Left to right (top): Kayla Ackerman, Lara Botha, Lily Christiansen. Left to right (bottom): Aydia Coetzee, Courtney Gorman, Femke Soens
Six Dubai Exiles Under 19 Girls will be heading to the Heidelberg 7s in Germany this weekend. Kayla Ackerman, Lara Botha, Lily Christiansen, Aydia Coetzee and Courtney Gorman will be leaving on a jet plane to take part in the 25th Anniversary of the International Rugby Tournament for Under 16s and Under 18 Girls with UAE National Coach Apollo Perelini and the Apollo Perelini Rugby Academy.
The Exiles Under 19 Girls are no stranger to the big stage having played in the Emirates Dubai 7s Final on Pitch 1 at The Sevens in front of 14,000. In that match Lara Botha grabbed a brace of tries, one in either half, and Lily Christiansen kicked a conversion from far out on the left that Grant Fox would have been proud of!
Lara Botha feeds the scrum against the Hurricanes in Al Ain
Lily Christiansen on her way to the try line in Al Ain
Femke Soens also makes the trip to Heidelberg, a small picturesque city in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg near the river Neckar in south-west Germany. Femke, who has been playing rugby at Dubai Exiles RFC since she joined the club as an Under 13 Girls player in 2014, will have the honour of putting on the national shirt of her home country of Belgium for the tournament.
Femke Soens heading to the ry line in Al Ain
Femke Soens receives the Chairman’s award for ‘Outstanding Player of the Season’
Good luck to everyone making the trip and playing in the Heidelberg 7s! We’re sure you’ll have an absolutely fantastic time!
Interesting fact, Heidelberg is the town where the ‘running machine‘ was invented – go figure!
Kayla Ackerman counts how many tries she’s scored in the last 30 seconds
Aydia Coetzee heads to the try line
