Bahrain Rugby Football Club’s (RFC) Select XV got their Gulf Conference campaign off to a positive start on Friday as they saw off the challenge of Saudi Arabia by 36-5 in Saar.
Full-back Dan Tomanek made the most of a valued start – having featured from the bench in Bahrain’s three Rugby West Asia Championship encounters so far this season – as he bagged a pair of tries as well contributing three conversions for a total haul of 16 points.
Arron Dalgarno also struck for a brace of tries for a scratch home side that, although packed with plenty of experience in the shape of members of the club’s first XV squad, Golden Oldies and those returning from injury, was playing together for the first time.
Teenager Tomanek got the scoreboard working early on as he finished off a slick passage of play by diving over in the corner for the game’s opening try and the Bahrain XV looked to be cruising as further tries from Dalgarno (2) and Terrence Tantoh made it 22-0 at the break.
The second half didn’t quite turn out to be the rout that many of the ever-enthusiastic Bahrain supporters might have expected as the hosts made hard work of what was at times a messy affair.
In reality, Bahrain never looked in any danger and further scores from Tomanek and veteran Kern Wales effectively ended the game as a contest, although the visitors – made up of players from the Riyadh, Khobar and Dammam clubs – finally got themselves on the scoreboard with a consolation try near the end.
All-in-all a useful day’s work for Bahrain head coach Louie Tonkin, with a number of players putting their hands up for selection for the first XV as they look to get back to winning ways away to 2014-15 league champions Abu Dhabi Saracens on Friday.