DuRandt Gerber adds gloss as Dubai Exiles claim UAE Premiership title in Al Ain

With the season on the line, and the side who beat them twice during the regular league season threatening a fightback, Dubai Exiles might have been forgiven for feeling a sense of panic in the second half of Saturday’s UAE Premiership final in Al Ain.

Then they brought a 41-year-old – who was happily retired a month ago – off the bench, and any sense of trepidation dissolved. One of their players even verbalised it. “Don’t worry: Du’s on,” he said.

The UAE’s oldest rugby club had asked DuRandt Gerber to bolster their squad as injuries started to mount during the run in. The fly-half, who had been one of the seminal figures in the club’s renaissance over the past decade after arriving from professional rugby in Italy, had been added to the squad for the past three games of this season.

With a minute to go in the final against Dubai Tigers, who were eyeing a domestic double, he kicked the drop goal which decided the game in their favour.

The Exiles already held a four-point lead at the time. His kick meant the Tigers would require a converted try to force extra-time. As it was, they barely touched the ball again, as the Exiles claimed the title with a 29-22 win.

“He has a great rugby brain and understands the game so well,” Pieter Kilian, the Exiles captain, said of Gerber.

“He is 41 years old, but just a brilliant rugby player – one of the best I have played with out here. Having him on the bench, when I went off the first thing I thought was, ‘Du, you are leading again.’

“He used to be my captain when I first started at Exiles, and it is great having him coming off the bench for us now.”

Jacques Benade, the Exiles coach, said it was reassuring to have a player of Gerber’s pedigree to call on to help close out the title.