The Jazeera Saracens take on the rugby world

A few months ago, kids’ rugby in Kuwait was in disarray. But at the start of the current season, coaches Stewart Cook and Hennie Uys formed a new committee, arranged a sponsorship deal with Jazeera Airways, and transformed the sport for youngsters in Kuwait.

“Dubai’s got four kids’ clubs, Abu Dhabi’s got two, but we’ve only got one,” says Uys. “Our sponsorship with Jazeera is great because we can fly to Bahrain on a Friday morning, play a match and return the same day. It’s the only way we’re going to get proper competition.”

Rugby keeps getting bigger in the Gulf. Buoyed by an influx of expatriates from Europe, South Africa and Australasia, the Dubai Rugby 7s (3-5 December) is one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar and the Arabian Gulf team has qualified for the Asian Five Nations tournament in 2010.

“These are the formative years, eight to 16,” says Uys. “If they don’t play rugby now, we’ll never have good players here.” It’s not all about winning, though. Both coaches talk about the importance of regular exercise, and then there’s the social side of the club.

“We’d love to see more children coming to play,” adds Cook. “They can come along to see if they like it. I’m sure they will.”

For more information, email Stewart Cook at stewsec@almullagroup.com.