2020-21 Mini and Youth rugby season closes with a lot of fun!

The season wrapped up for Dubai Exiles’ Mini and Youth rugby last Friday morning. An awful lot of fun was had on the pitches by Exiles’ rugby players from 3 and 4 years old all the way up to under 16 and under 19.

There was a whole array of different, and rather unusual, training equipment on the world-class Sevens pitches on the weekend. From kicking tees and tackle bags to water balloons and Super-Soakers to doughnuts and cakes, it all made for a truly unique and enjoyable morning of Mini and Youth Rugby at Dubai Exiles RFC.

Sisters Bethany and Sophia enjoyed their first season of rugby at the same club their dad, Gareth, plays at.

There is no doubt that the 2020-21 rugby season will go into the annals of history as one of the weirdest on record. Deservedly so. But one thing that the pandemic did do, once the UAERF gave the go ahead for us to be on the rugby pitches, was facilitate a wonderful camaraderie within the club.

You can never have too many happy faces!

Covid mask applied…

Exiles’ Under 16 Team Manager, Claire Perry, who did an amazing job in a very challenging Covid season, receives a thank you from the U16s. Presented by Jaen Botes.

As with any club, it’s the members that make it what it is. The 2020-21 Exiles membership has been fantastic. From under 5 through to under 19, girls, boys and senior rugby, every member, player, coach, volunteer, first aider, mum and dad has made the club a very special place to be through an incredibly difficult to navigate 12 months.

Clay Willing threw himself out of a perfectly good Twin Otter to get on pitch

Barefoot rugby – you don’t see much of it in Wales

With the early arrival of cake boxes, doughnut boxes, juke boxes (I’m not sure what they call them these days), along with rugby balls, tennis balls, and medicine balls it was immediately evident that this particular Friday morning was going to be a lot of fun.

Dubai Exiles is a ‘family club’

At 8am things got underway, the under 5s, under 6s, and under 7s played all sorts of different games while coach, Phillip Le Roux, attempted to ad lib his way through a sing-a-long song that he obviously concocted the evening before without making any notes. Much to the amusement of everyone within earshot.

Under 8 Tag Rugby is a lot of fun!

While things with the ‘minis‘ were in full swing on Pitch 7 the Under 10s and Under 11s on Pitch 8 were having their own ‘party’. The amount of Nerf guns, Super-Soakers, water balloons and other general, water orientated, ordnance that was on pitch looked like something more akin to a Battle Royale from Fortnite rather than a rugby session.

The theme that did run throughout the morning and bound proceedings together was fun, a lot of fun, a lot of laughter and an ocean and endless smiling faces.

DuRandt Gerber clearly enjoyed public speaking!

Reece Mitchell looks pretty happy!

Dubai Exiles Rugby Club is incredibly lucky to benefit from the amazing and world-class facility that is The Sevens Stadium in Dubai. Not only is the facility world-class, but so are the Sevens staff, ground staff, admin staff and everybody that makes sure that members of Dubai Exiles Rugby Club get to enjoy their time on the pitches on a Wednesday evening and Friday morning.

Thank you to everyone for making 2020-21, Mini & Youth rugby, work so much better than we could have possibly anticipated back in August 2020.

We look forward to seeing old members, current members and new members back at the club when season 2021-22 gets underway. Have a fantastic summer!

There’s probably not a better place to play rugby than at The Sevens in Dubai

The Sevens staff who keep everything in tip top condition!