De Bruyn kicks well
Ryno de Bruyn, the Al Ain Amblers captain, showed a calmness that belied his youth by kicking the points to end Dubai College’s long reign in the Gulf Under 19 tournament. Jerry Kilicanasau touched down his second try for the Garden City club just inside the left corner flag, to tie the scores at 19-19 just before the final whistle. In front of a raucous DHL stand, De Bruyn knocked the touchline conversion over to finish DC’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive title. “I’ve never made a kick like that before, and I’ve been kicking really badly lately,” De Bruyn said. “I took a couple of deep breaths and kicked. As I connected, I knew I had the accuracy, but I didn’t know if I had the distance.”
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New Quin on block
Sam Bolger started the week by dotting down a try for Abu Dhabi Harlequins in their practice friendly against world series champions Fiji. He ended it by being the central figure in the Gulf Men’s League final in front of a packed Pitch 1 crowd, as the capital club retained their title. Bolger scored a first-half hat-trick as the holders beat Al Ain Amblers 36-14. “It is a credit to the club as a whole,” said older brother Ben Bolger, the Quins captain. “We have about 12 teams here, including affiliate sides like Speranza 22 and the Mike Ballard Foundation side, and it is such a good atmosphere, to be involved in. Sam seems to read play pretty well, and he is always in the right place at the right time.”
Evans is back
Thom Evans was able to celebrate a triumphant return to the sport, five years after retiring from the professional game due to a serious neck injury. The former Scotland player was nursing a leg injury but made a late substitute appearance as the UR7s Wanderers won their International Open final against the Exeter Ba-Baas. The UR7s side have a variety of players who have won at the very top level in Dubai before. Mat Turner was player of the tournament in 2011, while Andy Vilk was part of the England side that won in 2005 at the old Exiles ground in Al Awir. “It does pale into insignificance against winning for your country on the main field, I can’t deny that, but there is such a fantastic atmosphere, whatever tournament you are playing in,” Vilk said.
England legends lose
Two players who were successful for England in the 2003 World Cup final in front of 83,000 in Sydney played in finals at The Sevens – and both lost. Josh Lewsey was a late recruit for Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, who made it through to the Pitch 1 showpiece of the International Vets event. Although Lewsey performed well, particularly in partnership with teammate Orene Ai’i, the CNCF side were beaten 21-14 by J9 Legends. Just before that match, Steve Thompson, an England colleague of Lewsey’s in 2003, had been part of the Gulf Legends side who lost 26-0 to Racing Club of Lagos in the plate final of the same competition.
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