Qatar lifted the title in the Asian Rugby Championship Division III West Central when they beat a formidable Lebanese team 25-19 in a nail-biting finish at the Aspire Warm Up track yesterday.
Prolific kicker Karim Jammal, also the captain of the travelling Lebanese side, scored all his sides 12 points off penalty kicks in the first half, before converting Martin Wahbe’s try in the second to amass a total of 14 points.
And while Qatar fly-half Paul Beard had a forgettable day in the kicking department, four tries by the hosts sealed the deal.
Lebanon, having won the division for three straight years, were always going to be tough for the Tom Featherstone-led Qatar side.
Six minutes into the game it all proved right when Jammal got the first points on the board courtesy a penalty from just inside the half. Four minutes later, the Lebanon number 12 was at it again, and the score read 0-6 in favour of the visitors.
Six minutes down, a penalty kick by Beard bounced back hitting high on the post. However, three minutes later, Beard got hold of the ball off a botched up Lebanese clearance near the try line and scored a try on the right corner. While his conversion kick fell short, Qatar were on board at 5-6.
Yet another penalty by Jammal extended Lebanon’s lead to four at 5-9.
In the 25th minute, Matthew Uffindall off a melee stretched out enough to get Qatar’s second try. This time, Beard converted and Qatar took the lead for the first time in the match at 12-9.
After Jammal levelled with another penalty kick, Qatar spent a nervous few minutes as Lebanon found their way at the doorsteps of their first try just a minute and a half from the break. The hosts, however, managed to shut the door twice within that short span, and scores stayed at 12-12 at half-time.
Three minutes into the second half, Beard missed yet another straightforward penalty, but with Martin Wahbe scoring a try and flawless Jammal converting, the visitors were 12-19 ahead.
Nineteen minutes into the second half, with Qatar trying to build pressure near Lebanese post, flanker Jamie Frost took off with the ball off a scrum and got the third try for the home team. Beard’s conversion kick hit the post yet again, but Qatar had closed in the gap to two at 17-19.
Six minutes later, hooker Malcolm Reid got Qatar’s fourth try, and while Beard missed the conversion, he added three points via a penalty three minutes from time.
Another nervous few minutes for Qatar ensued as the Lebanese attacked hard in search for a try, with Jammal also giving up a penalty kick in what turned out to be the final play of the match.
“We did expect a close one. That was a bit nail-biting for me,” said Qatar coach Aaron Palmer.
“We missed too many kicks at goal, which would have given us a bigger buffer, probably 12 to 14 points, which would have made it lot more comfortable. But that is rugby and you miss those opportunities, you have to find those points somewhere else. We managed to cross the lines more time than they did.”
The New Zealander added: “But I am ecstatic for the team. Four weeks together as a trial squad and two weeks together as a full team, and we managed to win the division. Big thank you to (Qatar Rugby Federation president) Yousef al-Kuwari, (QRF secretary general) Ali al-Malki and the other guys at Qatar Rugby Federation for asking me to come onboard and put a team together and coach. It is an honour to coach an international side, and it is an even bigger honour to win it. Hopefully we can move rugby ahead in the country.”
QRF president Yousef al-Kuwari said, “It was a very exciting year for us. But the best moment of it all came right at the end; winning the Asian West Central title in the 15s for us is big news and we are very much excited. This win also makes sure that we have put ourselves on the map of rugby in Asia.”
He added: “We have huge ambitions when it comes to rugby. Be part of World Rugby as associate members. In the meantime, we also have sevens, which we will continue to focus on. We will also play major tournaments next year. We will be participating in Dubai Sevens in the next season and other Asian tournaments.”