Sarries appoint Ali Thompson as head coach

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  • Capital club rivalry: Abu Dhabi Saracens (red) and neighbours Harlequins

    Ali Thompson has declared his main task in charge of Abu Dhabi Saracens is to “remove the club from the shadow” of city rivals Abu Dhabi Harlequins, after being announced as head coach last night.

    The 35-year-old, a regular at No8 since crossing the capital to join the Al Ghazal outfit last summer, was chosen following an exhaustive selection process over several weeks.

    He follows in the footsteps of ex-interim player-coach James Tirrell, who decided he could not relocate to the Middle East permanently after a successful spell in charge last season on loan from the academy of English Premiership giants Saracens.

    Saracens have made great strides since being established in 2011, debuting in the elite Gulf Top Six competition last season.

    They still have some way to catch up with Quins, however, who topped the GT6 table and suffered heartbreaking final defeats in the ARFU West Asia Champion Club and Dubai Sevens finals.

    That is a situation Thompson plans to address – quickly.

    He said: “Our goal is to remove the club from the shadow of Abu Dhabi Harlequins. We need to challenge them for 80 minutes.

    “I am sure that with the right recruitment we will be more than capable of doing so. We might have finished bottom of the Gulf Top Six table, but we proved what we could do in that competition.

    "Our fitness levels let us down after bright starts then, and that is something we can control. Saracens are an ambitious club, and our target now is to challenge in the UAE Premiership and the Gulf Top Six.”

    Thompson has become a doyen of the UAE rugby scene since arriving in 2007 – previously taking up the head coach position at Quins for three years, as well as captaining that club and the international side.

    It was this background that attracted Saracens president Dave Jackson to him, who said: “It was an honour for Ali to play for us, but we are even more honoured to name him as head coach.

    “The identity of the head coach wasn’t something we just decided on, it has taken several weeks and meetings to come to a decision.

    “What I really like about Ali is that it is the right way or no way with him. He has fantastic UAE experience.”

    Thompson – who will take on a diminished playing role – will be a key component of the 11-person senior leadership team, established to improve decision making at the club in preparation for the UAE Premiership kick off in October

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