■ Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons: Friday, 5pm kick off, Zayed Sports City
DUBAI // Ben Bolger, the Abu Dhabi Harlequins captain, is asking his teammates for one final push as they attempt to complete a haul of five trophies this season.
The capital club have claimed the three pieces of silver on offer so far this campaign, losing just one match in the process of claiming the Western Clubs Champions League, the Dubai Rugby Sevens, and the West Asia Premiership.
The final two titles, the West Asia Cup and the UAE Premiership, will be handed out over the next three weeks.
Jebel Ali Dragons are the immediate obstacle for Harlequins in both competitions, starting when they meet at Zayed Sports City in the Cup semi-final this afternoon. Doha host Bahrain in the other semi-final.
The two domestic rivals, who have regularly vied with each other for the major trophies over the course of this decade, will also meet in the UAE Premiership final on April 7.
“Now it is down to the last three games, there is a big push to get over the line,” Bolger, the Harlequins and UAE sevens captain, said.
“We want to win everything that is available to us. We know that is a tough ask, and it is possible for any team to put on one big performance, and any team is capable of turning over another in this league.
“We know the Dragons have some great players, so we are not going into this thinking everything is wrapped up. We know we need to go out and put a good performance in.”
The fact this competition is independent to the 12-match Premiership that preceded it means Harlequins can lay fair claim to being regarded as West Asia’s top side already. That is a mantle they have been denied in a variety of ways in past seasons.
“We have been caught on the wrong side of it for in the past few years,” Bolger said.
“When Jeremy Manning was our coach, we won all 10 Gulf Top Six games, then lost the final. Then last season, when we could really have done with a playoff final [when Dubai Exiles won the double], there was no final.
“We have won the league this year. It is what it is, it is the same for all teams. It might not have been as documented or well known as it should have been, but we have all played the same amount of games.”
Dragons, who qualified to face Harlequins by finishing fourth in the Premiership, are optimistic after a transitional first season with Henry Paul as coach.
“All season, I don’t think we have played badly,” Paul said. “In terms of spirit, it has been there all the time. Even when we have lost, we have dug in and tried. No one has laid down.
“We have not really had a consistent XV, important players have had injuries and I think that has really hurt us in terms of familiarity, working off the ball and communication. Hopefully the team spirit will get us through again.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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