United Arab Emirates national rugby league team
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| Nickname | The Falcons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governing body | UAE Rugby League | |||||
| Region | Europe | |||||
| Head coach | George Yiasimides | |||||
| Captain | Ben Bolger | |||||
| Home stadium | Dubai Sports City | |||||
| First game | ||||||
 Lebanon 48 – 18 United Arab Emirates  (Bhamdoun, Lebanon; 22 July 2008) | ||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||
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Lebanon 10 – 34 United Arab Emirates (Bhamdoun, Lebanon; 29 June 2009) | ||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||
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Lebanon 48 – 18 United Arab Emirates (Bhamdoun, Lebanon; 22 July 2008) | ||||||
| World Cup | ||||||
| Appearances | 0 | |||||
The United Arab Emirates Rugby League team (nicknamed The Falcons) represents the United Arab Emirates in the sport of rugby league football.
For more Arabian stats, news, team results and more visit UAE's RLEF Page.
History
The sport of rugby league enjoyed a surge in popularity surrounding the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. As a result, a number of new nations took up the sport. The UAE was an early participant in this trend, playing their first international match in March 2008.
Lacking an established rugby league tradition in the Emirates, the Falcons were initially made up a mixture of natives and expatriates from England, South Africa and other Commonwealth countries.[1] Most notable amongst these is Wayne McDonald, former captain of the Scottish national team and star in the Super League in Europe.[2]
Sol Mokdad is the Director of Development of the UAE Rugby League. Taking on this role in November 2007, Sol has steadily developed interest and awareness in the sport.
International Results
The Falcons first international series was a three match series against the Liban Espoir, the Lebanese domestic representative team, in the 2009. The first match of the series ended early, after an on-field brawl prompted the referee to call the game off after 56 minutes of play.[3]
2009 Liban Espoir Series
- UAE Falcons 16 - 6 Liban Espoir (Suspended in the 56th minute) - Dubai, UAE - (4 July 2009)
- UAE Falcons 34 - 10 Liban Espoir - Dubai, UAE - (25 July 2009)
- Liban Espoir v. UAE Falcons - Lebanon - (15 August 2009)
2012 Tariq Niazi Cup
- UAE Falcons 30 - 26 Pakistan - Dubai, UAE - (30 March 2012)
| Team | P | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liban Espoir | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| UAE Falcons | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
References
- ↑ "Liban Espoir 2008 Match Reports". Lebanese Rugby League. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ↑ "Former SL Man Stars for Emirates RL". Last Tackle. 2009-07-02. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ↑ "Liban Espoir 2009 Match Reports". Lebanese Rugby League. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
External links
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