Like many expats, Chris Marshall’s stint in the UAE was supposed to be brief. Now he stands on the verge of winning an international rugby cap.
The Abu Dhabi Harlequins winger came to the Emirates for six-months in 2012. Three years later he’s still here and hoping to win a place in Roelof Kotze’s sevens squad for the Asian Sevens Series in a month’s time.
He’s also hoping to be part of the 15-a-side team too, having heard glowing reports of the UAE’s tour to Malaysia in May.
Now that he qualifies, Marshall wants to grab his international chance with both hands and play for the UAE in any format.
“I’d love to be involved with the 15s next year and I think they can win that league (Division II of the Asia Rugby Championship),” said Marshall.
“I spoke to Matt Hutchings at Saracens and Ed Lewsey at Quins and they both said how brilliant the Malaysia tour was.”
The Englishman, 25, qualifies for the UAE this year and has been training with the senior sevens squad for the last few weeks. He is desperate to be part of a UAE team hoping to break into Asia’s top six after finishing rock bottom of 12 teams in last year’s series.
“Our chances are good. We’ve got some outstanding expat and local players,” said Marshall, a former Newcastle Falcons sevens player.
“Hopefully we can combine the two to be competitive in these tournaments. We want to start climbing back up the ladder.”
The shortened format of the game is arguably his favourite and Marshall is part of the senior sevens team preparing for the Asian Sevens Series legs in Shanghai on September 5-6 and Colombo on October 11-12.
“The players certainly think that the top six is achievable,” said Marshall.
“We have to. It’s why we play, to get to that top level and against the likes of Hong Kong and China.
– UAE: UAERF & Dubai Sports Channel sign MoU to promote rugby
– UAE: Roelof Kotze eyes medals in Asian RFU Under-20 7s
– UAE: Qais Al Dhalai insists Emiratis can develop alongside expats
“With the players we’ve got that’s where we belong. There’s been a few lean years but this is something that’s growing and I think there’s real potential. We’re going to go there confident and believe we can win the tournament.”
Kotze, the UAE’s performance manager, has determined that both the senior and Under-20 UAE sides will be a blend of expat and Emirati players for the next few years after the UAE failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Marshall believes the combination of the two sets of players is a recipe for success.
“It’s a really good set-up to be involved with and there’s a lot of talent around. Hopefully we can put that onto the pitch,” said the Quins’ flyer.
“Given rugby’s not a major sport in the UAE, I’ve been blown away by some of the Emirati talent. There’s some serious and genuine talent coming through. That’s really struck me, there’s genuine potential.”
