UAE Premiership final against Dubai Exiles is ‘do or die’ for Hurricanes, says captain Ruan Steenkamp

After a distinguished professional career back at home, which saw him represent South Africa at Under 20s level, Ruan Steenkamp planned to wind down from playing when he moved to Abu Dhabi three years ago.

In the summer of 2022, word spread fast within the UAE rugby community that Steenkamp – then 29 – was retiring from playing to take up a teaching job in the capital.

The man himself was solely focused on making a success of his new role as a PE teacher. Rugby, which had been his life, would now become a weekend pursuit.

Initially he joined Abu Dhabi Pumas, but he had no shortage of suitors. He ended up at Dubai Hurricanes, and played his first season in the second-tier UAE Championship.

Despite being one of the biggest amateur sports clubs in the region in terms of membership, the Hurricanes were undergoing a reset at that point.

It served them well. They bounced back to the top tier at the first time of asking, and, after a tough start to last season, ended as runners-up in the UAE Premiership.

Unsurprisingly, given his impeccable rugby CV, Steenkamp’s form on the field has been central to the club’s revival.

Now they are back in a UAE Premiership final, against the perennial contenders Dubai Exiles on Saturday.

The winners will have a chance to double their trophy haul a week later. Oddly, given a quirk of this season’s fixtures schedule, the domestic final also counts as the semi-final for the West Asia Super Rugby tournament. The winners will face either Bahrain or Abu Dhabi Harlequins the following Saturday.

“Every time you make a final, you feel like this is your chance and you are not going to get it again,” Steenkamp, the Hurricanes captain, said.

“Last year, we struggled at the start, then in the second half of the season we came back into it and made the final [where they lost to Jebel Ali Dragons on finals day in Al Ain]. This year, we have built on that.

“Now, again, we are in the final and, for the first time, in the West Asia semi-final. Now it feels like do or die for us.”

The Exiles are familiar opposition for the Hurricanes. The two clubs have shared tenancy of The Sevens since it became the new home for rugby in the Middle East in 2008, and their home pitches are adjacent to each other.

For Steenkamp, there will also be some recognisable accents in the opposition ranks on Saturday. The Exiles’ success over the past decade has been built on a strong South African core, both at administrative and playing level.

They will have well known Steenkamp’s merits before he even opted to leave the pro game to move to the UAE. Jacques Benade, the Exiles coach, was one of many who was keen to acquire Steenkamp when he made the switch.

“I wasn’t so clued up on UAE rugby when I came over here,” Steenkamp said. “I came over for a teaching job, with a view to playing a little bit of rugby as well. I was sitting on the plane, ready to take off for the UAE, and Jacques phoned me.

“I didn’t know why this guy wanted me so badly. I just felt, back then, that as we were going to Abu Dhabi, I wanted to commit to the school I was at first and foremost.”

Steenkamp has subsequently moved to Dubai, and now has a job helping develop rugby at GEMS Wellington Silicon Oasis.

“Coming from a professional background, I still wanted to play a bit of rugby," he said. “I did see this as me going out of the game. I wasn’t going to keep on playing for another five or 10 years. It was a case of me easing out of it.

“But having a team and camaraderie is something we love as players. Coming here, it is more chilled. You train two times a week then play on Fridays or Saturdays. It is a bit more chilled than being a professional, but it is still hard work, don’t get me wrong.

“The competitiveness will always be there. If you have the opportunity to tackle, or run hard with the ball, that is something within you that I don’t think you will ever be able to switch off. The rugby is still competitive.”

Not least against Saturday’s opposition. Steenkamp says the Hurricanes are going to have to be tough if they are to get the better of their neighbours.

“Playing against the Exiles, they have a massive pack,” he said. “The South Africans, in particular, are very physical boys. You always know that the day after you play the Exiles, you are going to be sore and bruised.

“I think that is a case of mutual respect. You know you need to play hard, and that is just how we are. You need to be tough.”