Bahrain beat Exiles at The Sevens

Exiles‘ Captain, John Donnan, gets to grips with Bahrain’s Aled Morris. It was that sort of game.

Bahrain headed home with a 17 – 19 win over the Exiles on Pitch 8 at The Sevens Stadium on Friday night. For the team from Saar it was their third consecutive win over the Exiles in Dubai. Granted, those games have been extremely close, 26 – 28 in 2022/23, 18 – 20 last season, and 17 – 19 last night. But the Exiles haven’t beaten Bahrain at home since the season before covid, and frustratingly, they had every opportunity to do so yesterday evening.

Referee Jaco de Wit checks his watch

Bahrain on the charge

Playing on Pitch 8 was a very peculiar experience. The Sevens Stadium had chosen to move, arguably Gulf Rugby‘s most anticipated premiership fixture, off the traditional Exiles‘ home pitch and out to Pitch 8 to accommodate a ‘American Flag Football’ tournament directly in front of the Exiles‘ Clubhouse and Bar. The disappointment of Exiles supporters, and the travelling Bahrain supporters who’d taken flights across the Arabian Gulf was palpable, a match that had always produced an impressive and absorbing atmosphere felt drained and deflated.

Despite the much improved weather there was still quite a few scrums

Anybody familiar with the history of this fixture would have been expecting an extremely physical and combative confrontation, and that’s exactly what they got. Any romantic ideas about open expansive running rugby quickly evaporated in the breeze of the evening. From the outset each team tried to impose themselves, physically, on the other.

Exiles‘ Hooker, Dave Gairn, used to be a trapeze artist

The opening exchanges were intense, tackles from both sides were malicious and cruel. First blood, at least on the scoreboard, went to the Exiles. Scrum-half, Francois Myburgh, sending the ball through the uprights with plenty to spare after Bahrain were penalised for a high tackle. 3 – 0 to the Exiles.

The first threat of a flashpoint appeared a couple of minutes after the Exiles posted on the non-existent scoreboard. Bahrain‘s Number 5, recently contracted South African and former Wits University lock, Awethu Lushozi, decided to get into some push and shove with the Exiles‘ back row. A couple of minutes later and Lushozi was having another go, this time at Exiles‘ captain John Donnan. His own teammates removed him from causing any trouble and the match, for want of a better phrase, settled down for a few minutes.

From a scrum midway between the Exiles‘ 10 metre line and 22, Bahrain moved the ball out wide and themselves onto the front foot. Exiles‘ flanker, Anthony Kapp, was penalised at a ruck for entering at the side, a quick tap from the scrum-half and Bahrain were pouring into the 22. Former Boroughmuir and Hong Kong Scottish Number 8 Rory Drummond took control of the ball and thumped over the Exiles‘ line for the first try of the game. Converted by former Ballymena and Northumbria University Number 10, Josh Drain. 3 – 7 to Bahrain.

Science teacher, Tarek ‘Taz’ Mursal, got his first start of the season

John Donnan enjoys the attention of Rory Drummond

The game, along with the physicality, restarted, again both sides running hard at each other and being greeted by hard tackles. What has become crystal clear was that any score was going to require a lot of attritional effort and  hard work. After what seemed like an age of crash, bang, wallop, the Exiles were awarded a penalty outside the Bahrain‘ 22 which Francois Myburgh again slotted between the posts. 6 – 7 to Bahrain.

It was a very ‘rumble’ kind of game

Liam Caldwell fixes a Bahrain defender

As the clock ticked down to the half-time whistle Bahrain were on the attack in the Exiles‘ 22. The men-in-black had several opportunities to exit but inexplicably chose to play instead of putting a foot through the ball and sending it into the gathered spectators. After defending a Bahrain attack into touch, a wonky throw-in gifted the ball to Bahrain and then, after forcing a Bahrain knock-on and having the put in. The Exiles, not for the first time this season, were caught napping at the scrum and promptly penalised. As a consequence the half-time score was 6 – 10 instead of what it should have been, 6 – 7.

Jaco de Wit awards a try to Jaen Botes

The series of unfortunate events that ensured the Exiles turned around at half-time with a four point deficit rather than one point continued in the second half. Just four minutes on the clock, and after the Exiles had managed to work the ball out wide for the almost the first time in the game, they were awarded a penalty in the 22 when the entire Bahrain line was caught offside. It was a gimme three points, but inexplicably, in a game that was already utterly inflexible, the men-in-black opted for a scrum. Possession was just about retained at the spinning scrum but a couple of phases later and the ball had been knocked on and booted back to the half way line. An easy three points, and in the context of this game, an important three points, expunged.

Francois Myburgh kicked 12 points

No pressure…

The scrum was a strange beast on Friday night. It was being hotly contested with the dominance, or perceived dominance, shifting back and forth. A scrum penalty awarded near the half way allowed Francois Myburgh to move his pack into the Bahrain‘ 22. Hooker, David Gairn, found his target and the Exiles got a driving maul going reaching the 5 metre line. Referee, Jaco de Wit, signalled a penalty, and then another. When no advantage came, Bahrain‘ prop, Henry Paul, was awarded a ten minute rest.

The ball was sent into touch. David Gairn found John Donnan high in the night air, Anthony Kapp peeled off and looked like he’d made the line, but as the Bahrain‘ defence scrambled, Number 8 Jaen Botes picked the ball up and thumped across the last few inches. Unconverted. 11 – 10 to the Exiles.

Bahrain’s Aled Morris gives James Crossley a cuddle

There’s an old adage in rugby, when you score don’t give anything away from the restart. The restart was knocked-on, advantage to Bahrain, penalty. The lead that the Exiles had worked so hard to wrestle away from the visitors had quickly been handed back. Josh Drain didn’t look like he was going to miss on this evening and he didn’t. 11 – 13 to Bahrain.

Lukas Waddington feeling the impact

A few minutes later and another penalty to Bahrain, this time an Exiles‘ prop judged to have collapsed the scrum. Another three points to Bahrain. 11 – 16 to the visitors.

With the clock heading in to the last ten minutes, the Exiles had a chance to add to their total. Bahrain had been penalised for being offside and Francois Myburgh from forty metres out sent the ball through the middle of the sticks. 14 – 16 to Bahrain.

With just six minutes left on the clock it was another penalty to the home side. Almost a carbon copy of the previous one. Another three points and the lead for the Exiles off the boot of Fancois Myburgh.

Exiles‘ Matt Mills will captain the UAE against Zimbabwe on Tuesday night

More rumbling…

It was a simple proposition now. No penalties. Don’t give anything away, hold the ball. The Exiles nearly imploded after the restart, after a loose clearing kick Bahrain Number 8 Rory Drummond almost made his way to the try line but fortuitously, from an Exiles’ point of view, stood on the touch line.

No penalties, no penalties, no penalties. But, inevitably, in such a physical game, a penalty came in the dying embers, awarded for a high tackle. Josh Drain, who hadn’t looked like missing all day, gave everybody either a fright or a momentary smile as his kick hit the right-hand upright, but to Bahrain‘s relief it fell down and over the crossbar. 17 – 19 to Bahrain. Final Score.

Bahrain’s Josh Drain kicks the ball out to end the match

DUBAI EXILES RFC VS BAHRAIN

West Asia Super Rugby  (1st November 2024) – The Sevens Stadium