RUGBY – BAHRAIN’S rugby teams powered to dominant victories last night in their respective regional matches played at home.
The kingdom’s First XV outplayed the visiting Dubai Sharks First XV 62-14 in the 2025-26 Men’s West Asia Premiership, while Bahrain’s Second XV outclassed the Sharks’ Second XV 46-12 in 2025-26 UAE Division One action.
Both high-scoring affairs were played at Bahrain Rugby Club (BRC) in Saar in front of a large crowd of local fans, who turned up in support of the Bahraini representatives.
In the First XV’s triumph, the hosts were spearheaded by the talented Gregor Smith, who drove in four tries and put points on the board on either side of the break.
Smith was ably assisted by his teammates Mackenzie Oliver, James Newey, Sesona Macala, Josh Petro, and David Evans, who each also contributed a try, with Oliver scoring a brace.
Cormac Fox also played a key role for the victors, successfully kicking in six conversions in their lopsided win.
Newey was first to get Bahrain on the scoresheet with a try after only five minutes, but then the Sharks answered and took a 7-5 lead. Oliver put Bahrain back in front in the 13th minute, and a Fox conversion made it 12-7.
Fox then had a fine pass to Smith for his first try of the game, and then Oliver got his second in the 20th minute to extend Bahrain’s lead to 22-7. Macala then charged over the line and Fox sent his ensuing kick through the posts for a 29-7 cushion at the interval.
After the re-start, Petro scored three minutes in and Fox was successful with his ensuing kick. The Sharks added to their account but it mattered little as Evans gave Bahrain a 41-14 lead.
Smith then closed the game out in style, scoring three successive tries, with Fox adding conversions each time, sealing the big result.
With their triumph, the kingdom’s First XV maintained their undefeated record so far this season after seven games and they strengthened their hold of solo first place on the Men’s West Asia Premiership’s seven-team table. They handed the Sharks their fourth loss to go with three wins.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Second XV also had an impressive showing against the Sharks’ Second XV in their one-sided clash.
The kingdom’s squad were red hot in the opening 40 minutes, scoring 34 points while holding their opponents scoreless to take a commanding lead into the half. They never looked back from there, and they cruised the rest of the way to come away with their second win in three fixtures so far this season.
The Sharks’ Second XV, on the other hand, suffered their fifth loss to go with just one win. Both of Bahrain’s rugby teams are back in action on Friday later this week when they take on their counterparts from the Abu Dhabi Harlequins. The two assignments are set to be played away at the UAE capital.
Regular season matches for the kingdom’s First XV and Second XV are scheduled to continue until early March, after which the semi-finals and finals of both leagues are set to be played in April.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh