RUGBY – BAHRAIN were crowned champions last night of the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Sevens Trophy 2026, which has come to a close at Ayla Oasis in Aqaba, Jordan.
The kingdom’s representatives secured the title after outclassing the host Jordanians 26-12 in the Cup final.
The nationals conceded the contest’s opening try but replied with three straight, along with successful conversions each time, to take a commanding 21-7 lead into the break. Although they gave up another try to begin the second half, Bahrain responded with one more and held on until the final whistle to come away with the coveted crown.
Along with the winners’ trophy, Bahrain also won promotion to the continent’s premier rugby sevens event for next year, the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2027.
Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed third place overall after beating Lebanon 29-7 in their concluding classification fixture yesterday.
In other games to determine the final ranking amongst the nine competing men’s teams from West and Central Asia, Saudi Arabia claimed fifth after beating Iraq 36-5, and Oman took seventh after routing Kyrgyzstan 36-7. Syria also took part in the tournament and they finished ninth overall.
After sweeping their three Group B fixtures on day one Friday – when they posted victories against Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, and Jordan – Bahrain maintained their impressive form yesterday, kicking off their concluding day’s programme with a resounding 33-12 over Lebanon in the Cup semi-finals.
That earned them their ticket to the title-deciding contest and a re-match against Jordan, who were 22-0 victors against Pakistan in the other final four clash.
The Jordanians had a dream start in the final and were first on the board with a try after only two minutes. But Tian Jacobs replied for Bahrain with a try in the fifth minute followed by a successful conversion by skipper Greg Heath, putting them up 7-5.
Heath then added one more try and conversion, followed by a try driven in by Rhys Fitzgerald and another conversion by Heath, to give the kingdom’s squad their comfortable cushion at the interval.
Jordan scored once more at the beginning of the second half, but Jacobs closed things out with a try in the closing seconds to peg the final score and secure the crown.
Bahrain’s other sevens players who competed in Aqaba included Alastair Crombie, Leon Mauer, Aled Morris, Martin Prinsloo, Dai Evans, Cooper Comrie, Ali Alshaikh, Thibaut Pourcel, and Amaan Raza.
A women’s event featuring five teams was also held. Their title was won by Lebanon, who defeated Jordan 22-0 in their final.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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