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The Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC) decimated league newcomers Dubai Tigers in a home game in Janabiya, putting up a stellar 62-0 victory on the scoreboard.
The BRFC’s Red Wall roared, in support of the defending champions of the West Asia Premiership and in defiance of the gathering rain clouds, as the BRFC 1st XV squad took the lead early in the game.
With tries from centre Jack Phillips, centre/wing Nika Morehu, back-row Tommy Booth and wing Greg Heath and conversions from fly half Ross Preedy, Bahrain’s Reds had run up 29 points by half time.
Bahrain did not relent in the second half of the game, as fly half/full-back James Whittingham, back-row Jordan Viggers, as well as Morehu and Booth continued the onslaught of tries, with Preedy nailing most of the conversions.
Until the final conversion, Bahrain showed its top form, adding a fourth notch to the victory streak it has been on, since a close 21-15 loss to the Dubai Exiles, Bahrain’s strongest rival in the league.
Mike Cunningham, chairman of the BRFC, said: “It’s been a great first half of the season so far. We are two points behind the Exiles. Today was a great performance by the boys, despite slippery conditions. The guys are all fit and ready to go; it’s fantastic having most of the squad fit. We’re looking forward to the next couple of away games and then the home game against the Exiles, which, like last year, could be the deciding game. If we can beat them, there’s a good chance we can come top of the league again this year.”
Despite tough competition from the Dubai Exiles, Bahrain RFC hope to secure the West Asia Premiership title for a third consecutive year with head coach Adam Wallace well on his way to live up to the legacy of BRFC’s former coach Louie Tonkin, who moved on to the Exeter Chiefs before the season started.
Bahrain hold a 6-1 win-loss record so far, while Dubai Exiles hold a perfect 6-0 record in the league. This makes the Dubai team slight favourites for the February 7 game in which Bahrain will be facing them again, this time on home turf with the raucous support of the Red Wall.
The BRFC vs Dubai Tigers game was also the kick-off of the official strategic partnership between BRFC and the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Laurence Jones, head of marketing and communications at BIC commented: “Our strategic alliance with BRFC is a natural partnership for us. It will enable us to offer exclusive offers and events for BRFC members, so they can explore what we have to offer at the circuit throughout the year. BRFC is a superb community facility, supporting sporting initiatives across all ages and abilities and we are delighted to become a partner of the club. With a superb win for the team this weekend, we look forward to sharing their successes throughout the rest of the season.”
Bahrain RFC plays the Dubai Knights-Eagles this weekend and the Dubai Hurricanes next weekend.
