Different weekends, temporary home ground as Doha back among West Asia rugby’s elite

Doha’s rugby players could scarcely have been handed a tougher assignment on their long-awaited return to West Asia Premiership rugby this weekend.

The side from Qatar will be playing in the competition for the first time in six years when they face Bahrain on Friday.

On the field, their opposition will present a formidable enough challenge. Bahrain are the reigning champions of West Asia and have established themselves as the region’s premier force in rugby in the time since Doha have been away.

Even before a ball is kicked, there will be challenges. Doha and Bahrain played home and away friendly matches earlier this year to test the logistics of travel between the two countries.

The long history of Gulf rugby has always provided tests for the away team, given the vagaries of cross border travel. All the more so in the recent past.

Doha were left off the fixture list because of the geo-political climate in the GCC in 2017.

When they were ready to return, rugby was essentially ceased for everyone because of Covid 19.

So long has their absence been, few in Doha will remember what it was like to travel regularly to play the best in West Asia rugby.

Tim Newnham was still playing for the team the last time they were in the competition. Now aged 40, he is the club’s chairman, and has thus been tasked with plotting the side’s return to this point.

Discussions about a return have been taking place for two years, and now it is about to happen.

“We didn’t want to enter the league if we couldn’t complete all out fixtures because that is not fair on everyone,” Newnham said.

Caine Elisara of Team Doha tries to get past Dubai Exiles defence in their West Asia Premiership match in 2016. Victor Besa / The National

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