UAE hinge hopes on Kazakhstan tie

UAE Rugby’s hopes of maintaining their Asian Five Nations, Top Five status appear to rest more than ever on this Friday’s home match against Kazakhstan following last weekend’s second-round results.

By Alex Leach

• Follow us on
• 
• 
• 

Published: Sun 6 May 2012, 12:38 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 1:58 PM

Performance director Duncan Hall’s men were – somewhat predictably – soundly beaten 106-3 by perennial powerhouses Japan in Fukuoka on Saturday afternoon.

That emphatic result came on the back of an 85-10 home defeat at the hands of Hong Kong the previous weekend, thus now leaving the UAE bottom of this five-team division without a point and with a points difference of -178.

If that predicament wasn’t bad enough, worse news was to come from the other game between Hong Kong and South Korea, with the latter nation registering a shock 21-19 victory away from home courtesy of a last-gasp conversion.

It had been widely expected that newly promoted South Korea would – like Kazakhstan and the UAE – struggle to cope with Japan and Hong Kong.

However, that pre-tournament perception looks misplaced on the basis of this first outing upon their return to this tier after a first-stage bye. Hong Kong took the lead with an early penalty from debutant Mike Glancy, but South Korea hit back with a converted try by centre Kim Nam Wook for a 7-3 advantage. Glancy’s boot then reduced the deficit from four points to one, only for Kim Nam Wook to dot down his second score of the first half with a breakaway, kick-and-chase try.

South Korean fly-half Oh then nailed his kick for his side to go in 14-6 up at the half-time break.

Glancy missed his third penalty attempt after the restart and the hosts duly brought three replacements into the fold, with Jamie Hood coming on for the unsuccessful Glancy at 10.

Hood found his range with a further penalty to bring the arrears back to five and Kim Nam Wook was sin-binned for the visitors shortly thereafter.

With a temporary numerical advantage to exploit, Hong Kong looked to restore parity and prop Tom Bolland’s try did so at 14-14.

Hood’s successful conversion gave the home side a slender, two-point buffer and his subsequent penalty stretched that narrow cushion out to five.

Nonetheless, there was to be a late sting in the tail as – with three minutes left on the clock – South Korea’s Noh Hoon Park crossed over to level things up and the subsequent conversion won the game in dramatic style. If that pitch battle was keenly contested and evenly matched though, the Japan-UAE encounter was anything but as the Cherry Blossoms notched their second century in as many seasons against the embryonic union’s XV.

Japan coach Eddie Jones named four newcomers in his matchday squad, with Yoshikazu Fujita becoming the Japan’s youngest-ever international at 18 years, seven months and 27 days with a run-out on the right wing.

The hosts scored 40 unanswered points before a penalty got the UAE on the board in the opening 40 minutes.

There was to be no respite in the second period, with Japan chalking up three figures with a further 66 points without any reply.

alex@khaleejtimes.com