Doha: The Qatar national men’s rugby team moves a division higher in the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) standings with a convincing win over Guam in the recently concluded HSBC Asian 5 Nations competition in Kuala Lumpur.
The annual meet, managed by the Union and split into six tiers of competition, grouped Qatar with fellow Division III countries China, Guam and Indonesia.
“The tournament is considered vital for the development and expansion of rugby throughout Asia and gives Asian elite players the chance to perform in front of a significantly expanded TV audience, whilst providing a platform for development at all other levels,” coach Aaron Palmer said.
The tournament’s ranking is also used for Rugby World Cup qualifying purposes.
The national team went into the tournament ranked last in the division and had to defeat 1st ranked China in order to get into the championship match.
“Going into the tournament, we were of course aiming to win the competition which the coaching staff thought was an achievable goal,” Palmer added.
“Having won Division IV for two straight years, we wanted to prove that our level is consistently getting higher and better. However, we still did not know what to expect in our first game against China”.
The team managed to deliver a commanding win against China and prepared to meet Guam – a big, young team that posed a real challenge.
“We were behind in the final match against Guam early in the second half but we knew we had the ability to win – which we did by scoring twice later in the match,” Palmer added.
“On the final whistle it was total exhilaration after realising what we have achieved. We were written off as the 4th place team with no real chance of winning. But we proved a lot of people wrong and enjoyed further international success for Qatar”.
With the win Qatar now ranks 13th in Asia.
The team was also promoted to a higher and harder Division and next year would have to face Thailand, Malaysia and Iran.
Palmer acknowledges the amount of work that’s needed both in the playing field and outside of it.
The team, comprised of 25 players representing Qatar and five other countries, extensively trained and prepared for the tournament six weeks prior with 3 training runs a week.
“All players either have full time jobs or go to universities so trainings were in the evenings and weekends,” Palmer said.
“Our team’s commitment is commendable. But a lot of work is also needed to strengthen and promote the game of rugby in Qatar. We need to develop the game in the country by promoting and introducing it to the local population, establish strategic partnerships for funding and resources and partner with the national Olympic committee to truly expand its reach”.
The Peninsula
