The result might not have been what UAE Rugby performance manager Apollo Perelini would have wanted, but the strength of their opponents will have stood them in good stead ahead of meeting Guam, Thailand and Uzbekistan in Division II in Tashkent in just over two weeks.
The action was to and fro during a free-scoring encounter, with Jacques Benade’s Barbarians only running away with the match with three tries inside the final five minutes at Dubai Sports City.
Up until then it had been 29-29 with 10 minutes remaining before the late surge from a strong team selected from a host of the UAE Premiership’s six clubs, including Dubai Exiles, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Al Ain Amblers and Dubai Hurricanes.
The Barbarians outscored the UAE by eight tries to five, with the UAE’s Imad Reyal and the Baa Baas’ Ed James each touching down twice. Ed Armitage, Durandt Gerber, Ryan Rapallo, Sean Carey, Viriniki Leveanasiga and Stephen Ferguson also scored for the Baa Baas, with Ian Overton, Jaen Botes and Ben Blamire getting the other scores for the UAE.
Perelini will now trim his squad down to a 25-man touring team over the weekend before they leave for Tashkent on May 14.
Thailand have replaced Singapore in the competition after they were reinstated to Division I following Kazakhstan’s withdrawal this week.
