Apollo Perelini believes there is still plenty of work for him and the UAE Rugby Federation to accomplish in order to attract more Emiratis to rugby after they finished third at the Arab Rugby Sevens tournament in Morocco.
The second staging of the event, organised by World Rugby, Asia Rugby and the Arab Rugby Federation (ARF), saw the host nation crowned winners following a 29-14 win in the final against Tunisia.
The UAE lost to Morocco 35-0 in the semi-final but finished with a bronze medal thanks to a superior points record over the remaining teams.
Perelini’s all-Emirati charges had also lost 46-0 in the group stages to the hosts before advancing to the last four with a 45-0 thrashing of Algeria.
“Despite finishing third, there were lots of lessons learnt, but more importantly it’s an indication to myself and UAE RF board members at the tournament that there will need to be a bigger push for development and interest for the game in Emiratis,” said Perelini.
“We don’t have a big player pool of local players and therefore it can be a struggle to compete against other Arab countries that have registered rugby players into the thousands.
“I am not moaning, but I need to find ways to get more interest for the game of rugby into our local Emirati communities.”
In general, however, Perelini is encouraged by the establishment of the ARF and the second staging of the tournament.
He added: “The Arab 7’s is a new concept and only in its second year of running. The tournament will continue to grow as more and more Arab nations find its appeal of competing in its own tournament catered for their culture as well as the game’s culture.”
UAE captain Waleed Salem said the players felt as if many gains had been made.
“The bronze medal was a goal for us before the start of the competition because we were aware that the other teams are stronger than us technically and physically and it is difficult to win the trophy in the presence of Morocco and Tunisia,” said Salem.
“We were keen to be on the podium, and more importantly, we have succeeded in achieving the first bronze medal in the Arab championship for the UAE. We are an aspiring group and are gaining experience by playing in such tournaments.”
