Abu Dhabi Saracens’ West Asia Cup triumph earlier this month capped a mesmeric rise from humble beginnings to kings of Gulf rugby in a little under four years.
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Harlequins have ruled the capital city for almost four decades, but welcomed a baby brother into the Abu Dhabi family when Saracens were born in 2011. The younger sibling though is now all grown up, with their 26-20 win over Doha on March 20 establishing Sarries as a genuine rival and new force.
In truth, the rivalry has always been there, at least for Sarries. In their fourth season, however, their ambitions have matured. Petty rivalry is no longer their mandate. Their maiden success has given them a taste for the bigger picture.
Created in June 2011, Sarries’ roots can be traced back nearly 50 years and to Das Island, a tiny plot of land located 160km north-west of the capital in the middle of the Arabian Gulf. It has been inhabited by oil and gas industry personnel since production began in the 1950s.
Cricket, football and rugby pitches – all made of sand – kept workers entertained, and out of that grew the Das Island Rugby Team in 1962. They even entered a veterans team at the Dubai Sevens for a decade from around 2000, which is where the idea of creating a fully-fledged rugby club originated.
The man behind Saracens’ rise is outgoing club president Dave Jackson, who played for Das Island for several years from 2002. Together with another Das Island old boy, New Zealander Brett Bowie, the duo hatched a plan that is the modern day Saracens.
“It was a social thing to start off with and we always played at the Dubai Sevens. The reason it landed in my hands was because through the years the expats on Das Island started to leave one by one and the management came to me saying ‘we need to start a club’,” said Jackson.
Sarries were launched at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in June 2011 but, as with any new venture, the men in black and red initially struggled.
Jackson recalls 50 or 60 people turning up for the launch, including some from Quins keen to see what all the fuss was about. It may not have been a swarm, but it dwarfed the number at their first training session a few weeks later. “The first training there were two players, but it grew,” said the South African.
“You have to give Brett credit for rallying people and getting people down to training. There were a lot of sweat and tears to get that first team up and running. Throughout the 2011 season we never forfeited a game, but it was a rag-tag team.”
Smashed 41-3 by Quins 2nds in their first official game in the UAE Conference, things got easier. They actually finished third in their debut season and were promoted to the Premiership. Bowie left the club in 2012, as did several coaches over time, with Jackson wielding the axe on Paul Lowe, Tui Waruhia and Steve Botha.
“Anyone looking must have been thinking ‘what are Saracens doing?’,” joked Jackson. “I’ve had to make some really hard decisions to make sure the vision of the club moved in the direction I wanted. Some decisions were not liked but every one has been for the good of the club.”
After a debut Gulf Top Six campaign in 2013/14, Ali Thompson, a former Quin and UAE captain, stepped up to take on a player/coach role. Like a toddler, Sarries have made tentative steps.
They finished fifth in their first Premiership season and second in the ensuing Gulf Conference in 2012/13. Last season they made the GT6 but finished bottom. This year they made a quantum leap.
“It’s been a four-year project but a lot of the good has come this season,” said Jackson. “Wonderful things have happened all along but this season is when it got serious.”
Jackson has utilised his contacts back home to recruit a significant amount of players from the homeland. The likes of Jaen Botes, Gio Fourie and Lehan Koekemoer have all proved hugely influential.
Vogue Fitness & Cross Fit Yas, run by former Quins captain Billy Graham, ensured the players were in peak condition in pre-season and BounceBack Physiotherapy also came on board, with Tim Fletcher a mainstay on the touchline at Sarries’ games. They also became the first club to form part of Aviva Premiership side Saracens’ global network in February 2012.
A friendship was formed with Ed Griffiths, Saracens’ South African CEO, who rang his countryman in February 2012 to ask if Abu Dhabi wanted to become the first affiliate club. Where Abu Dhabi led, Seattle, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, Tblisi, Nairobi, Timisoara and Tonga have since followed.
“When looking for names, Brett suggested Saracens as the name is tied to the Middle East region. It was a nice fit for us,” said Jackson. “I think we’ve done them proud. I had a phone call from Ed saying the West Asia win was massive for Saracens. They were ecstatic.”
Sarries also received messages of congratulations from Saracens and England full-back Alex Goode. A first ever trophy will live long in the memory but that is especially the case for the man who became their first signing.
New Zealander Vatulele Tusitala began his UAE rugby career at Quins, where he played between 2008 and 2010. After taking a year off, Tusitala was planning to head back to Zayed Sport City in 2011 but chose instead to train with a new club because it was close to his home. He was one of the two who showed up at that first session.
“It was convenient at first but it became so much more,” said Tusitala. “After that I grew to love the club and what it stood for. Sarries had a real amateur feel to it and you felt more connected to each other because there were so few of us. It was an intimate club, you knew everyone, it was really family orientated.
“Some say the club has lost that somehow but, to me, it still has that feel. Clubs evolve as they grow and Sarries couldn’t stay a club with only 20 members forever.”
Tusitala, now 35, says he felt “massive pride” being in the crowd to see his beloved club clinch their first-ever trophy.
“I thought back to the day being the first player on the training field as soon as the final whistle blew. There was massive pride in what the boys and club have achieved in such short time,” he said.
After all the players, coaches, volunteers and more he has seen come and go through Al Ghazal in his time, Jackson says it is now time for him to leave too. He is stepping down imminently, handing the reins over to Jay Danielson.
“It’s sad but I’ll look back with fond memories and one man doesn’t make a club,” he said. “Everyone standing behind me, the likes of (team manager) Jacques Barnard and (former secretary) Mandy Lodge, that’s what makes a club. To single out people and say thank you for the last four years is very, very difficult, because there’s been so many of them.
“It’s a new exciting era and I’ll look ahead with anticipation to see what they do. I’ve got the club to this point, but I’m looking forward to where it goes from here.”
