Abu Dhabi Saracens won their sixth Gulf Top Six game on the spin, although they left it late in a fierely contested battle with Jebel Ali Dragons.
This was not a game for the faint of heart, with bodies being put on the line and passion and tension spilling over throughout.
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Jumeira Rotana, Dubai
– #CWC15: World Cup Stick Cricket is here!
– #360Fans: Ireland vs France Six Nations – UAE supporters preview
The 38-3 scoreline would suggest an easy victory for the unbeaten Sarries but in truth, for the majority of the game, it was a bruising and enthralling encounter.
Only inside the last 20 minutes did Dragons’ fire eventually burn out, allowing the visitors to claim yet another bonus point win and maintain their unbeaten run.
@SaracensUAE continue search for perfect #GT6 record with 38-3 win over @JebelAliDragons last night, although scoreline flattered Sarries
— Matt Jones (@MattJones360) February 14, 2015
Sarries player/coach Ali Thompson’s red-hot team opened up an early 12-0 gap when Dillon Gage went over after collecting a knock-down from a line-out and centre Steve Hamilton crossed after 20 minutes.
Murray Strang got Dragons on the board with a penalty and the next 40 minutes was a ferocious fight that really could have gone either way.
Who knows what would have happened had Dragons full-back Ryno Fourie chosen to send winger Ian Overton in for a try instead of trying to beat Sarries full-back Matt Hutchings himself following a blistering break.
The game boiled over just after half-time when Dragons player/coach Strang departed following an incident that saw Sarries’ second-row Lehan Koekemoer sin-binned.
@SaracensWorld @SaracensUAE Lots of niggle in an error strewn encounter.Nick Taylor causing problems for Sarries at base of scrum.
— Aid McGerty (@MacOireactaigh) February 13, 2015
Fellow Jebel Ali player/coach Sean Crombie had already left the field with the recurrence of an
ankle knock, while Sarries second-row Alex Gonzalez and scrum-half Rhuwan Pienaar also hobbled off with an injuries.
Koekemoer’s yellow stoked the fires even further as both teams continued to go toe-to-toe.
Dragons huffed and puffed but eventually the Sarries’ juggernaut ran them down. Hooker Gio Fourie helped himself to a quick-fire brace to bury Dragons, with centre Pieter Morton and the villain of the piece as far as the hosts were concerned, Koekemoer, bookending their pain and frustration with a sixth Sarries’ score.
Doha completed the double over Abu Dhabi Harlequins holding on for a 32-21 victory at Zayed Sport City despite a ferocious second-half fight-back from the hosts.
Aaron Palmer’s men led 32-3 at the interval, only to see Quins storm back in the second half. Indeed they might have even snatched victory had the referee not adjudged William Umu’s try-scoring pass to Izzy Foa’i to have gone forward, while outside-half Ben Santamarina then spilled the ball forward with the line at his mercy.
The visitors had stunned the hosts by racing into a massive lead. Aaron McLelland’s standout 60m try was the highlight, one of two for him, while Luke Ward and Greg Evans also crossed and Staffano Hunt added 12 points with the boot.
But Clendon Pene, Umu and Ben Bolger all crossed the whitewash and the comeback looked on when Foa’i scored only to be called back.
Elsewhere, Dubai Hurricanes returned to winning ways and completed the double over Bahrain, but again the visitors put up a brilliant fight as they fell to a 28-26 defeat.
Mike Lancaster, Graham Chapman and Alan Foster were among the try scorers for Ross Mills’ men.
