West Asia Cup final: Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain, Friday 5pm, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, free entry
ABU DHABI // Despite beating them twice, and finishing 14 points and two places above them in the league campaign, there will be no risk of complacency when Abu Dhabi Harlequins welcome Bahrain for the West Asia Cup final.
That is the view of Mike McFarlane, the Harlequins coach, who says Friday’s guests are the best side his team have faced this term.
Harlequins have lost just once all season, and scooped the three trophies on offer so far, but McFarlane says there a sizeable obstacle between them and the next prize.
“They are the best team we have played against and the fact they are here proves that,” said McFarlane, whose side reached the final after beating Jebel Ali Dragons last weekend.
“It comes from having a solid team. Other teams are reliant on two or three outstanding players. If they don’t perform you are stuck, but Bahrain don’t have that problem.”
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McFarlane said his side did not need the fact Bahrain won away in Qatar last week — the only fixture that resulted in a loss for the league champions themselves — to remind them of their merits.
“When we played Bahrain away [and won 17-15] the boys went to hell and back,” McFarlane said.
“It was a brutal, brutal game. The two teams flogged each other. It was outstanding and we were lucky to come away with that win. Based on that encounter, there will be no complacency from us.”
Bahrain arrive for the final off their biggest win of the season, according to their coach Louie Tonkin, after a 23-22 win in Doha last Friday.
Given how the cup has been arranged, based on the final standings of the league, third-placed Bahrain have had to arrange their flights at late notice for both the semi-final and final.
As such, it is remarkable that this is the only time in the course of the campaign Tonkin has been able to field an unchanged side.
“It is quite comical really that it is the first time all season we have been able to field the same side for two games in a row,” Tonkin said.
“We are in a good place. We have had a lot of injury problems this season, but the boys have really fronted up the past couple of weeks.
“There have been a lot of sore bodies, but we have managed to get our best XV out again which we are delighted about. We are excited.”
When the sides met two weeks ago, in the final match of the league season, Harlequins were comfortable winners in a fixture that was conspicuous for the volume of the travelling support.
There was a reason for that. The match coincided with a junior tournament at Zayed Sports City, and many of the Bahrain contingent from that had stayed on to watch.
Even though there is no such festival this weekend, the tourists are still expecting to be able to hear some cheers.
“We have a big supporters’ bus arranged, with 40 or 50 travelling supporters,” Tonkin said.
“It just shows how much rugby means to this place. We are very lucky to have people who are will to pay from their own pocket to fly and support us.”
MATCH INFO
Head to head
December 16, Bahrain 15-17 Harlequins
March 17, Harlequins 45-17 Bahrain
Key battles
Willy Umu (Harlequins) v Adam Wallace (Bahrain)
A potentially brutal confrontation between two imposing centres. Fijian powerhouse Umu regularly makes the most yards of any Harlequin with ball in hand. Wallace, Bahrain’s captain, fulfils a similar role for his side. Humorously, given their size, when they last met two weeks ago, Umu was yellow carded for pulling Wallace’s hair.
Pinati Naki Lui (Harlequins) v Tommy Booth (Bahrain)
The battle of the back rows will go a long way to deciding who ends with the cup. Lui has replaced the influential No 8 Conor Canny, who suffered a concussion in the semi-final win over Jebel Ali Dragons. He will have his work cut out against opposite number Booth.
Andrew Semple (Harlequins) v Luke Radley (Bahrain)
Finding a place in an already well-appointed backline for Semple when he arrived from Northern Ireland last summer was always going to be a headache for Harlequins coach Mike McFarlane. He has variously featured at centre, scrum-half, and fly-half, and excelled at each. He will be opposite Radley at No 10.
pradley@thenational.ae
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