(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Doha Rugby Football Club 1st XV finished second in the West Asia Premiership, an amateur cross-border rugby competition that brings together seven teams from around the Gulf region to battle it out on the pitch.
Alex Natera, Doha's Head Coach said: 'It's been an extremely successful season; we finished second in the league. We had a rough start; the previous head coach left I stepped in about three matches into the competition and throughout the year we lost players and sustained a couple of serious injuries, including our captain. It really has been non-stop, so a real credit to Doha for placing second.
The 2016-2017 rugby season finally came to a close for Doha on Friday when the team narrowly lost to Bahrain 22-23 in the semi-final game of the West Asia Cup, which took place at home at ‘The Fortress'.
]While Bahrain took an early lead after scoring the first try, Doha was able to regroup and at half time was leading 17-10. After giving away a few penalties to their Bahraini counterparts, the visiting team unfortunately managed to pull ahead and hold Doha off until the final whistle blew. Dave Ford, Captain of Doha, also commented on the game, saying: 'Ultimately we lost three times to Bahrain. The failure or success of the year is on that. Bahrain plays a very physical game, they can go through 15, 20 phases very effectively. 'Last year, we came third in the league. This year, we had a new league structure, new coach, a lot of new players, even a new captain. So, to come second in the competition and to make it through to the semi-final of the West Asia Cup is great. Overall, as a season, it's been a great success.
Natera added: 'There are many facets to a rugby game, and you can't do everything at once. So, moving forward, we want to hit the ground running; everyone back for pre-season in August and working to put all of the elements together. We are really looking forward to next season.
Doha finished behind the Abu Dhabi Harlequins the winners of this year's West Asian Club Championship, the Dubai Sevens, and the West Asia Premiership.
The final of the West Asia Cup will take place on Friday, March 31, and will see Abu Dhabi Harlequins face off against Bahrain.
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