The second half of the Gulf Rugby season has just kicked off after the winter break where most clubs break away for the Sevens Rugby season.

So far it hasn’t been the best start to 2020 for two of the UAE Division 2 Rugby Clubs as we can confirm that two teams have withdrawn from the competition.

The Dubai KnightsEagles and Dubai Shaheen have withdrawn from the competition after struggling to fulfil their fixtures throughout the first half of the season.

Division 2 began the 2019/20 season with ten clubs, all looking to compete amongst each other in what is still viewed as the “social rugby” scene and also previously known as the Community League. Teams play their fixtures every fortnight, so there is less pressure for players to commit to training unlike the upper Division 1 and Premiership leagues which have a much busier schedule throughout the season and the need to perform at a more competitive level week in week out.

The KnightsEagles looked to boost their club numbers as a result of a merge between the Arabian Knights and the Dubai Eagles back in June of this year. The 3rd XV side have only managed to complete one fixture out of five to date, with that fixture being a tough day at the office against a strong Harlequins 3rd XV side, who handed them a 14 – 71 thumping down at the Sports City ground.

The Dubai Shaheen have also withdrawn from the league after many stop starts in the competition over the past few seasons. They first began competitive rugby back in September 2015 where they were welcomed to domestic rugby with a 5 – 73 defeat against the Jebel Ali Dragons at the Sevens Stadium. Out of a total of forty three fixtures they’ve had to cancel fifteen of them due to player numbers.

For many clubs in Division 2 who field 2nd/3rd teams, it’s often a tough job keeping players, as with the nature of Dubai and the Middle East in general, it’s such a transient place that players come and go and have many other commitments throughout their busy day to day lives.