We want to be the top team in Asia, says QRF chief

The Qatar Rugby Federation (QRF) has been using the Aspire warm-up track in recent times as a training ground and a tournament venue.In preparation for the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy, the first changes that you see at the venue is installation of 1,200-seat temporary arrangement.After staying dormant on the national scene for many years, post the participation in Rugby Sevens at the 2006 Asian Games, this is perhaps the first time that the sport has a semblance of a home in the country.The QRF last hosted a tri-nations Asian Division III Championship in April 2016, but starting Friday (March 3), they have a 11-nation tournament at their hands, which includes Singapore, Thailand, UAE, India, Jordan, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Iran and Nepal.“Going from three teams to 11 teams has been a challenge on its own. Hotel, transportation, medical, visas, the magnitude has increased, but in the end it is all worth with the experience,” QRF president Yousef al-Kuwari told Gulf Times.“Rugby did not have a venue earlier, and we must thank Aspire for making this possible. As many as 1,200 temporary seats have been added to this place. This is almost an actual stadium now,” he said.“We have been working on creating facilities. Every time we host a tournament, we have been able to add a new thing that we didn’t have earlier. We want to make it a successful gathering. We have done it in the past, but this scale is much bigger.”Talking about Qatar’s preparation on the pitch, al-Kuwari said: “The team has been training hard for the tournament. But so have the opposition. “This is a great opportunity for us at a playing and also at an organisational level. For all you know in the future we could look at hosting some of the biggest rugby national teams in the world, like Australia, England... This will be great for our experience.“We are in very good position, not only in the GCC and the Arab region but also Asia. Qatar Rugby is one of the well-known organisations in the sport. We have lots of ideas, and we will make it an even better institution. “We want to host bigger tournaments. Maybe we will have a tournament of stature like the Dubai 7s.”What’s also heartening for al-Kuwari is that Qatar also has sizeable number of good quality nationals playing in the team, alongside some really good expat talent. “We have been looking at adding more Qatari names, but to start out with three in a game of Sevens is actually great. Frankly we have more Qatari nationals but they haven’t made the cut to the team yet, and we hope that they will in the future tournaments,” he said, referring to wingers Rakan al-Mutawaa and Abdul Kareem al-Muhannadi, and forward Mubarak al-Malik.“These are encouraging times for rugby in Qatar. We have sponsors’ support. One day we will have our own facilities and stadium. The potential is huge for rugby here.“We want to be the top team in Asia. That would mean our standard will be very high, HSBC Sevens. “We can do it. The resources and facilities can make it happen.”