Muscat, April 25
The Oman Rugby Committee announced at a ceremony held at the Kempinski Muscat Hotel in Al Mouj that the national team will participate in the Touch Rugby World Cup in the UK next July. The Oman Touch Rugby National Team has secured a place to participate in this year's Touch Rugby World Cup, and this is the first time the national team will play at the global level in Touch Rugby.
The qualification comes after two years of hard work to establish the team and set goals to showcase the athletic abilities of the team's players. The team is now preparing for the toughest task of facing and challenging some of the best touch rugby teams in the world.
In this regard, Nabil bin Riyadh al Busaidy, Chairman of the Oman Rugby Committee, expressed his happiness at the national team's opportunity to compete at the global level, saying: "This is a dream come true for all of us. Rugby has been in Oman for 50 years, but mainly as a minor sport for expatriates and communities. Since 2021, we have established the Oman Rugby Committee, and last year, we launched the High-Performance Team. We have worked hard to get to this point and we are ready to show the world what we can do. The work is not over yet, as the final team that will participate in the Rugby World Cup must be selected. Therefore, we need financial support to reach the global event and get the best results."
As the team prepares to represent Oman on the global stage, they are calling for support to aid them fulfil the dream from corporations across the Sultanate of Oman.
Coach Brian Hopkins said: "We started thinking about qualifying for the World Cup about a year and a half ago. The first thing we did was understand the qualities and characteristics that a rugby player should have. Omanis are generally fast and athletic, but they don't know the game of rugby. So, we had to look at how to combine that athleticism and potential with rugby. We formed a team of foreigners and Omanis to try to unleash that potential. We had a few foreigners who knew rugby and a few Omanis who were very fit. We tried to bring the two together. Over the past 18 months, we have been taking advice from Omanis on how to improve athletically, but we have been advising them on how to improve their rugby skills. This is what led to the formation of the team as a whole, and it has been a wonderful journey."
On measuring the development of rugby in Oman, Hopkins said: "We have seen a tangible development and a good increase in the number of people playing rugby. Before 18 months, I had one or two teams participating in tournaments. Now we have seven registered clubs playing regularly, the best of which are in Salalah. The move from two clubs to seven clubs in record time shows the rapid growth of rugby in Oman. Originally, these clubs had only one or two Omani players."
He added now we have a full Omani team. "It was a great result to see a team of Omanis in rugby competing with other teams. Omani players have started to show us how good they are. Our goal in participating in the Rugby World Cup is to show how good we are in this sport. This is our first time at the global level. We have been playing for two years when we get there against teams that are 40 or 50 years old. So, we are excited for the tournament to show the world what we can do. It will undoubtedly be tough, but I think the other teams will be surprised by what the Oman team has to offer."
More than 40 countries across 18 categories will participate in the Touch Rugby World Cup, scheduled to take place in the UK next July. Oman's qualification is a testament to the growing popularity and success of rugby in the country and is a source of pride for all Omanis. Oman qualified in the Open Men's category and will face 19 other teams. The team includes 16 players, six administrators and technicians.
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