Doha display West Asia Championship intent with victory over Sarries

Matt Jones - Editor 23:14 15/01/2016
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  • Doha continued their winning ways in the West Asia Championship.

    In a game almost as entertaining as the West Asia Cup final played between the two 10 months ago, Aaron McLelland shone brightest for the visitors, scoring a brace of tries to help his side to a 31-22 victory.

    A pulsating game saw both defences trading blows in a first half that ended 7-7 but it exploded into life in the second period as Sarries fought hard before eventually going down by four tries to three as Doha served notice that they will be one of the main contenders for the West Asia Championship crown.

    Sarries’ fly-half Matt Hutchings admitted their hopes of more West Asia glory are already fading.

    “Probably now it seems a bit unrealistic to win the competition,” said the deflated Welshman.

    “With the way these boys are playing now and Exiles are going well too. We probably could have got away with losing one and could still be in with a chance, but I don’t think so now. We’re gutted.

    “We won’t give up though, like we didn’t today. We fought until the end but we just gave ourselves a little bit too much to do.”

    Doha had threatened to run away with the game in a dominating first half, full-back McLelland utilising his searing pace to sprint all of 70 yards to open the scoring after just four minutes.

    Despite exerting a stranglehold on the contest, however, their early try was their sole score and the fragility of their lead was exposed in a brief five minute rally by the hosts at the end of the first half which produced a try for flanker Phanta Quinsile.

    He bulldozed over following great work from new winger Thinus Steyn and Stephen Hamilton this week nailed a brilliant touchline conversion to send the teams in level at the interval.

    Caine Elisara touched down even earlier after the break than McLelland had scored in the first half to light the blue touch paper and Sarries roared back, Garth van Niekerk rumbling over minutes later after intense pressure.

    Hamilton’s conversion missed but he put his side ahead for the only time in the 65th minute with a penalty.

    That had come after two missed Brook Tremayne efforts from close range and Doha coach Aaron Palmer might have been getting that feeling of déjà vu.

    Up popped that man McLelland though to instantly restore Doha’s lead and Wade Lotter’s try soon after gave the visitors a bonus point and a 13-point lead.

    The home side refused to lie down and a trademark rolling maul saw Steyn cut a superb line to score under the posts to make it 28-22 but with time of the essence, Sarries knocked on and Tremayne finally put the game beyond them with a penalty.

    After scoring eight tries in last week’s mauling of Al Ain, Elisara scored just once this week but touched on its significance.

    “I don’t think I’ll do it (eight tries) again, but today’s one was a hell of a lot more important,” he said.

    “It was tight and we thought it would be. We showed what kind of team we are. We’re two from two so it’s a good start.”

    With their 26-20 defeat in the West Asia Cup final still fresh in the mind, Palmer didn’t enjoy the to and fro of the rematch.

    “I had flashbacks of the West Asia Cup final,” he said.

    “It was a strange game. We got up 28-15 and I thought that’s the game and I could put my feet up, but then we let them back into it again.

    “They scored and I thought ‘here we go again’. We had an anxious eight minutes but we pulled through. It was never going to be easy but we got there.

    “It’s a tough competition and we knew it would be, but that’s what we wanted. It was our first real test of the year and it’s what we needed.”

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