Exiles head to Premiership Final after bruising encounter with Jebel Ali Dragons

Anthony Kapp crosses for his second try

It was a busy evening at The Sevens Stadium, the home of the world’s best Sevens Tournament, with a number of matches taking place on those world-class 100m x 70m patches of green in Dubai. The main event was taking place on the Exiles‘ Pitch 7, Jebel Ali Dragons RFC making the trip, once again, up the E66 but this time for a UAE Premiership Semi-Final against the Dubai Exiles.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this would be an easy match for the unbeaten Dubai Exiles. Wins over the Dragons in the UAE Premiership Rugby league rounds, 8 – 55 in October down at Jebel Ali Shooting Club and by 45 – 16 back home at The Sevens in February would suggest the match would be a foregone conclusion – but this was knock out rugby. It’s a whole different world of nerves and pressure. If you lose a league match you have a chance to put it right the following week. If you lose a UAE Premiership Semi-Final, well, have a nice holiday, see you again in September.

Matt Mills spots the camera

Exiles’ hooker, Dave Gairn, wears his game face

The opening exchanges between Dubai Exiles RFC and the Jebel Ali Dragons were predictably cagey and explorative. Gone was the free running of the previous encounters. The tension in this match was palpable, tangible, the Jebel Ali Dragons certainly hadn’t turned up to make up the numbers, they’d come to The Sevens, to make the final and were doing their level best to make sure that they got there.

Scrum time

The Dragons enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the opening quarter. After a sustained period camped in the Exiles‘ 22, it was only an infringement from a Dragons scrum that gave Exiles‘ DuRandt Gerber an opportunity to release the pressure valve and send the ball into the Dragons‘ half.

With the pressure valve finally open, the Exiles began to build up a head of steam. Teenager, Marcus Kruger, almost slipped a tackle in the middle of the field. A coupe of hard and direct carries from hooker, Dave Gairn, and the Exiles were on the front foot. Referee, Simon Dodd, was doing a great job of playing advantage to the attacking Exiles and avoiding the temptation to penalise the Dragons for repeated infringements.

Hannes Kruger had made a number of yards after receiving the ball out on the right wing. It was only a knock on at a ruck in the Dragons‘ 22 that temporarily brought a halt to the Exiles‘ attack. Luckily for the Exiles, the ‘knock’, came after another penalty advantage was being played and the Men-in-Black retained possession. Another penalty in the Dragons‘ 22. Scrum half, Carel Thomas, took it quickly, the ball was moved left and then back to the right, some hard and direct running in the middle, then Exiles‘ fullback, Conor Kennedy, went over the try line in the corner. The Dragons had simply run out of defenders. Almost 20 minutes played, 5 – 0 to Exiles.

Teenager, Marcus Kruger, has a go at the first conversion

Conor Kennedy scores

The Dragons didn’t roll over as they had in previous encounters. They’d battled hard in the first 20 minutes and gone about their business with purpose and determination. A few minutes after the restart and they were on the scoreboard themselves. The Exiles had been caught offside at a ruck and a simple 3 points was offered and accepted by Jebel Ali. 5 – 3.

The Achilles heel of the Dragons in the first 40 minutes was their ability to give penalties away when they were in promising positions. When it seemed that they had the Exiles under the cosh an infringement would once again release the pressure and allow DuRandt Gerber to push the Dragons back to Honah Lee and the sea.

With half time approaching another Dragons infringement, in their own 22, gave match referee, Simon Dodd, all the encouragement he needed to let one of the Dragon’s back row to take a break for 10 minutes and have a chat with fourth official, Amro Basuony Hefnawy, in the ‘naughty chair’.

The Dubai Exiles opted for a scrum under the Jebel Ali Dragons posts. Carel Thomas, picked the ball from the feet of Number 8, Anthony Kapp, and opted to go down the blind side, a perfectly delivered pass put Conor Kennedy on the outside shoulder of the scrambling Dragons‘ 13 and into space. 10 – 3 to Exiles.

Brad Owako lines up a Dragons’ defender

Now things should have been easy for the Dubai Exiles, right? 10 points to 3 up, Dragons down to 14 men, the Exiles could almost afford to think about plying with smiles on their faces and enjoying themselves. Wrong. The final word of the first forty went to the Dragons. It wasn’t so much of a word – more of a statement.

The Exiles had given a soft penalty away with the match clock well into the red zone. The Dragons number 10, who is in possession of a canon of a boot, promptly sent the ball to the Exiles‘ 5m line and the 14 man Dragons were on the attack.

From the ensuing line out the Dragons hit hard and fast into the middle of the field and the Exiles‘ defense. A quickly recycled ball, a lapse of concentration, and the 14 man Dragons were over the line near the posts. Converted. 10 – 10 Half Time.

Exiles‘ Director of Rugby, Jacques Benade, once again brought his famed calmness to the half-time team talk. Some gentle yet searching questions were asked and a soft voiced suggestion for everybody to play the type of rugby that got the Exiles to the top of the UAE Premiership Table with 8 wins from 8.

Alarm bells were ringing loudly from the start of the second half. A deep kick off was gathered by Carel Thomas and with little options around him, he passed the ball to an isolated Hannes Kruger who did his best to get to the Exiles‘ 22 metre line. When contact came, it came with ferocity and the Exiles‘ youngster spilled the ball. Scrum to the Dragons on the Exiles‘ 22.

The ball was swiftly moved infield from the scrum, some loose tackling again from the Exiles and the unthinkable happened, the Jebel Ali Dragons were over the try line and under the posts. Their sin-binned back row relaxing on that very comfortable naughty chair with a bucket of salted pop-corn, an extra large Pepsi and a pair of 3D glasses. 10 – 17 to Dragons. Surely the Exiles were going to wake up – soon?

Just two minuets later and the Dragons were over the line again! The Dragons‘ outside half had sent the ball into the Exiles‘ 22, picking out teenager Hannes Kruger as his target. Hannes brought the ball forward until tackled, a ruck was formed, the ball recycled, all pretty normal. Pretty normal until the first Exiles‘ receiver looked for the onrushing Dragons‘ defense before securing the ball in his hands. The Dragons were on the attack from the knock on advantage, a couple of passes, and their wing was in space with no Exiles‘ shirts in front of him. 10 – 22 to the Dragons.

Matt Mills flying high

Some of the Exiles‘ Kenyan Booster Club

The nest score was vital. If the Dragons breached the Exiles‘ try line again the game would have effectively been a done deal and the Dragons would be on their way to the Finals Weekend. After 15 minutes the Exiles finally decided to take on board the comments of Jacques Benade, and start to play the brand of rugby that had given them this semi-final place. Exiles‘ captain, Epeli Davetawalu, got things going with a surging run into the heart of the Dragons. After rolling over 2 defenders it took another three to bring the big Fijian to ground. With so many Dragons examining the grass of Pitch 7, the ball was moved from left to right and Hannes Kruger did incredibly well to stay on his feet under immense Dragon’s pressure to offload to Conor Kennedy for the Zimbabwean to cross the try line for his third try. Converted by DuRandt Gerber. 17 – 22 to Dragons.

The Exiles tails weren’t yet up, but they were certainly beginning to wag a little. Momentum had clearly shifted and it was the Dragons that were becoming increasingly pressurised. The Exiles‘ ‘style’ that had been missing for the first 60 minutes had made a reappearance, players like Kenyan, Brad Owako, and Englishman, Matt Mills, were carrying hard, direct, and giving the Exiles‘ forwards clear targets.

With 20 minutes the match remaining, it was a surging drive from Exiles‘ flanker Matt Mills that disrupted the combative Dragons‘ defense. DuRandt Gerber was the next to carry hard and direct, taking 3 defenders out of the equation as he did so. When Carel Thomas arrived on the scene the Dragons‘ just didn’t have enough defenders on the blind side and Anthony Kapp crossed to level the scores. 22 – 22.

At this point the Exiles‘ tails were up. The Dragons‘ long, scaly and pointy tail had wilted and coiled itself a little. The supporters gathered on the galleries of the Exiles‘ Clubhouse had found their voices. This game, was most definitely, on.

The Dragons‘ propensity to give penalties away reared its head once more and promising attacks were being snuffed out by their own devices. When that propensity gave a penalty away in their own 22, Exiles‘ DuRandt Gerber slotted the relatively straight forward kick between the posts. 25 – 22 to Exiles. Like a London Bus, no sooner had one kickable penalty turned up another one came along, converted by DuRandt. 28 – 22 to Exiles. 5 Minutes remaining.

The Dragons were still fighting, but their energy levels had clearly dropped. The Exiles on the other hand had found energy from somewhere and were pouring it into direct, hard running, which was finally causing the Dragons problems, which were then causing penalties. With time almost expired, it was another Dragons‘ penalty that ensconced the Exiles on the Dragons‘ 5m line.

From the line out the Dragons stood off hoping for the Exiles‘ pack to give a penalty away, but instead Epeli Davetawalu peeled off and charged to the try line. When Epeli was stopped short, Lukas Waddington picked up the baton, but he was stopped short. It was Anthony Kapp who picked up and crossed at the third time of asking. The try went unconverted, but referee, Simon Dodd, blew his whistle for the end of and incredibly tense an nerve-racking rugby match. 35 – 22 to Exiles.

DuRandt Gerber thanks referee Simon Dodd

Pieter Kilian has a well earned drink

Hannes Kruger listens

Conor Kennedy gets a hug from his mum, Ruby

DUBAI EXILES v JEBEL ALI DRAGONS

UAE Premiership Play Offs Semi-Final (4th March 2022)