Dubai Hurricanes crowned champions of West Asia after extraordinary comeback win over Bahrain

The National

20-04-2025

Dubai Hurricanes might have thought they had perfected the art of the smash-and-grab raid in stealing the UAE Premiership title from Dubai Exiles a week ago. In fact, that late, single-point comeback win against their neighbours in the domestic final constituted doing it the easy way when set against what was to follow seven days later in the cross-border equivalent. For 13 games and 78 minutes, Bahrain were the best team in regional rugby. Then the Hurricanes broke from their own 22 to score the try that gave them the West Asia Super Rugby title. They could not have timed it more perfectly. Two weekends, two finals and, amazingly, two titles, having led for a combined total of approximately 15 minutes over the course of both games. 'The biggest thing about this team in comparison to any team I have ever worked with is that they do not know when they are done,' Mike Wernham, the Hurricanes director of rugby, said after the 24-21 win. 'They just don't quit. They'd have to be 50 points down and then the ref blows the whistle for them to believe it. They just do not know when they are beaten.' Bahrain were firm favourites ahead of the game, by dint of the fact they won all 12 regular league season matches, as well as the semi-final which followed, against Abu Dhabi Harlequins. The Hurricanes, by contrast, had lost both their regular season games against their final opposition, as well as three others besides. And yet they had showed in their win against the Exiles a week earlier that they have the firepower to threaten anyone. Just as it had done against the Exiles, the form book initially rang true. Bahrain were 11-0 up, via a try for Jack Phillips and two penalties from the boot of Josh Drain. They were cruising, despite the fact Aled Morris, their blindside flanker, had been shown red for a shoulder to the head of a Hurricanes player during a melee on the Canes tryline. Despite being down to 14 men for the majority of the game, the tourists dominated the ball, and the Dubai side only got a foothold in the game thanks to a piece of brilliance from Martin Mangwiro. The tireless back rower made a break through the middle of the pitch to score from 65 metres out after Ruan Steenkamp, the Hurricanes captain, had secured a turnover. It was totally against the run of play, but again proved the Hurricanes are capable of scoring from anywhere. Bahrain edged 14-7 ahead at the start of the second half before the side in yellow shocked them again, this time with Andre Gerber bursting through to score. Bahrain, who were cheered on by a substantial travelling support, moved back into a 21-17 lead with time ticking down when Mackenzie Oliver touched down after a driving maul following a line out. There was enough time left, though, for the Hurricanes to apply the ultimate sucker punch. Again, it was Mangwiro who fashioned the opening, this time from his own 22. He offloaded just before he got to the opposition's 22, and Toby Oakeley was in support to run the ball under the posts. 'I think I can speak for all the boys by saying we could feel the momentum shift last week [in the final against the Exiles],' Mangwiro said. 'We just knew that we had to pull it through right till the very end. Even though we were down in the first half and for a bit of the second half, we knew we had that fight until the end.'