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Tribune News Network
Doha
The Doha RFC's men team kicked off the 2017-18 rugby season over the weekend with a 24-21 win over Kuwait Scorpions RFC. Nineteen players travelled to Kuwait to participate in the Gulf Conference League game; a cross-border competition which brings together teams from around the region to battle it out on the pitch.
Alex Natera, Doha's Head Coach, said:"As the first game of the season, it was a great opportunity to see some of our new players in action. This fixture part of the Gulf Conference League is normally a second team game. But, due to player shortages, we called upon three of our most seasoned first team players, as well as some of our colts who have shown tremendous potential. Overall, while it was a slightly rusty performance with some systems not quite clicking, we are, nonetheless, delighted with the win and the team put out a gutsy and impressive effort."
Elliot Johnston, who not only captained the team to victory on Friday, but also scored Doha's second try of the day, also commented on the game.
"With several regulars unavailable to travel, a mixed and relatively inexperienced squad travelled to Kuwait."
"Early scrum dominance allowed us to grow a 17-point lead by half time, but, due to injuries on the Kuwait side, this advantage was nullified as the scrums became uncontested at half time. Kuwait quickly went on to score 21 points, but, with just three minutes to go, Doha's Sam Gilbert grabbed the match winning try. New members to the team really stood up against a physical Kuwaiti side, and we came away with a hard fought win. I'm very proud of everyone's effort," Elliot concluded.
The game also help to set the bar for the upcoming Qatar Rugby Federation (QRF) league. The newly-formatted tournament, 'Qatar Rugby XV's Domestic Competition', is set to run from November 2017 to March 2018.
"This week will see us splitting into a first and second team squad in order to prepare for the QRF league, which promises to be an exciting addition to rugby in Qatar and will give fans across the country plenty of action over the coming weekends," Natera added.
The DRFC ladies team also travelled to Kuwait on Friday to take on the Kuwait Scorpions RFC women's team in their first game of the season. Doha veteran Jenny Franklin set the pace for the game, scoring a try within the first 30 seconds of the game. And, after three seven minute sets, Doha cemented the win, beating their Kuwaiti counterparts 55-10.
