Defending champions Bahrain hammered the Abu Dhabi Harlequins, 35-17, at Zayed Sports City in the UAE capital last night to notch up their second consecutive win in the 2023-24 West Asia Premiership rugby league.
Bahrain are aiming for a fourth title win in a row after completing a hat-trick of championship triumphs in the 2022-23 season and got their current campaign off to a perfect start a fortnight ago with a 32-23 drubbing of the visiting Doha Rugby Football Centre (Doha RFC) team in their season-opener in front of a packed home crowd at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC).
“We are pleased to get this away win over a very strong Quins side,” BRFC chairman Mike Cunningham told the GDN by phone from Abu Dhabi.
“The forward pack were absolutely solid, they were dominant, they destroyed the Quin’s scrum quite a few times and the backs, with their blistering pace, managed to play outstandingly well from our half with Deina Morete, our veteran, playing at scrum-half linking up with his half-back partner and some great play in the centres.
Mason Porteous, the Bahrain flyhalf who played a key role in his team’s win over Doha RFC, was singled out for praise by Cunningham after another inspired performance.
“Mason Porteous had another great game, scoring a lot of points off the boot as usual,” the BRFC chairman said.
“What a reliable kicker he is. And, it was great to see Graeme Bishop back playing for Bahrain out there on the wing and always a pleasure to see Matthew McKee keeping the front goal going. He’s another one of our players who’s been with us since he graduated through our Colts so great to see him play and still enjoy rugby.”
The game also marked a return to action for assistant coach Lindsey Gibson after a break because of surgery, Cunningham added.
“It was great to see Lindsey Gibson joining us back after surgery. He came off the bench and had some great runs as the hooker.”
With four points from the win plus a bonus point, Bahrain have moved up to the top of the seven-team table with nine points from their two games thus far, ahead of the Harlequins, who have eight points from three games.
“We got a bonus point for five tries,” Cunningham said.
“So our campaign has got off to a good start and we’ll see how it goes for the rest of the season. It was a tough game – it’s always a tough game whenever we come to Abu Dhabi and it wasn’t any different this time – but our victory was due to the forward pack, who absolutely dominated the opposition.
“That gave us a good platform for the backs with their speed and pace; and the creativity of the guys, the half-back partnership and then the fly halves out in the centres and the wings combined to power us to a comprehensive win.”
A festive atmosphere prevailed throughout the match, Cunningham said, with a large vocal crowd urging the Harlequins on. “The Quins had scheduled the game straight after junior rugby training so there was a great crowd there,” he explained.
“A lot of the young players stayed back to watch the game with their parents so it was a great atmosphere and great support for the home side, a little bit like what we get in Bahrain. They were quite vocal, cheering their team on. Unfortunately, they didn’t get a win.”
Bahrain’s next fixture will be a home game against the Jebel Ali Dragons at the BRFC on October 28. The Bahrainis had the better of the Dragons in both home and away games last season, defeating them, 34-10, last November at home before thrashing them, 43-12, at the Jebel Ali Centre of Excellence in January.
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