Fitness trending in UAE rugby as Dubai Exiles welcome new maxim

UAE Premiership sides are mining the fitness industry in a bid to get ahead, and Dubai's oldest club leads the way

A Dubai Exiles ball carrier pushes for yardage against Abu Dhabi Harlequins. Mike Young / The National

Rugby union used to be the sport that prided itself on welcoming players of all shapes and sizes. Recent years have seen that maxim challenged.

These days even the amateur game is just as concerned with skin-folds and VO2 max as it is the post match jolly up.

It comes to something when even the referees have been doing yo-yo tests and following monitored training programmes ahead of the new season.

The men and women in the middle do not just turn up and whistle, the UAE Rugby referees will be among the fittest people on most playing fields this season.

Each of the six UAE Premiership clubs are also able to lean on the expertise of playing members who are gainfully employed within the fitness industry.

Dubai’s oldest club, the Exiles, have gone a step further with a three-year sponsorship deal signed with one of the city’s leading fitness companies, Inner Fight.

“It is more than just a normal gym,” Jan Venter, the Exiles coach, said of the new deal.

“They work on specific programmes for the different playing positions and then monitor the progress made.

“They will keep playing a role during the season, not only for the men’s section but also for some mini and youth teams.”

The gym’s founder, Marcus Smith, first played rugby at age 4 at the old Exiles ground in Al Awir.

He became one of the finest players this region has produced in a career that spanned 30 years, on and off, with the Exiles.

“I am delighted to have him and his team back on board at the club in this way,” said Mike Wolff, the Exiles chairman.

“He is an excellent role model for young rugby players on and off the pitch, and he has Exiles blood running through his veins.”

Smith’s influence on young players in Dubai has already been felt with the programmes he has run for Exiles youth teams, as well as at the Apollo Perelini Skills Academy.

“While I was playing I saw a number of gaps in the way players are conditioned for rugby and their strength levels,” said Smith, who played for the Arabian Gulf in the 2009 Sevens World Cup.

“We are confident we can make a real difference to players of all age groups.”

Getting ahead

Sean Crombie (Jebel Ali Dragons)

The former Scotland sevens player formalised his role as a player-coach at West Asia’s No 1 side this summer.

He is used to getting the best out of people physically. For his day job he runs a gym in his role in charge of corporate wellness at the telecoms provider du.

Ollie Turton (Xodus Wasps Dubai)

The bid by Wasps to close the gap on the established clubs received a boost this summer when Turton arrived from the UK, as much for his conditioning expertise as his playing pedigree. An instructor for Regime Fitness, his client base even includes some of the UAE Rugby referees.

Eva Clarke (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)

An ultra-marathon runner and former bodybuilder who has been running ’Quins’ players through their paces in pre-season, along with her husband Scott, the team’s assistant coach. The founder of Hua Fitness bases her programmes on military fitness ­training.

Billy Graham (Abu Dhabi Saracens)

Shocked UAE rugby when he stepped down from playing commitments with Harlequins, where he was captain and one of the country’s leading players, to focus on setting up CrossFit Yas gym. He was subsequently employed by their neighbours, Saracens, to oversee their summer conditioning programme.

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