UAE Rugby performance manager Duncan Hall says he would love to be able to pick from a larger player base, but has defended the Rugby Association’s refusal to play qualified players who live overseas.
The UAERA have endured a tough couple of days since it emerged a group of Dubai-based players were refusing to play for the national side in protest at the way the game is administered in the Emirates.
A number of senior figures, including former Arabian Gulf and UAE prop Mike Riley, have questioned the progress made by the UAERA over the last two years with much of their criticism directed at chief executive Ian Bremner.
The absence of forwards Jamie Clarke and David Clark, who qualify but live in Doha and Bahrain respectively, from the UAE squad has also been a bone of contention.
The furore has threatened to overshadow the UAE’s preparation for the Asian 5 Nation clash with Japan on Saturday, and Hall admitted it was regrettable that some players had decided to shun the national set-up.
“I’d like to have more players available but this is all we’ve got,” the Australian told Sport360°. “I’ve only got three props, I’d like to have another prop available. I’ve got three locks, so I’d like to have another lock. I’ve got three back rowers. I’d like to have Jamie Clarke and I’d like to have David Clark, but I can’t.”
Hall did, though, back the move to allow only UAE-based players to represent the national side, suggesting the Emirates were playing at too high a level to rely on people who could not commit to training every week.
“It’s very difficult when we go away to play these Tests, to have someone who can’t practice with the team,” he said. “But it’s very difficult to get someone to practice the whole time then say ‘oh, sorry mate we’re going to pick this other bloke who can’t come to training’. So that’s the quandary.”
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