Former champions Bahrain return as winds of change sweep through West Asia rugby

It might be pushing it to suggest, as one coach joked this week, that Division 1 is the new Premiership.

But when the domestic rugby season gets under way in the Middle East this weekend, there will certainly be much intrigue beyond the top tier of the domestic game.

The five-team West Asia Premiership is not without storylines of its own. Chiefly, Bahrain will be back playing cross-border rugby competitively for the first time in two and a half years.

Back then, they became champions of the region before the onset of the coronavirus meant twice monthly, overseas travel to away games was unfeasible.

Bahrain will have a test of their credentials immediately on return to competitive action. They will face Dubai Exiles at The Sevens on Friday evening.

When Bahrain were last part of the competition, Exiles were their regular rivals for trophies. Indeed, while Bahrain were absent, Exiles went the best part of three years without losing, before they were stung by Abu Dhabi Harlequins in the UAE Premiership final in March.

Despite the return of Bahrain, the top division remains pared down to five clubs. Just over two weeks before the start of the season, it was confirmed Dubai Hurricanes had withdrawn from the Premiership.

The club remain one of the largest in the region, yet they opted to drop out of the top tier because of concerns over the number of front-row forward they would have available to play at senior level.

Rocky Truter, the Hurricanes coach, said the decision was the right one because of the reduction in playing numbers, and he points out Division 1 will scarcely be less competitive than the top division.

“I’m happy with what I have seen at training,” Truter said.

New Dubai Sharks coaches Josh Ives, Dylan Hartley