Kotze sees emergence of UAE squad that will lead to sustainable future

Matt Jones - Editor 08:51 18/05/2015
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  • Bright future: The UAE may not have gained promotion but they are making steady progress.

    Roelof Kotze has likened the UAE’s progress on the international stage in the last year to a massive oil tanker that has taken its time to turn around, but is now finally heading in the right direction.

    With the dust having settled on their Asia Rugby Championship campaign, dejection at missing out on promotion to Division I should by now have begun to be replaced by contentment.

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    Ultimately, the width of a post is all that prevented Kotze’s side from bouncing back into the second tier of Asian rugby after relegation to Division II in 2014.

    Hassan Al Noobi’s penalty kick against Malaysia struck an upright instead of sailing through them on Wednesday and the hosts held on for a slender 20-19 win, a 53-7 victory over Thailand in their final game then clinching promotion.

    The UAE’s 16-12 win over Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, confirmed they will remain in Division II.

    Promotion had been the aim, but Kotze admits there are far more positives to come out of the tour than negatives.

    “The general feeling among the boys was that it was a massive success,” said the UAE’s head coach.

    “The tour created momentum for us and we hope we can feed off it. We will use the loss to Malaysia to get things perfect for next year.

    “We have to look at it as a positive and believe the pain of missing out on promotion this year will help us next year.”

    Despite the initial disappointment, the UAE are still a very fledgling rugby nation, having only been established in 2010. It wasn’t too long ago that they were getting thrashed 111-0 in the Asian Five Nations by Japan in 2011.

    International veterans Chris Jones-Griffiths and Graham Murphy have spoken of their belief during this tournament that the UAE have found their level.

    “Division II, do we want to be there? No. But is it the end of the world we’re there for another season? Probably not,” said the South African.

    UAE are focused on trying to secure Division 1 promotion next season.

    “We’ll live with it for now and make sure we don’t slip up next year. Last year we started to change course and now we can see that there’s been a change in direction, like a massive oil tanker turning around. There’s a plan and everyone’s beginning to see it.”

    With a blend of expats and an emerging crop of Emiratis, Kotze is beginning to see the emergence of a squad that can lead to a sustainable future for the UAE team, a future that contains success.

    “We’ve got the base of a squad now and there’s lots to build on,” said Kotze.

    “I think the Emiratis made a step up. They surprised a few of the expats as well as themselves. They were there because they can play. They were not picked because we had to, they’re good enough to be there.”

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