JEDDAH, 30 May 2008 — Hard, fast and played with a spirit of commitment that belied their young ages, junior rugby league teams from the three major International community schools in Jeddah clashed in the first rugby league matches to be played in Saudi Arabia. Played over two successive Wednesdays, the matches, held at the American School in Jeddah, were contested by under-16, under-14 and ynder-12 years teams drawn from the school rolls.

Coached by their school sports instructors and experienced players from the Jeddah Rugby Football Club (JRFC), the students, some of whom had only been introduced to the game three weeks before their matches, acquitted themselves honorably and enthusiastically.

“Taking nothing away from the success of the boys, I think the real achievement is that Chris Ratcliffe has brought, what to many, is an alien game to Jeddah first of all,” said Paul Hay, headmaster of Jeddah Prep and Grammar School (JPGS) and a rugby enthusiast. Ratcliffe, a regular player for JRFC, is also a PE teacher at JPGS and was instrumental in setting up the tournament.

The games were part of the (Rugby League European Federations) RLEF plans for developing rugby league in the Middle East. Other countries which have taken up the sport are: Lebanon, UAE and Qatar.

This was no demonstration of ‘touch’ or non-contact rugby, which in the opinion of many seasoned players is little more than fitness training. The players showed tremendous determination and considerable courage, with lightweight nimble players attacking and flooring opponents very much bigger and stronger than they.

“It is physically intimidating, you do get knocked about and yes you get bruised from time-to-time. Bit like life really,” commented Hay. Ratcliffe said that the target was eventually to pick a Jeddah Schools under-14 and under-16 team to go on a small tour challenging other school teams. “Quite where we would go is not settled yet, but we never expected rugby reague to take off so much,” he said.

He reflected that there had been more than 50 boys training for each age group of the fixtures. “So, over 150 boys between 11 and 19 years old have been introduced to the game.”

Ratcliffe was delighted that the teams were made up of a representative mix of the nationalities attending the three international schools involved.

“It is not only western ex-pats playing,” he said. “Boys from all over the world took part. For example seven out of my eleven lads paying last week were Saudi,” he said. As well as Saudi boys, the teams were drawn from Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Lebanon, Korea, Taiwan, Gambia, Canada, America, Yemen and Belgian.

Far from shying away from physical contact, Ratcliffe was quite clear that the players actually liked it. “They all love the physical aspect as no other sport they play at school allows them to get into the collision contacts that rugby league does.”

As with team pursuit, getting rugby league from the idea stage to the pitch involved committed organizers and, in this case, players. Teachers from the three schools and JRFC members saw the opportunity to introduce the positive benefits of the sport to a receptive audience.

Shaun Nichols at AISJ pulled his teams together and the school offered the use of its grass pitch — a real bonus especially in full-contact rugby — to all of the schools involved. “Without that,” said Ratcliffe, “the sport would never have got off the ground.”

At the British School in Jeddah, Dave Kinkead marshaled his teams while Ray Garnett — who assisted Ratcliffe at JPGS — collected their players and drilled them into shape. At the first of the two weekend events, when the under-16 teams encountered each other, the results were: BISJ 12 - AISJ 6, AISJ 9 - JPGS 12; and JPGS 3 - BISJ 0. JPGS emerged as Under 16 Champions.

Last Wednesday, JPGS topped out in the under-14 section defeating AISJ 15 – 0 but lost in the under-12 to BISJ, 9 – 0.

Full results were: under-12: BISJ 9 – JPGS 6. Under-14: JPGS 15, ASIJ 0; JPGS 9 – BISJ 0 and AISJ – 6, BISJ – 6.

Next year the tournaments are being planned for February, partly to capitalize on cooler conditions and to avoid clashes with school examinations. “A few parents haven’t let their sons play or train because of this,” said Kincaid.