New Zealand wins Dubai's Rugby Sevens

Gulf News/The National/Al-Emirat Al-Youm/Maktoob Business Abd al-Khaleq Tharwat
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-12-10

New Zealand celebrates their win over Samoa at the Dubai Sevens Stadium, Dec. 5. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

DUBAI — The finals of the Emirates Airlines Rugby Sevens tournament ended on Dec. 5, with New Zealand winning the tournament title for the sixth time by defeating Samoa, 24-12. The sport is an adaptation of rugby that is played by teams of 15. The first seven-on-a-side match was played in Scotland in 1883. The Sevens Rugby World Cup was launched in 1993 in Hong Kong.

The New Zealand team went to the UAE with little hope of victory. The All Blacks had just emerged from their worst season in the history of the International Rugby Board (IRB) series.

New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens, however, said, "We expected to reach the semi-finals, or maybe even the finals, and the team put all of its effort into this match. This is Sevens rugby...My team deserves credit, though. Winning in Dubai has always been something special.’

Both Tomasi Cama and D.J. Forbes scored ten points for New Zealand and provided the team with an element of comfort before the halftime break. But at the beginning of the second half, Samoa was ahead, 12-10. The New Zealanders, however, managed to advance and could not be overtaken.

Team captain Forbes said, "Perseverance was the key. We had a tough year last year and finally achieved victory….We organised our defence well, and it succeeded against the Samoans, who played hard against us."

South Africa, which was defending its title, lost to Fiji, 5-17, in a quarterfinal match on Dec. 5. Later, the team was unable to overcome the power and speed demonstrated by Australia in the finals. Australia ultimately defeated South Africa, 7-0.

Emirates Airlines has sponsored the IRB tournament for more than 20 years and intends to continue its support for this unique event for many years to come.

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