Hosts Qatar drawn with Nepal, Philippines in Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy

As many as 11 teams from across the region will slug it out for a spot at the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, when the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy is played on March 3 and 4 in Doha.
The competition is expected to be intense as the Sevens Series competition in Hong Kong, Korea and Sri Lanka in September and October this year is an opportunity to make it to the Rugby World Cup 7’s 2018.
With so much at stake, the draw, which was held at the Movenpick Hotel, Al Aziziyah, and divided the teams into four groups, assumed that much more importance.
Hosts Qatar were drawn along with fourth seed the Philippines and Nepal in Group B, making for an exciting couple of matches at the group stage given the huge presence of expats from these countries.
Top seeds Singapore were drawn with Pakistan and Jordan in Group A, while second seeds Thailand will have Iran and Bangladesh for company in Group D.
With Lebanon pulling out due to financial constraints, Group C has the United Arab Emirates and India.
“Obviously it is not a very easy group but we have a couple of weeks to prepare and I am sure we will be looking to study their (Philippines and Nepal) game,” said Qatar player Tom Featherstone, who also plays for the Doha RFC in the Gulf competitions.
“The team has been training hard, and that’s been the case for the last two years. And having kept the same set of players together for that long, it is a strong unit and I think we are definitely prepared for the tournament,” said Featherstone, who was present at the draw ceremony along with teammate Mubarak al-Malik.
Asked about what areas the home team would have to focus on, with the competition barely four weeks away, Featherstone said: “I think we are strong at attack, but maybe we might have to work a bit on our defence, and we will in the next few weeks.”
With Group C left with two teams, the UAE and India will play each other twice in the group stages, and while the top two teams at the group stages make it to the next level, the two teams will be fighting for an easier draw in the business end of the tournament.
Also, the bottom team in all the three remaining groups will get two more matches each against each other on the second day of the competition.
Apart from the players, officials from the Qatar Rugby Federation (QRF), including president Yousef al-Kuwari, newly-appointed director of Affairs Omran al-Sherawi and Events Committee manager Abdulla al-Khater, Asia Rugby and the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) were also present at the draw ceremony.
Having hosted two editions of the Qatar Rugby Sevens league, the Asian Rugby Championship Division III West Central, the XVs competition that Qatar won, and the Qatar Rugby XVs League, the QRF has been on a roll.
“The event will be one of the biggest in the region and, I am sure even the audiences in Qatar will enjoy the rugby action. We will have as many as 11 national teams participating in the tournament and that is a big number,” QRF president Yousef al-Kuwari said.
“With so many teams and the spotlight on Qatar, we are working very hard to make this event a success. Qatar has hosted many major sports events in the region and I am sure we will organise this well too. We are very excited about hosting the tournament. Also, our players are preparing well for the tournament and I am sure we will take huge strides forward.
“We hosted the West Asia tournament and the Fiji national team too. Our objective obviously is to publicise Qatar in the world of rugby. We are looking at being considered among the better teams in Asia and this tournament gives us the good opportunity to do so,” the QRF chief added.
QRF has had the support of Aspire Logistics in helping grow the sport of rugby in the country, having hosted the matches across competitions and also training sessions for many teams. For the March 3-4 competition, The Coffee Brewer has come on board as the main sponsor.
“I would like to thank our sponsors. These events won’t be possible without the help of Aspire,” al-Kuwari said.
The sporting landscape in Asia will be buzzing in the next couple of years with Asian Games in 2018 in Indonesia, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics in Japan.
Asia Rugby secretary general Qais Abdulla Dhalai showed confidence in the QRF’s abilities.
“This is perhaps the first time that Qatar will be hosting such a huge rugby event with 11 teams travelling from across Asia, right from Far East to West Asia,” Dhalai said.
“Qatar Rugby Federation has shown intent and energy, organising many tournaments in the last two years. There is a momentum, and that’s why Asia Rugby decided to award Qatar the right to host this tournament. I really look forward to the tournament and wish all the teams all the best for the event,” he added.
 
At a glance...
Pool A: Singapore, Pakistan, Jordan
Pool B: Philippines, Qatar, Nepal
Pool C: UAE, India
Pool D: Thailand, Iran, Bangladesh
 
Fixtures

March 3, 2017
1:30pm: Pakistan v Jordan (Pool A)
1:52pm: Qatar v Nepal (Pool B)
2:14pm: Iran v Bangladesh (Pool D)
4:15pm: Singapore v Jordan (Pool A)
4:37pm: Philippines v Nepal (Pool B
4:59pm: UAE v India (Pool C)
5:21pm: Thailand v Bangladesh (Pool D)
6:30pm: Singapore v Pakistan (Pool A)
6:52pm: Philippines v Qatar (Pool B)
7:14pm: UAE v India (Pool C)
7:36pm: Thailand v Iran (Pool D)
 
* The draw allows for a total of 26 matches including the final
* 11 preliminary matches will be played on Friday and 15 on Saturday
* That’s 364 minutes of top class rugby sevens action
* The draw is designed so that each team plays a minimum of 2 matches pre quarter-finals