All the latest from a high scoring week of Premiership and Conference action.
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Team of the Week – Bahrain
We may be the home of Emirates Rugby but we like to give credit where it’s due. This week’s Team Of The Week award goes across the Gulf to Bahrain after the men in red secured a bonus point home victory in their top of the table clash with Abu Dhabi Harlequins on Friday night. They open up a four point gap at the top of the standings and will be confident of consolidating their position with a trip to winless DSC Eagles up next. Always a tough nut to crack in front of their vociferous home support, Bahrain have added a greater degree of consistency to their performances this year with two wins out of three on the road. With the league’s most miserly defence and a home ground fortress – if Bahrain can add the sort of attacking fluency they demonstrated in this 39-20 win over Harlequins on a regular basis, they will take a lot of stopping this year.
West Asia Premiership
There was plenty of excitement outside of the top two this week with Premiership games averaging 66 points per match, perhaps heralded by the arrival of cooler winter conditions in the Gulf this week. Jebel Ali Dragons continued their resurgence with a 45-36 win over Dubai Exiles, though the bonus point gained by Exiles keeps them ahead of their city rivals in the table. It was heartbreak for the Dubai Eagles in their quest for an elusive first win, edged out by just two points by Dubai Hurricanes at the Sevens.
Conference
The Hurricanes-Eagles rivalry also served up a classic in the Conference at 2nd team level, but this time it was the new boys coming away with the narrowest of wins 38-37 giving them their first win of the season. Hurricanes’ slip up saw Dragons 2s move further clear at the top of the group, maintaining their unbeaten record and putting 55 points on the board over Exiles 2s in the process. In the other pool, Abu Dhabi Saracens missed the chance to close the gap of Dubai Tigers coming unstuck 24-15 away to Al Ain Amblers. Dubai Sharks completed a double over Arabian Knights in the weeks other fixture.
Article by: Huw Harrow
