RUGBY – BAHRAIN’S First XV rugby team completed a sensational undefeated regular season for the second straight year last night in the 2025-26 Men’s West Asia Premiership.
The kingdom’s representatives wrapped up their incredible campaign with a dominant 64-19 thrashing of Qatar’s Doha First XV in front of a large crowd of appreciative fans at Bahrain Rugby Club (BRC) in Saar.
The hosts scored a whopping 10 tries in the contest, with First XV debutant Jayden Summers leading the way with an impressive brace.
The others to contribute a try apiece were David Evans, Andries de Kock, Charlie Farmer, Kenta Kutsuna, Ethan MacDonald, Lindsey Gibson, Tian Jacobs, and Romeo Eksteen.
Skipper Cormac Fox also played a key role, kicking in seven conversions in the big win.
The result earned Bahrain’s First XV their 12th triumph in as many outings as they cemented their tag as top seeds heading into this season’s semi-finals. Their upcoming single-elimination contest will once again be at home at BRC, scheduled for April 4, with their opponents still to be determined.
“We’re delighted with how the domestic season has gone,” BRC’s rugby director Adam Wallace told the GDN last night “That’s our last game now before we move into the semis. We did this last year – we managed to go undefeated, so we’re not counting anything now apart from those two final games. Ultimately, the test of whether we’ve improved this season has come down to that.
“The league is very tight this year, so we’ve got four teams now that are all fighting for the last three spots in the semi-finals. It could be anyone at this point.
“What we know is it’s not about who we’re playing against – it’s about how we approach each game. That’s going to be our focus going forward, no matter who we’re facing.
“The semi-final or final is about making sure that we get the performance right, and that’s what we’re building for.”
Bahrain are looking to regain the Men’s West Asia Premiership crown which they last won in 2022-23. They also ended their regular-season campaign last year unscathed, but were dealt a heartbreaking defeat in the final when they were stunned by eventual champions the Dubai Hurricanes First XV.
“We haven’t won anything yet – we found that out last year, so this year is about taking the next step to finally push on and get that win,” Fox told the GDN last night post-game.
“It’s exciting; we still had a great year last year, undefeated the whole way through, so that in itself was an achievement.
“Now, it’s about taking the next step to finally push on and get the championship because, as we said, nothing’s won yet, so time to push on and get it.”
In yesterday’s victory, Evans opened Bahrain’s account in the sixth minute, and then de Kock added their second try just two minutes on, with Fox kicking in the bonus points for a quick 12-0 lead.
Farmer drove the ball in the 12th minute and Fox was again on target to extend their advantage, and then Kutsuna gave them their fourth try after only 20 minutes, followed by another Fox conversion, to stretch the gap to 26-0.
Just seven minutes on, MacDonald got the ball over the line after a dominant Bahrain scrum, and Fox once again split the uprights with his nudge. Doha were finally on the scoreboard at the half-hour mark, but Gibson replied immediately for the home team with an easy try that made it 38-5 – a cushion they took with them into the locker rooms.
After the interval, Doha were the first to score but Bahrain answered with Summers’s first try in the 55th minute, followed by a successful Fox conversion. Jacobs was then on the board and another Fox make put Bahrain up by 40, 52-12. They later pegged the final score with tries from Summers and Eksteen, with Fox kicking in two more bonus points.
“Outstanding with the way the boys played today,” Wallace added. “It was a really good day, really happy with the scoreline and with the result, but we know now that it’s about building for the next four weeks into that semi-final, which will be at home here on April 4.
“For us now, it’s about moving on to that next job.”
Of their upcoming programme over the next month ahead of the last four, Fox said: “A bit of a break next week for the lads – they’ve earned it, and then our Second XV are playing a big game, so we’ll help them prepare for that.
“We’ll then start ramping it up until April 4, when we’re at home. It’d be great if we could have big support here at home against whoever it is we’ve got.”
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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