ever Jeddah Rugby Club day sponsored by Gatorade was a huge success on Thursday. While many people are still unaware of the sport of Rugby in Jeddah this is changing thanks to the hard work of the rugby club. Football is still the number one sport in the Middle East but rugby is starting to force its way into local life due to its exciting macho appeal. The club day opened with a showcase of future talent first from the junior rugby union section before teams from the British and American International Schools battled in a fiercely contested game of rugby league. While BISJ was victorious the level of skill and tenacity demonstrated by both teams impressed onlookers. The man of the match award went to Zander Potgeiter, closely followed by Farid Abdul Wahab. The open age contests opened with a development game featuring an impressive 15 saudis out of the 18 players. These players have really taken to the game demonstrating an aptitude that has amazed the more experienced players at the club. Fawaz Al-Fageeh showed his class, becoming the MVP. Rackan Alasiri was named as top tackler, Ali Barnawe the scorer of the best try and Samir Anverdeen the best newcomer. The amount of talent on show lent weight to the fact that Saudi Arabia has real potential as a rugby playing nation and with a little backing could take its place on the world stage. The open age tournament continued with more thrilling action before finally the Scorpions team emerged undefeated. Led from the front by top try scorer Matthew Jay and with key players Richard Hickson and JP Greyvenstein sharing the MVP award, the winners simply had too much power and pace for their opposition. Rugby in Jeddah is very much on the up and the sport is ready to explode once the club takes its next few steps forward. The club is looking for a permanent ground of its own so that it can expand the current training opportunities offered. Training by qualified coaches is offered twice weekly but the club would like to offer training to Saudi youngsters and anyone interested in taking up the sport alongside the more experienced teams currently playing. New members are always welcome. Please contact Dave Kinkead 0540045389 if interested. __
