News - 2010

England crowned Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens champions

Dubai - After a weekend of dramatic twists, England emerged triumphant to be crowned Cup champions at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens tonight.

The English side rose from a defeat to Portugal on day one of the competition to take the title in a thrilling final against Samoa. England were first to put points on the board, thanks to a try from Oliver Lyndsay-Hague, who crossed the line again just before the break. Two successfully converted tries from the Samoans saw them going into half time 14-12 up, however.

Samoa then managed to score just once in the second half before England surged ahead to claim a 29-21 win - their first in Dubai since 2005.

"We dug ourselves out of a great big hole and played really well. I'm delighted," said England coach Ben Ryan afterwards.

"For whatever reason - whether the penny dropped or having their backs against the wall, suddenly they started to listen and understand what we were trying to do.

"I didn't think we would win anything after the Portugal game but I got all the guys together last night and just said we need to make the most of our chances and I felt really confident and relaxed today and just tried to enjoy it," added the coach.

Samoan coach Stephen Betham said: "Of course it is disappointing to lose in the final but I think England deserved it in the end.. I'm very happy with how our boys lifted their game. It's great progress for us."

England had earlier booked their spot in the final after a 19-14 victory over defending champions New Zealand in the semi-final, while Samoa got the better of Fiji, winning 24-21 in another closely contested semi.

"It's disappointing - I think we gave away four penalties in that match but we were up against a pretty good English side who were playing with a lot of confidence after a good quarterfinal performance," said New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens after his team's loss.

"There was just some composure needed at the end to set up a ruck or something. I think we could have won it but I'm proud of the guys - it went right to the final whistle."

Earlier in the day, Commonwealth Games silver medallists Australia and 2008 Dubai champions South Africa were knocked out of Cup contention at the quarterfinal stage. Both lost out in the final minutes - South Africa to Fiji by 21-19 and Australia to England 24-21.

South Africa went on to win the Plate competition, defeating Australia 19-12 in the final, while Argentina won the Bowl with an emphatic 21-0 victory over Zimbabwe and Kenya the Shield after defeating France 26-0.

Meanwhile, in the Invitation tournaments, Samurai Dubai claimed the hotly contested International Invitation Women's title after defeating Sevens France 34-0. Barrelhouse YOBs claimed top honours in the Gulf Men's League after a 22-15 win over Dubai Exiles in the final and the CNCF Vets once again emerged victorious in the International vets tournament after a resounding 26-0 victory over the Xodus Steelers.

"We have been treated to a wonderful weekend of action once again at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens and congratulations must go to England for a brilliant performance in claiming the cup," said Gary Chapman, President Group Services and Dnata, Emirates Group.

"It's been a fascinating two days of international rugby and a perfect example of why the Sevens game is so entertaining. The cup could have ended up in the hands of several teams, but all credit to England who emerged as worthy winners.

"We've had a great crowd here at 7he Sevens since Thursday. The atmosphere was tremendous and showed why the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens remains Dubai's favourite sporting and social event. As always, we will be looking to make next year's event bigger and better and look forward to welcoming everyone back again," added Chapman.

As the action came to an end on pitch one at 7he Sevens venue (which was recently named as the Best Sporting Venue at the Best in Dubai awards), the Million Dollar Band took to the stage for Rugby Rock as celebrations continued into the night.

For all the results and photos from the 2010 Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, log on to www.dubairugby7s.com