The “Sevens” was in carnival mood as thousands came to witness the IRB series played in Dubai.
Thursday was the first day of the main event where sixteen teams are taking part. While the main events were featured on Friday and Saturday there were also other games close to a four hundred that were played on six pitches surrounding the main ground. The numbers that will attend this tournament was around fifty thousand.
Worked along the Dubai Sevens was the first ever IRB-sanctioned Women’s Sevens for the IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup. Played across two pools of four, the teams were England, Canada China, South Africa, USA, Brazil Spain and Australia. This is a key event in leading to the women’s rugby sevens in the Olympics of 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Canada Vs USA and Australia vs England was the semi-final line up. China the Asian women’s sevens champions met Spain in a semi final game.
Fiji the winners of the sevens in Gold Coast took off with a good victory over Argentina. This was followed by a convincing win over Samoa to head pool A. Samoa who were held to a draw with Argentina and were pushed out of the Cup competition due to the better point’s difference. The 73 t0 7 victory over host UAE put Argentina into the quarter final.
In Pool B it was South Africa that went into the Quarter Final with a 100% win record. In their first match against USA six different players scored tries. New Zealand having lost to South Africa went into the Semi Final as runners up of group B.
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| The matches in progress |
Defending Champions of the Dubai Sevens, England, beat France and are the leaders of Group C. Joining the quarter finals from group will be Wales and Australia. Wales after a convincing win over Australia with an impressive score line of 33 points to 15.
Sri Lanka born Emad Reyal scored two tries for UAE in their match against Samoa in Pool A. The 20-year-old formerly of St. Anthony’s Kandy playing for his adopted home land showed good speed after selling a dummy to plant his first try and finished off the second . He also had a hand in the try UAE scored against Argentina when they went down by 73 points to seven.
The well organized tournament that displayed flamboyance as well as being an opportunity for entertainment had many a lesson that Sri Lanka can learn as they continued the International Sevens which was worked off in an IPL style. The rugby and entertainment need to be complementing each other if we are to attract crowds who have many opportunities that a tourist would have. The petty rivalry and conflicts and that politics have damaged both sides must be put aside to push the game forward. Soon it will be election time and a new set of office bearers will be in place and it should be all hands on the wheel. This alone will not suffice as the need will be to have a vision and a structure to achieve the purpose.
As we take a walk in this parts of the rugby world the disturbing element was that of wagging tongues which seemed to be a part of a smearing campaign. It appeared that there has been a lot of dirty linen being washed on things that should be sorted out at home. It is indeed a good case of cutting the nose to spite the face. The whole structure of rugby seemed to be smeared with more flavor for events that are domestic issues. To score brownie points has been more important than thinking that the game is what is most important.
The case of Reyal who goes on his mission to achieve the best is a case in point. If my reflection is right he had an issue and finished his school rugby career before time. The education structure to make a talented sportsman have another attempt and be on the sports scene. The more important aspect to wash the dirty linen and cut the advancement with short sight that does little good.
Dubai sevens has grown over the years and is now an event that is truly a world class. The score line does not suggest that UAE is up there among the best in playing rugby. They are up there when it comes to an event and hosting a world class rugby parade.
Where there is entertainment and the atmosphere for enjoyment rugby will and can provide the space. Lesson learnt and reconciliation is more important than the continuation leading to damnation of rugby that has a history of over a century.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, coach and Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB |
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