A 12-member Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC) Colts squad leaves for Sri Lanka today to take part in the 16-team, St Peter’s College Centenary International U-20 Rugby Sevens tournament which begins in Colombo tomorrow.
Accompanied by coaches Lee Stones and Jordan Viggers, the Colts will be among several international club teams that will compete against local college rugby teams in the two-day tournament.
The Colts will play their first Group C game against Kandy’s Vidyartha College team tomorrow morning before taking on Negri SRU from Malaysia in the afternoon.
Their final group game will take place tomorrow evening when they square off against the Sri Sumangala College side, also from Kandy.
“This is the first time this Bahrain team will play together,” Stones told the GDN.
“The Sevens format is a fast-paced game, perfectly suited to younger, faster players. The boys have been working hard in training over the past few weeks, despite the hot and humid weather, and they have shown real signs of improvement.”
With interest in rugby soaring in Bahrain leading to the largest ever attendance in the Colts’ age group this year, selecting the final 12 out of 40 boys who showed up at the weekly training sessions had been a bit of a difficult headache for the coaching staff, Stones said.
“Colts rugby has really taken off this year at the BRFC,” he added.
“Choosing a travelling squad of 12 really tested the coaching team and some hard choices were made.
“Now, the Colts will use this trip to gain valuable experience and preparation for the upcoming fixtures against the Muscat Colts – who arrive in the kingdom in November – as well as for the Dubai Sevens tournament in December.”
Although BRFC senior and veteran teams have played in Sri Lanka several times, this is the first time that a Colts side – which features 16- to 19-year-olds – will play in the island nation.
Meanwhile, in his capacity as the BRFC’s director of rugby, former Watsonians FC and Scotland U-20 player, Rory Drummond has worked hard to ensure that the Colts, and all other age-level teams, receive safe and professional coaching, Stones said.
“The club now boasts several International Rugby Board (IRB) Level 1- and Level 2-qualified coaches and we also draw on the wealth of experience offered by the senior team players who help out with the sessions,” he added.
“This provides for a safe and fun environment for the youth of Bahrain to enjoy rugby.”
BRFC Colts squad: Cole Crawford (captain), Joseph Gilbert (co-captain), Thibaut Pourcel, Alex Stones, Cooper Comrie, Henrico Goosen, Muhaimin Naife, Riley Docherty, Daniel McDonald, Aden Enslin, Sebastian Hofman, Charles Parkinson
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