Rise in players and games is a boost to UAE schools rugby standard

In 1995, the Dubai Rugby Sevens was played on grass for the first time. There were not many pitches available in the country, because not much rugby was played here.

Fast-forward 16 years, and there are still not enough proper pitches - but only because the game has become one of the most popular with UAE schoolchildren.

The Dubai primary school rugby season, which has just concluded, saw a huge rise in participants and matches. The teachers involved said they could not believe how much better all the teams had become.

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"The future of rugby in this country is very bright. Not only was the standard of rugby very high in the season just past, the numbers of children taking part this season also rose dramatically," said Max Lohe, the assistant director of sport at the Dubai English Speaking School (DESS).

"The standard of primary school rugby has really improved in Dubai over the last five years. The boys in all year levels are playing very competitive matches and this is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication by the teachers and students here in the UAE."

He said the extra work has paid off.

"Some of the teams train two or three times a week, before and after school, in preparation for these tournaments," said Lohe. "All this hard work is highlighted by the quality of matches played during the season.

The Dubai Primary School League, which took place over 10 weeks, involved 12 primary schools in Dubai who were split into two divisions (competitive and developmental) in a bid to ensure that all matches were tightly contested.

Children from age seven competed in tag rugby that allows children to develop the skills of the game without the contact element, while children age eight to 12 played full contact rugby, with rules modified to ensure safety.

The competition was organised by the Jumeirah English Speaking School, with the finals hosted by Jebel Ali Primary School.

The two other major tournaments during the year were the Dubai College 10s and the DESS Spring Rugby Tournament. Both of which were won by Dubai English Speaking School - their Year 6 team only lost one game all season.

"Many of the boys have been playing rugby at DESS since they were seven and over the past four years have developed into a formidable team," Lohe said. "A majority of the team will be attending Dubai English Speaking College next year, once they finish year six, and will continue to grow and develop and hopefully some of them will one day go on to represent the UAE national team."

ncameron@thenational.ae