Doha: Asia Rugby consultant Aaron Stockdale expressed his extreme satisfaction with the overall set up planning and organisation of the Asia Rugby Championship Division III tournament which is currently taking place in Doha.

He said “I take my hat off to the QRF for a splendid job. I am aware that Asia Rugby has set rules in place and at times can prove too demanding. Full credit to Yousef Ali and Sam who I know are all hands on people. They have brought Rugby to the forefront in Qatar and should be commended on their work. They have also exceeded Asia Rugby expectations meeting all criteria and standards”.

He made these remarks at a press briefing hosted by Qatar Rugby Federation and Asia Rugby at the Copthorne Hotel yesterday where the captains from all three participating nations (Qatar Iran and Lebanon) were also present.

Commenting about the facilities Stockdale who is also the Asia Rugby tournament director said “I have seen many parts of the world including this region and I have not seen the standard of facilities that Aspire has provided for this championship. The pitch is immaculate the grass is perfectly raised the amenities are ideal and overall it is a fantastic facility second to none. I think the QRF and Aspire Foundation Zone have formed a great partnership and it’s exactly the partnership that Asia Rugby seeks from its unions”.

The Asia Rugby representative continued saying “I am also aware of the strong support the federation receives from the Qatar Olympic Committee. At a time when the financial crises are affecting a greater part of the world it’s very important that governments support rugby and its grassroots development. Rugby is now an Olympic sport and an investment in rugby is an investment is in an Olympic dream”.

QRF senior coordinator Samuel Rico said “We are delighted to welcome Asia Rugby Iran and Lebanon to Qatar. Their presence has sparked a rugby fever keeping us all busy. The QRF wishes all teams a successful and safe tournament and we thank Asia Rugby for the opportunity to host this championship”.

Speaking about last Saturday’s match he said “Congratulations to Tom Featherstone who lead Qatar to victory over the Iranians last Saturday night in front of huge home crowd. The championship the victory and the recent sevens league has triggered intense rugby interest. Even the press has shifted our stories from the middle hidden pages to the front pages of their newspapers. I’m guessing the federation must be doing something right to get such great coverage”.

The Qatar national Rugby captain Tom Featherstone echoed Rico words saying “Full credited to our federation for putting on such a spectacle and to my team for a great win. It was fantastic to win by that margin. Iran is certainly not easy beats. They are very physical and they keep coming at you. They are a youthful side and in the coming years they will be a force”.

Featherstone praised Qatari new comer Rakan Mutawaa. He said “It is always good to see local talent playing rugby. Rakan is no exception. He has top speed and good skills. He is an asset to Qatar and the national team. I hope the federation can breed a few more like him”.

Iranian captain Mohammed Reza said “We are a young team and we played a better more professional side. Qatar was strong and powerful. Our young boys are of no match. But for us the loss is not important what is important is that we learn from the experience”.

Lebanon’s vice captain Ray Finan said “We are excited to be in Qatar. We have been waiting to play them (Qatar) for some time now. We have won this division three years straight and have not met the Qatar team”.

Speaking about the Iranian team he said “We watched them play last Saturday and their style is very physical. I believe we can outplay them as we have done before. They have a developing side and in 5 years time they will be a much different team”.

Iran will meet Lebanon in the second match of the Asia Rugby Division III championship today evening at 7.00pm at the Aspire warm up and purpose built rugby track. Should Iran lose the match they will be knocked out of contention.

The event will be attended by the Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Javad Asayesh Zarchi.The Peninsula