Riyadh 7s 2010

The 4th Riyadh Rugby 7s were held at the Salwa Garden Village Pitch on 28 Oct 10 on a beautiful Riyadh day. Playing conditions were hot to say the least. Teams travelled from as far away as Jeddah and Khobar, including first timers, Taif. Riyadh RFC submitted 2 teams, Riyadh Falcons and Riyadh Scorpions with a guest Barbarians team entered at the last minute due to the withdrawal of the Riyadh Warriors.

The tournament opened with the hosts, Riyadh Falcons, exacting revenge on Khobar for last weeks 7-0 defeat in the XV a-side game, running out comfortable 45-0 winners. This was followed by the Scorpions playing a tight game against the BaBa's narrowly winning 14-10. Next up, Jeddah, pre-tournament joint favourites with Falcons, played the unknown Taif team. Playing in Yellow, and having only practised on a tennis court due to lack of a pitch, Taif gave Jeddah a shock start, winning 15-12 and showing everyone watching they they were a force to be reckoned with.

The second round of matches got underway with Falcons beating the Scorpions with Jeddah and Taif also taking strong victories. The tournament was looking like a three horse race between the top teams.

Then the match up that everyone had been waiting for. Falcons played Jeddah in a repeat of the 2009 final. However, it was Jeddah who put 2 quick scores on the board, before Riyadh scored one back. Unfortunately, the game then degenerated into a mass brawl on the pitch after some unsavoury play from both sides. With non-playing team-mates running on to join the ruckus, the referee stopped the clock for a couple of minutes and instructed the coaches to sort their teams out. One red card later for a Jeddah player, the match resumed with Jeddah eventually taking the spoils, 21-7. The Falcons now needed a cricket score in the last 2 matches to guarantee making the final.

A bottom of the table clash between Khobar, playing with only the 7 people they came with, and the BaBa's, who were rousing players from the spectators, played an even match, Khobar winning 7-0. This was followed by the three main teams recording large scores again against the lower sides.

The final match of the group stages was Falcons against Taif, with the Falcons needing a massive and unlikely score against the visitors to ensure a final place. Despite some spirited play from Riyadh, Taif won the match 17-14 setting up a final against Jeddah.

All present expected Taif, who had played with some style all day, to repeat their pool match victory over Jeddah, however, playing their 3rd match in the last four games, they had little left in the pot. Jeddah were clinical in their execution and demolished Taif 47-0 to take their first Riyadh 7s crown, much to the delight of Team Manager Scott McCarthy who told his players that he had waited four years for this honour.

During the prize giving ceremony, Taif's Lee Bowman was presented with the Outstanding Player of the Tournament award for some sparkling running and attacking moves during the day.

The day was a resounding success, and the introduction of Taif to Saudi Rugby has definitely added another dimension to the game here. The traditional big three are no longer, and once they get more than 12 players, Taif should be in a position to challenge the more established clubs at the XV a-side game as well.

Congratulation to Jeddah for finally achieving their dream, to Taif for playing outstanding Rugby all day and giving all of the Saudi clubs something to think about, to Khobar's 7, who played 5 matches without complaint, the BaBa's core of 4 who played every game with a couple of 'guests' and to both Riyadh teams who despite not retaining their trophy, showed much promise as we look forward to the Dubai 7s in 4 weeks time.