Giordan and Phoenix Emberson enjoying Quick Rip Rugby at Dubai Exiles RFC
The upcoming rugby season in the UAE will be the first season that the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation’s (UAERF) new structure for girls rugby will be implemented.
Previous seasons have seen girls rugby split into three groups, Under 12 (Quick Rip), Under 15 (Quick Rip) and Under 19 (Full contact, seven-a-side).
From this September the girls groups and leagues will take the following format:
- Under 11 Quick Rip (Years 4, 5 and 6)
- Under 13 Quick Rip (Years 7 and 8)
- Under 15 Quick Rip (Years 9 and 10)
- Under 19 Rugby 7s (Years 11, 12 and 13)
Quick Rip rugby is a minimal contact form of the sport and introduces the basics of gameplay in a far less ‘combative’ environment.
Rugby 7s is the seven-a-side, full contact, version of the game played by both Under 19s and senior women’s rugby.
The new structure should make rugby more appealing and more accessible to many girls who would like to get involved with the sport in Dubai. More experienced players will also benefit from a clearly structured and age-relevant pathway through to Under 19, Senior, and possibly, representative rugby.
Exiles‘ Under 19, Lily Christiansen, bursting through a tackle
Under 19 Girls rugby is full-contact, seven-a-side.
We’re already looking forward to the new 2021-22 rugby season which begins in September, the new structure for girls rugby should bring even more fun and excitement to girls’ and ladies’ rugby at Dubai Exiles RFC.
