Dubai Exiles sloppy in win over Doha

Matt Jones - Editor 08:30 24/09/2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Watts going on?: New Dubai Exiles recruit Nathan Watts.

    The scoreline reads victory, but Dubai Exiles will not be winning more silverware this year with performances like this.

    This display was littered with handling errors – things simply not evident as Exiles stormed to the West Asia Championship and UAE Premiership double last season.

    The humidity and rustiness can be put forward only so far as excuses – but head coach Jacques Benade was cutting when he said his players simply failed to live up to their own standards.

    “We can’t be happy with that,” said the South African. “We have standards, and this is not how we want to play rugby. Any ball we had we just turned it over. Luckily their forwards were tired and they’re not the Doha of old. Last year those boys would have put 40-50 points on us and that’s what I told the boys, they were lucky.”

    Benade’s frustration was only added to when talisman Durandt Gerber was taken off in the second half with a dislocated shoulder that could see him sidelined for more than a month.

    “Du doesn’t look good with his shoulder,” added Benade. “That could be three to six weeks so other boys will have to step up. We’ll see our real character now and how good we are and what they can do without him.”

    Aaron Palmer’s visitors were bright from the start and took the lead after just six minutes through winger Jonny McMullan. Two Gerber penalties put Exiles ahead and they opened up a gap at the interval thanks to some good fortune and a brilliant piece of ingenuity from South African centre Clint Berkenshaw.

    Berkenshaw hacked forward after capitalising on a Doha error and made metres before flipping a brilliant no-look pass behind him to Gerber who sprinted in for a fine try.

    Ed Armitage scored a second try after the break but it was far from vintage from Exiles.

    Palmer lost 17 players over the summer and his trip east was made harder when two players were turned away at the aiport.

    “We lost two at the airport with visa issues so it was just the luck of the draw,” said the New Zealander. “I know it would be a hard task to come here and beat the defending champions, but I think we saw plenty of positives.”

    Recommended