After seeing their senior counterparts catapulted back into the upper reaches of Asia rugby earlier this year, the UAE Under-19s will be aiming to follow in their footsteps at the Asia Rugby Under 19 Championship in the Philippines this week.
Apollo Perelini led the senior UAE side back into Division I of the Asia Rugby Championship in May with crushing 63-13 and 70-18 wins over hosts Uzbekistan and Thailand respectively.
Division I is directly below the top tier ARC contested between top Asian nations Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, and the UAE will have an opportunity next year to re-join the elite for the first time since being relegated from the Asia Five Nations in 2013.
The U-19s begin their own quest for promotion to Division I on Wednesday when they face Singapore at Manila’s Southern Plains Stadium, and vice captain Xander Crockart admits they will use the senior side’s success as a blueprint.
“That is 100 per cent the goal and I have no doubt that we can achieve it,” said 18-year-old Dubai Exiles flanker Crockart, who leaves for Manila with the rest of the squad early this morning.
“The boys are up for it, we’re really feeling a buzz between the players heading out on tour. There is no doubt we have got the team for the job, and will happily enjoy ourselves with this opportunity.