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RUGBY ace Sam Wilson will be taking part in a once-in-a-lifetime match this summer as he prepares to fly to Madagascar to participate in a charity initiative which will see him face the island’s national team in front of a crowd of 35,000 fanatical fans.
The 34-year-old expat New Zealander will fly out on June 29 and spend a week taking part in training, goodwill activities, coaching and, of course, playing in the big match on July 3. The players will also donate kit to promising young players and wheelchairs to the disabled.
He will be a member of a squad of players consisting of similar volunteers from the various rugby clubs based in the Gulf region, such as the Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Doha, Dubai Hurricanes, Dubai Exiles, Jebel Ali Dragons, and Muscat.
They will tour under the name of ‘Conquistadors’ in honour of Mike Ballard, an American national and former UAE Rugby Player of the Year nominee, who suffered a serious spinal injury when playing in 2014.
After his heartbreaking injury, he set up the foundation during the 2015 Dubai Sevens with the ethos of having a positive impact on people through rugby union and annual goodwill missions.
Sam, who plays centre for Bahrain’s 1st XI, said: “I’m so excited to be going. I’ve been playing rugby for Bahrain for seven years and the sport as a whole since I was four, but this is a whole new experience for me and will be for most of the guys I’m travelling with.
“Rugby Union is the national sport of Madagascar, they are currently ranked 41 in the world and we are expecting a crowd of around 35,000 spectators to watch the match. Hopefully this will inspire many others to take up the game.”
The Conquistadors’ mantra is ‘good blokes, with good intentions, seeking good outcomes’, and this will be showcased as the team takes part in numerous charitable endeavours on their travels.
Enroute to Madagascar, the team will meet the Seychelles Minister of Health in the VIP lounge at Seychelles Airport during transit time, where they will donate a number of wheelchairs to a local charity in the Seychelles and also two full sets of junior rugby kit.
Then, in the Madagascan capital Antananarivo, the team will hold rugby coaching clinics with 10 junior rugby clubs, distributing rugby gear donated by clubs from the Gulf, as well as donating a further 40 wheelchairs to the Aide Manjakasoa Madagascar Centre.
Sam explained: “Many of the junior teams in Madagascar have no kit to play in, so the clubs in the region are coming together to collect and then provide shirts, shorts and socks. The Bahrain Rugby Football Club has been great in this regard, and they’ve also helped with some of the costs of the trip.”
As for the main event, the game itself, Sam is expecting a difficult encounter.
“It’s going to be extremely tough, this is a very strong team preparing to take part in the Africa Cup,” he added. “But we will do our very best and hopefully both teams and the crowd will learn something from the game.”
