BSAK 7s to showcase the best rugby talent in the UAE as well as abroad, says Mike McFarlane

Matt Jones - Editor 21:36 08/11/2017
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  • Amir Mamoud in action for DESC at a previous BSAK tournament

    More than 70 teams, including schools from Egypt and Lebanon, descend on Abu Dhabi on Thursday for the supremely popular BSAK 7s rugby tournament to be held in the capital.

    School teams from Cairo and Beirut will be part of the popular annual tournament being held at the British School Al Khubairat, with the hosts as well as Dubai powerhouses Dubai College, Dubai English Speaking College and Jumeirah English Speaking School set to be among the favourites.

    All in all, there will be more than 70 teams from around the Gulf and internationally playing in the tournament which runs over two days, starting Thursday and finishing on Friday.

    The under-11 and U-12 tournaments take place on Thursday followed by a full day at Abu Dhabi’s premier sporting event, Zayed Sports City, where the U-13 to U-19 boys play as well as U-14 and U-19 girls touch.

    It is sure to be an excellent showcase for youth rugby especially for teams in their build-up to Dubai Sevens at U-19 level next month.

    “It’s a fantastic showcase for the rugby players from all round the Gulf and internationally as we welcome both Beirut and Cairo,” said BSAK’s Head of PE, Mike McFarlane – who also coaches Abu Dhabi Harlequins.

    “A world-class venue such as Zayed Sports City is a great stage for players to compete in. I know our BSAK teams are very excited for the tournament and no doubt will face stern competition from top teams such as DC, DESC and JESS who are in and around the silverware each year.

    “Thursday evening we have U11 and U12 at BSAK and Friday we move to ZSC which hosts the U13 to U19 boys as well as the U14 and U19 girls touch.

    “We’ve got some fantastic talent on show and I’ll be looking forward to seeing the likes of Jack Crowther in the U12s, Oliver Winstanley in the U16s and Sam Relton in the U19s show their quality.”

    It was a case of an awesome foursome for DC a year ago as they took home four of the eight titles on offer at the BSAK 7s last November.

    Despite being beaten 10-7 and 30-0 by JESS Ranches and DESC in the U-12 and U-13 finals, DC responded by claiming the trophy in the U-14s. Facing DESC, DC held their nerve to claim a comfortable 22-5 triumph.

    They were also celebrating in the U-16s final after their 29-7 defeat of Repton.

    Their U-19 side soon made it three titles on the day. Having got past hosts BSAK in a thrilling semi-final, they completed the job by overcoming DESC 27-5.

    There was also something to celebrate for their girls’ U-14s, who won gold in a hard-fought 15-10 victory over DESC, while their U-19s finished runners-up.

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