Abu Dhabi Harlequins head to Bahrain Friday hoping to sign off for 2016 with one more win that will make it a perfect end to the year.
Mike McFarlane’s men lead the way in both the West Asia Premiership and UAE Premiership, with four wins and a draw from their opening five WAP games.
They have played a game less than second-placed Jebel Ali Dragons yet hold a two-point advantage over Henry Paul’s resurgent side.
They enter the final domestic game of the year on a high after winning a third straight Gulf Men’s League title at the Dubai Rugby Sevens earlier this month.
The only blemish on their record is a 23-23 home draw with Doha in October, but despite their early dominance, McFarlane insists there won’t be any slacking off with perhaps one eye on Christmas.
“The boys had one session off and came roaring back into training,” said McFarlane following Quins’ Sevens triumph. “The players are relentless in training and know full well they are fighting for a spot in one of three sides which we field on Friday.
“The boys have worked tirelessly since early pre-season and are now pumped to finish this half of the season positively.”
Another side on the up are Friday’s hosts, who have won three and lost two of their WAP games, and sit in third.
Coach Louie Tonkin has further improved the west Asia men after they made strides last season, and he is hugely encouraged that the visit of Quins is the start of five home games from their remaining seven league fixtures.
“We’re really excited,” said Tonkin, whose side haven’t played at home since the opening night of the season, which yielded a superb 51-10 victory against Dragons way back on September 23.
“We had a really good result that night and have had four really difficult away trips with mixed fortunes, but had nine important points which puts us in a really good place.
“Seven games left and five are at home so we really know how important those home games are. We know about the threat of Harlequins, they’ve been the most consistent side so far, top of the league, so we know they’re a real threat and full of talent.
“We know the enormity of the challenge but we’re really excited to play at home. There’ll be a big crowd and people are looking forward to watching a good game of rugby before they go away for Christmas.”
After opening wins against Dragons and Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain lost two straight to Dubai Exiles and Abu Dhabi Saracens, but bounced back with a gritty 18-15 win in Doha in early November.
“We had a really good win five weeks ago in Doha which we felt was a bit of a turning point for us. We clicked,” added the Welshman.
“We’ve had three season ending injuries, but we’ve got a good squad and we feel we can put out a squad capable of winning if we perform well, and we know we’re going to have to play out of our skin to pick up a result. We’re optimistic.”
