Adel Al Hendi is ready to make his mark on the international stage as he lines up for the UAE’s winner-takes-all Asian 5 Nations Division I clash with Singapore at 7he Sevens tonight (kick-off 19:30).
The 18-year-old Emirati wing, who discovered rugby thanks to a Welsh uncle, is one of six new caps selected to start performance manager Roelof Kotze’s first Test.
It is a remarkable rise for Al Hendi, who only started taking the game seriously when he was 15 but was playing senior rugby two years later with the Abu Dhabi Harlequins second side.
This season has seen the youngster break into the Shaheen sevens development squad, and having impressed Kotze he became a shoe-in for 15-a-side selection too.
“It’s unbelievable,” Al Hendi said of representing his country.
“I was looking at an article from a few years ago. It was something to do with young player of the week and they asked me what my aspirations were and I said that I wanted to play for the UAE in a Test match.
“Two years down the line I finally get my chance and starting on the wing is just unbelievable.”
Given his tender years it is somewhat surprising to find Al Hendi using the word “finally” to describe his ascent to the national side, but he is clearly a man confident in his abilities on the rugby pitch.
“I think I’ve proven myself in the sevens set-up and now to get a chance with the XVs; I can’t put it into words, I’m so happy,” he added.
Al Hendi’s delight will be peaked if the UAE can secure the win over Singapore that guarantees their place in Division I for another year. “The boys feel ready,” he said.
“There’s a lot at stake, it’s win and we stay here or lose and we go down a division. I think a lot of the boys have got a lot to prove, not just to people in the UAE but all of Asia that we can be a competitive team and that in the near future we will be quite destructive.”
Asian domination would not have been at the front of Al Hendi’s mind when he was playing pick-up games with his uncle during summer visits to his mother’s family home in Neath.
It is in the Welsh town, home to the “Welsh All Blacks”, that his interest began but it is in Abu Dhabi where his game was developed, with the teenager citing former Quins director of rugby Chris Davies and one-time team-mate Clendon Pene as influential.
There will also be some familiar faces with club-mates Graham Murphy and Chris Jones-Griffiths also in Kotze’s squad. “I’m quite comfortable playing with those boys, they’re great players Graham and Chris,” Al Hendi added.
“I’m not too worried, it’s quite a new team that has come together this year and I’m just buzzing to get on the pitch and prove myself and I’m sure everyone is keen to do the same.”
