Dubai Sevens

The Dubai 7’s is arguably one of the more iconic International Sevens tournaments on the circuit and it is certainly unique.

The Dubai 7’s was borne from a local club 7’s tournament whose organisers ambitions year on year to invite more and more clubs, lead to the IRB deciding it was a suitable setting to grow their brand. While the IRB and International teams moved in, the local tournament did not move out and now we have a weekend with 224 teams, 3,304 players and 513 matches, not to mention about 140 referees coming in from all over the world.

The attraction of the Dubai 7’s is the weekend combination of rugby from once a year vets social players to full international rugby stars. Around the 7 pitches of the Sevens ground, players of all shapes, sizes and calibre are busying to and from a game.

The International World Sevens Series teams are the main attraction to the weekend. Both the Men’s and Women’s events are staged in Dubai. Teams such as Fiji, always a crowd favourite, South Africa, with a large expatriate following in Dubai and of course England, with an even larger one, look to Dubai as their favourite tournament, raising their game to the crescendo of 30,000 voices willing them to win.
Meanwhile for the Gulf expatriate players who now have a gap from their XV’s leagues, there are enough tournaments to soak up the majority of players, from front row to sevens specialist wingers.

The Gulf Men’s tournament will take the cream of Gulf players, many of whom have seen professional level rugby back in their home countries. Players such as Rickie Thomas, who has played for Wales Sevens, Olly Turton (Leicester Sevens), Jeremy Manning, who often plies his trade with Samurai and Serious Stuff Pups and Iziq Foia, who last year academied with London Harlequins and was picked to play for them in the Premiership Sevens Series and world club sevens. Gulf Champions Dubai Dragons boast the likes of Murray Strang and Sean Crombie, both with International Scottish Sevens experience.

In contrast the Gulf Social competition will pit part time fun sides against each other such as the Dubai Beaver Nomads and the Dubai Redbacks, the latter mostly being parents of kids playing Youth Rugby in Dubai. The uniqueness of the Dubai 7’s is the oddities thrown up when playing in such competitions as International vets. Not all Gulf sides can enter the Gulf Tournaments due to oversubscription for places, so this year the Ras Al Khaimah Goats, (a social Vets team from the North of the UAE) will be playing the Joining Jack side, which includes England coach Andy Farrell and England World Cup Hero, Jason Robinson.

The Dubai 7’s then stands truly apart from the other World Series events in this weekend of levelling of personalities. Where else would rugby league star Martin Offiah be waiting patiently, on the side of the pitch for an U18 girls match to finish playing; casually chatting with the crowd, before his team can play.

The now 45th Dubai 7’s event, also brings the Middle East rugby community together for a reunion weekend, teams from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Kuwait, will remember players from Qatar, Oman and the UAE and reminisce on last year’s results, often taking bragging right to the next tournament.

The action all starts on Thursday 4th December and as on every year before, promises to be bigger, louder and more entertaining than the year before.
Chris Bath – The Gulf Rugby Paper.