Jacques Benade, the UAE coach, is calling for improvement from his side after they made a false start to the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) in defeat to Hong Kong.
The national team had entered the tournament on a wave of optimism. They finished second last year for the first time in their history.
That was the incentive for a vastly improved programme as they prepared for this year’s ARC, which carries with it a qualifying place for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
They played two Autumn Test matches, against Zimbabwe and Germany, and preceded this tournament with a tour to Kenya. Hopes were high that they could push for top spot, and a trip to Australia for the World Cup.
But Hong Kong are the favourites for qualification for good reason. They have won the past five ARCs. Previous to that, they were runners up four years in a row against Japan, who have since switched from Asian competition to play more fixtures against Tier 1 nations.
And Hong Kong showed their class straight from the off, as they outplayed the home side in a 43-10 at The Sevens, Dubai, on Saturday.
The difference in quality was laid bare at set pieces. The UAE were penalised at the vast majority of scrums, while the tourists established the lead via two push over tries from line outs.
The frustration for the home side was the fact there were positive moments which showed they could compete with their well-drilled visitors.
They made an alarmingly nervy start, but Gerard Pieterse, the debutant full-back, snapped them into action with a crunching, try-saving tackle on Alexander Post, the Hong Kong hooker.
Brad Janes, the Jebel Ali Dragons flanker who was outstanding on his UAE debut, scored the try his performance deserved.
The UAE were within touching distance at that point, at 15-10. When they then botched a golden chance to go into half-time 22-17 behind with an attacking scrum underneath Hong Kong’s posts, the game went away from them.
“We are all disappointed,” Benade, the UAE coach, said. “Looking at the boys in the dressing room, their heads were down, and I don’t think we played as well as we could.
“We are better than that. Given how hard we work for everything, that was just not good enough for us. We should be better, and there will be a lot of hard work this week.
“We need to be honest with ourselves, and there are no more excuses. We need to step up as a group and play better rugby next week.”
The national team travel to Incheon to face South Korea next Saturday. Their ambitions will likely now be revised down to a runners-up place, which would keep alive their World Cup qualification hopes.
The second placed side in the ARC will enter a play-off system which concludes with a week-long tournament in Dubai in November. The winner of that will also make it to the World Cup.
The Koreans began their tournament with a thrilling 38-34 win against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday. Benade knows a big improvement needs to be made if they are to take points in Incheon, particularly at scrum time.
“They [Hong Kong] were very good up front,” Benade said. “They will have known from last year we do put an emphasis on our scrums. It was something that didn’t work tonight and we have three sessions to fix that.
“We have seen that if you can’t get good set-piece ball, you can’t play rugby. From the start, we made mistakes. From the kick off, we couldn’t get the ball away.
“It was completely different to what we have been practising over the past five weeks, and then you realise the boys are under pressure.
“It is hard work, and we need to get it fixed. We need to get them to believe they can compete against boys like that.
“They are a very good side, but we showed what could happen when you put them under pressure.”
Joshua Hrstich, the Hong Kong captain, said his side were satisfied with their opening day win, in which they ran in six tries to one by the UAE.
“We are pretty excited to get out of the desert with maximum [points] and get our campaign off to a good start,” Hrstich said.
“Pressure is a privilege. We are taking this tournament one game at a time. You just have to watch the Korea-Sri Lanka game to see that everyone is dangerous. We are taking no one lightly.”
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
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Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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