Doha RFC players walk off the field after playing a match during the tournament. RIGHT: Action from one of the matches held during the tournament.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Doha RFC hosted seven teams from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, while fielding two outfits of its own, on an action-packed day of live ladies rugby in Qatar.
Doha’s A team, the Oryx, started off by facing the Inter Gulf’s second-place team Abu Dhabi Quins. The visiting team started superbly playing their physical game and putting some early pressure on the Oryx. The Doha ladies countered by making some positive runs and some excellent offloading in the tackle to keep the ball alive which proved enough to go into the second half at a tie. The home team continued their pressure with some brilliant defense but failed to secure the win.
Oryx then came up against the league-leading Dubai Hurricanes. The visitors showed why they are at the top but Oryx played to a standard they hadn’t all season and demonstrated to the home crowd why they are in the A league with some beautiful tackles and defensive efforts.
Feeling boosted by their play in the first two games Doha Oryx went into their third game against Dubai Cones with confidence. The game began with a quick try by Doha and the ladies continued their relentless onslaught from there. The match saw a lot of Doha possession and coupled with quick thinking, it allowed Oryx to enjoy a hotly pursued win.
By the time the team went into their last game of the day against Jebel Ali Dragons, the ladies had to dig deep as the heat and hours made things difficult.
The match flowed beautifully from both sides with possession being equal and both teams bringing their physical game to the fore. The play was briefly stopped due to a broken nose injury to a Doha player. A final play that would have pushed Doha to a victory was called out of bounds, settling the score with a tie. The result meant Oryx finished with a hard fought third place rank in the A league.
Doha RFC expressed gratitude to its supporters for coming out and showing off the unique Doha hospitality to the visiting teams.
“The Doha Oryx relished the challenge of being back where they belong in the A league and thoroughly deserved their third place finish,” coach Graine Burness said. “We will keep working on making small improvements each time we play and are determined to finish even higher in the finals.”
Meanwhile, Doha Trojans enjoyed a great day of rugby playing for the home crowd. This season has been a development period for the team with a slow start due to lack of a permanent coach and a talented but inexperienced influx of new players. In their last three tournaments, however, and under Burness and new Trojan dedicated coach Duncan Fairley, the Trojans have shown progress.