Onwards and upwards for Bahrain after positive season

On the face of it, eight defeats in 10, essentially nine when you take into account a forfeited final match, doesn’t exactly scream progress.

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But Bahrain can look back on the Gulf Top Six campaign with a tremendous degree of satisfaction. Their performances during Gulf rugby’s elite competition certainly give them something to build on for next season.

They finished bottom of the GT6 but their points difference (-89) was better than both Jebel Ali Dragons (-178) and Dubai Hurricanes (-161), who finished directly above them.

They conceded less points than both those teams and scored more than Dragons (176 to 121), who won the treble of UAE Premiership, Gulf Men’s League title at the Dubai Sevens and West Asia Cup in successive seasons in 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Their only win came against the dethroned champions, an emphatic 35-3 triumph at the Centre of Excellence.

Bahrain were definitely not whipping boys and gave every team a battle, bar perhaps in their biggest loss, a 26-point margin of defeat in their penultimate game when they were soundly beaten at Zayed Sports City 38-12 by Abu Dhabi Harlequins.

“That’s the first game where we haven’t represented ourselves well,” captain Adam Wallace had said following the defeat.

They were beaten by 20 or more points only two more times, scoring four tries and a bonus point in a 45-24 loss to GT6 winners Doha, while forfeiting their last match to eventual West Asia Cup champions Abu Dhabi Saracens cost them a 20-0 defeat.

They lost games by 13, 14 and 15 points and were beaten three times by five or less, including Dragons at home (23-18), Canes away (26-24) and Doha at home (27-22).

Their 2015 form was a long way from a 105-15 trouncing they took at the hands of Doha in the pre-Christmas Gulf Premiership.

“The story of the year is we’ve finished on the wrong side of results,” said inside centre Wallace.

“This year we’ve stepped up, closed out games and been a bit more professional about it and I think that’s something to look back on. We can take a lot from this year, it’s been a big learning curve for us, but I think we’re definitely taking something from it.”

Wallace described Bahrain as a close-knit club who struggle worse than their more illustrious Gulf neighbours Doha and the UAE teams to recruit players, but claims he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We do struggle because we’re not a big catchment area, but we are proud of what we’ve got. We’re a real tight-knit family,” added the skipper. “When we play each week we play for the shirt and play for the club and their friends. Off the pitch these are the guys you hang around with.

“Every week you’re playing for each other and I love the fact I’m part of that kind of set-up and as a smaller set-up we’re beating some of the bigger teams. There’s plenty to build on for next season.”

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