RUGBY – THE Bahrain First XV eked out a 17-13 victory over the Abu Dhabi Harlequins First XV last night in 2024-25 Men’s West Asia Super Rugby.
The game was played at Zayed Sports City in the UAE capital and it was the penultimate fixture for the kingdom’s representatives in the preliminary round of this season.
Skipper Rory Drummond had tries on either side of the interval to help lift Bahrain to the hard-earned result, while Josh Drain continued his stellar form with a pair of conversions and a penalty.
The result kept the undefeated campaign of Bahrain’s First XV alive with one fixture remaining before the knockout stage. They have 11 wins from as many outings and have secured the top seed heading into the semi-finals.
Their concluding assignment will be against the Dubai Dragons First XV and it will be played at home on Saturday next week. The kick-off time is to be confirmed.
Bahrain’s First XV squad for last night’s clash included Drummond, Drain, Matt McKee, Mackenzie Oliver, Nick Young, Henk Gouws, Awethu Lushozi, Lindsey Gibson, Alex Morris, Romeo Eksteen, Cormac Fox, Josh Petro, James Newey, Jack Phillips, Dai Evans, Dylan Pieterse, Tian Jacobs, Dan Mau’u, Keaton Shedoon, Charlie Farmer, Greg Heath, Joel Kidgell, and Chris Kropp.
Adam Wallace is the BRFC’s rugby director, Ross Preedy the backs coach, and Jack Parry the scrum and defence coach.
Drummond put Bahrain on the board first yesterday with a try after 17 minutes. Drain was then on target with his ensuing kick to give the visitors the 7-0 lead. But it didn’t take long for the Harlequins to draw level, tying it at 7-all four minutes later.
Drain sent home a penalty from distance in the 24th minute to put the Bahrainis back in front, and they kept the slim advantage heading into the break.
But the Harlequins made it 10-all with their own penalty five minutes into the second half, setting up a tight final half-hour in the contest.
The Bahraini side stepped up to the challenge and Drummond drove in his second try of the night in the 56th minute. That, coupled with Drain’s successful kick, had them back in control.
The hosts then fired in one more penalty but Bahrain did well to defend their slim lead until the final whistle.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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