BAHRAIN Rugby Football Club (RFC) representatives will make the mass pilgrimage to the annual Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby Sevens today, with five teams in action across two sporting codes at the star-studded event.
As well as the regular appearances of the Bahrain Firsts in the Gulf Men’s League, the Golden Oldies in the Gulf Men’s Vets competition and the Bahrain Colts in the Gulf under-19 boys category, the club will once again be represented in the netball competition taking place alongside.
Undoubtedly the story of this year’s event however, is the return of the Harlem Globetrotters of Gulf rugby, the Bahrain Firbolgs, after an absence of three years, thanks to an extensive period of persistent lobbying by player/coach/captain/club president-in-waiting Dicky Ryan.
Assembled
In response, Ryan has assembled quite a formidable line-up, including sevens specialists, Matt McKee, Mark Burnell, Oli Johnson-Monday and Lindsey ‘the Heavy Serevi’ Gibson; club legend, Jase Vine, and Bahrain’s very own Ahmed Shehab, as they enter a Gulf men’s ppen group containing the Arabian Knights, Muscat and Yalla Rugby.
The Golden Oldies are the first into action as they take on Barrelhouse Redbacks later this morning, followed by Dubai Hurricanes this afternoon and the Billy Goats tomorrow evening.
The Colts will go up against Al Yas School, Dubai College and Dubai English Speaking College, while the netballers face off with Skechers, Netball DXB, Muscat, Fujeirah, Abu Dhabi Capitals, the Sandstormers and Dubai Tigers in a packed schedule.
After turning their attentions to the abbreviated code in recent weeks, the Bahrain Firsts will be looking to pick up on the 15s form which has seen them rise to the top of the West Asia Premiership standings, as they tackle Dubai Hurricanes, reigning champions Dubai Exiles and Dubai Eagles in what is expected to be a hotly-contested three-day series.