High Performance Manager and Coach of the UAE National Rugby team Apollo Perelini has announced his squad to train for this years Division 2 Asia Rugby Championships which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The UAE Squad will play their first game on the 15th May against Guam at the multi-purpose Chalerm Phrakiat Bang Bon Stadium in Bangkok. Other opponents in their Division 2 Pool table will be Thailand and Kazakhstan, with the final being played on the 18th May.

Perelini announced his 27 man squad to the players on the eve of the UAE Premiership Final which saw the Abu Dhabi Harlequins regain their crown as Champions of UAE Rugby 2019. The UAE Rugby squad includes 8 players from Harlequins, 7 players from Exiles, 3 from Hurricanes, 3 from Eagles, 3 from Shaheen and 3 players from Dragons.  Training sessions will happen over the coming weeks in preparation for the departure to Thailand on the 12th May.

Dubai Exiles lock forward Stephen Ferguson will be looking to make his UAE National team debut having just missed out last year due to the residency threshold. Ferguson said,

“To be selected in the UAE squad has been an absolute dream. I came here over 3 years ago to play rugby for the Dubai Exiles under Coach Jaques Benade and it never entered my mind that I’d still be here now and in the UAE National XV squad. The standard of the players in the squad list is unreal and it’s getting better every year. There’s still lots of hard work to do over the coming 6 weeks to put a claim in to get in the tour squad. And it’s one you really have to relish. I’m really pleased to be selected and I’m looking forward to the next few weeks. Time to knuckle down and put in some hard yards.”

Backs

• Emosi Vecanua (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Luke Stevenson (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Andrew Powell (Dubai Hurricanes)
• Sakiusa Naisau (Dubai Hurricanes)
• Niko Volavola (Jebel Ali Dragons)
• Kini Natuna (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Matthew Richards (Jebel Ali Dragons)
• Thinus Steyn (Dubai Exiles)
• Sean Carey (Dubai Eagles)
• Edward Armitage (Dubai Exiles)
• Majid Al Balooshi (Dubai Shaheen)
• Mohamed Suleiman (Dubai Shaheen)

Forwards

• Chris Jones-Griffiths (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles)
• Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Gio Fourie (Dubai Exiles)
• Ahmed Moosa (Dubai Shaheen)
• Daniel Perry (Jebel Ali Dragons)
• Isaac Porter (Dubai Eagles)
• Esekaia Dranibota (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Mohamed Hassan (Dubai Eagles)
• Matt Mills (Dubai Exiles)
• Sean Stevens (Abu Dhabi Harlequins)
• Jaen Botes (Dubai Exiles)
• Hamish Anderson (Dubai Hurricanes)
• Stephen Ferguson (Dubai Exiles)