Danny Thomas inspired Xodus Wasps II to a comprehensive 46-19 victory over Dubai Exiles II in the Sport360° UAE Conference at 7he Sevens yesterday.
Alex Fowler, Liam Caldwell, Stan Langton, Jamie Webb, Shiraz Niazi and Jon Price were among the try-scorers, while Thomas, who also crossed the line, added a further four points. Lawrie Cook (conversion) added to his team’s total as Wasps recovered from their big 46-0 loss at Sharjah Wanderers in last week’s opener.
Wasps were 12-0 up inside 30 minutes with tries from Fowler and Caldwell. The lead was reduced to five points as Exiles got back into the game, but Langton’s interception ensured Wasps took a 10-point lead going into half-time.
Wasps continued where they finished as Webb and Thomas were both involved in the next two tries as they stretched their lead to 22 points.
In the 53rd minute, Niazi struck with Thomas making it 36-7. Exiles crossed the line to reduce the deficit after Wasps had again scored a try with the score 41-12. Price added another five points before Exiles hit seven more to their final total.
Xodus Wasps director of rugby Martin Southern paid tribute to his players. He said: “We were absolutely excellent. We trained extremely hard during the week after our defeat last week.
“We were very organised and our game was much more structured.”
Meanwhile, Conference Cup holders Dubai Hurricanes II registered their first win of the season with a 73-8 victory over Abu Dhabi Saracens II at Al Ghazal.
Dubai Sharks also triumphed with a 21-17 win over Abu Dhabi Harlequins II at Zayed Sports City in the capital. Ronald Van Wyk, Dan Crumplin and Dewald Von Maltitz scored tries while stand-in captain Ben Tilston converted six points as the Dubai outfit beat their opponents for the first time.
Dubai Sharks head coach Kevin Drew, who saw his side lose 18-13 at Arabian Knights last week, hailed his team’s performance.
He said: “After last week’s disappointment, we had to bounce back and we did that. The team was more confident than last week and we played very well as a team.”
In the other matches, Jebel Ali Dragons II ran out 55-5 winners over Al Ain Amblers II, Heartbeat Tigers beat Sharjah Wanderers 27- 0, while Al Ain Amblers I defeated Arabian Knights 43-3.
