The last time Quins tasted defeat at Zayed Sports City was the 10-6 loss in the opening game of the2015 Gulf Top Six competition against Abu Dhabi Saracens.
In the 625 days that have passed since then, Quins have made their home impenetrable.
Dubai Exiles have come close to ending that run. Friday’s 25-18 victory for Quins close, but not quite as close as 12 months earlier when they led only for Barry Dwyer’s last-gasp try to give McFarlane’s men a 22-18 triumph.
Since losing to Canes, McFarlane has come in as Jeremy Manning’s successor, and he described the entire atmosphere surrounding the club as special.
“It’s a fortress,” he said of Zayed Sports City.
“The boys love being at home and getting a crowd like that. They’re really vocal and they get behind the boys.
“There’s a great atmosphere in the clubhouse afterwards too. We are one club. We’ve got the girls team there supporting us, the baa baas, the second team, lads not selected, the lads who were injured wanted to run water, everybody wants to be involved and everyone pulls together, that’s what makes us special.”
McFarlane has been building something special at Quins since he took the reins last summer. They won the Dubai Sevens title in his first few months before going on to finish second to Exiles in both the West Asia Championship and UAE Premiership.
That pain felt from last season must also drive Quins, and McFarlane, on.
“We gave our strength and conditioning coach a clap after the game because the boys have played 80 minutes at a ferocious intensity and they weren’t blowing at the end,” he added after their latest home triumph.
“That says more about what they do away from the Monday and Wednesday training sessions, hour after hour.
“Their commitment to each other is second to none. We’re the tightest club going. They do anything for each other and that’s what stands up in games like this.
“Coming through that adversity (answering every time Exiles came back at them in Friday’s win), that’s why the boys are so tight and there’ll come through that. They’ll never be broken.”
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