United Arab Emirates crush Kazakhstan in HSBC Asian Five Nations clash
UEA stun Kazakhstan by 24-10 in HSBC Asian Five Nations championship on Friday, 29th April, in Abu Dhabi. It was a must win game for UAE and they produced an incredible victory over the second best team of Asia.
The upset victory has recorded a history making triumph for the gulf state which is now one step away from making its place in the 2012 competition.
Earlier, UAE played a disappointing game against Sri Lanka that ended in a draw. The undecided clash minimized Emirates’ chances to retain its position in next year’s competition.
They were required to win two games out of three outgoings against much better teams but the way they have bounced back in to the tournament is quite promising for them and the task at hand seems to be achievable now.
UAE was largely depending on their front line campaigners and it really worked for them. Their forward pack was quite impressive in the Zayed Sports City, in Dubai. Their fly half, Jonathon Grady, was in real nick and led the Asia’s newest rugby union to
a historic win.
The crowd was crazy to see the first ever rugby match being played at their soil and it really backed up the home side. Their opponents, Kazakhstan, had a good history of Asian Five Nations competitions and they were the runner-up in the previous season.
UAE opened its account in the 16th minute with a penalty kick adding another one after three minutes with the help of Grady. They ended up the first part of the game at 14-5 and added few quick points after the break. Andrew Miller and Grady scored
on penalties and conversion for UEA during the second half.
The visitors tried to bounce back in the match. In the 27th minute, Kazakhstan decreased the deficit to 6-5 but overall they displayed a sluggish game.
UEA ended up the game with a wonderful victory over the Central Asian state by 24-10 to taste the first triumph before their home crowd. Kazakhstan will now face the power house of Asia, Japan, in their forthcoming clash.
In a pitch side interview after the match, Kazakhstan’s skipper, Timur Mashurov, told reporters that it was a disappointing effort by his side. He added, “It was a tough loss and a direct result of a very difficult build-up for us this week with our red
carded players and then one of our top players not getting his travel visa in time. The loss of another player to heat exhaustion this week meant that it really was the perfect preparation for a loss”.
UAE’s coach, Bruce Birtwistle, was exuberant with joy and said, “it is great to get our first win in at home under the UAE banner. I’m extremely proud of the effort of the entire team”.
UAE is topping the tables after two outgoings with eight points on the board.
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