Dubai Wasps