Bahrain Rugby Football Club’s director of rugby Louie Tonkin is surging ahead with preparations for his third season at the helm as he hopes to build on the fantastic achievements of last term.
His professional approach has seen a staggering renaissance in the team’s fortunes since his appointment, as the team has become one of the strongest in the region.
Tonkin guided Bahrain to third place in the West Asia Premiership, before defeating Dubai Exiles in the play-off final to secure the West Asia Cup.
The 35-year-old Welshman said: “There’s not a chance that we are going to rest on our laurels this season. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves, but there’s a lot of belief that we need to push on further this year as we now know we can do it on the biggest stage.
“The standard of the league has increased massively with the West Asia rebranding. There are no easy games anymore, and the only chance of competing properly is to have a professional ethic in the team and instil a winning culture.”
Bahrain has lost seven key players over summer, with Rich Wilkinson retiring after a decade in the first team, Iwan Philips and Jonathan Kenny taking up a professional contract in Hong Kong, Davis Tui and Mani Tupou going home to New Zealand, while Ollie Lucas and Toby Borrow have returned to the UK.
To combat this, Tonkin has bolstered his options with canny recruitments from around the world, some of which he recruited on his summer break back in Wales, and others through scouting agents in New Zealand.
Joining the squad this time around are prop Jack Parry, back rows Jordan Viggers and Aled Morris, centre Jack Phillips, lock Thomas Bell, wing Callum Roberts, scrum half Nick Annear and prop Sunia Fumeitau.
Tonkin’s off-the-field enlistments proved just as vital last term, and he had added to that with the appointment of Aidan Slattery from InTouch Clinic as the physio and strength and conditioning coach.
After two years of bedding in and having a sweet taste of success, Tonkin isn’t beating around the bush when it comes to his goals for the 2018-19 season. With a strong squad of around 30, his new charges full of enthusiasm, and the old guard hungry for more success, the only way is up.
He said: “This year our sights are higher; we want to win the league and cup double and justify ourselves as the true champions in the region.
“The biggest drive is to take every game as it comes, not concentrating on particular fixtures rather than each one individually. We want to go unbeaten at home, which I’m sure we can do with the support of the best crowd in the region.
“I know most coaches say that their current lot are the best they’ve ever coached, but I really mean it. These boys are the best group of lads I’ve worked with, and we’re like a big family. They live together, travel together, and they have great camaraderie whether that be at the rugby club or when they travel abroad to play.”
After a brief summer respite, training started in earnest last week and the team are preparing for their first test: the Asian Champions League. Bahrain will compete against Sri Lankan champions Kandy and last year’s Champions League winner Abu Dhabi Harlequins in a round-robin group.
The boys in red will travel to the sub-continent to play Kandy on Friday, where they will also once again donate kit to encourage youngsters to take up the game and host an open training session and play games with two schools in the local area.
Then, a large, raucous home crowd is expected at the rugby club for the Harlequins fixture on September 14, and Tonkin hopes that both long-time rugby fans, newcomers just getting into the sport, or those newly-arrived on the island, will come on down to and cheer the team on in Janabiya.
He explained: “We’re really looking to prove that we’re a great team to come and watch and to put on great events for the whole family at the rugby club. It’s the highest level of rugby in the region and with the new stand, improved hospitality packages and a VIP area, we really hope that more people come along and make the rugby club the place to be in the kingdom.”
