Seven days on from their encounter with the Royal Navy, JRFC successfully regrouped and emerged national champions in some spectacular and sometimes very aggressive rugby in Riyadh on Thursday Oct. 28.

Six teams competed in a ‘round robin’ style tournament for the title. Teams from Taif, Al Khobar and three from Riyadh – Scorpions, Falcons and Barbarians – energetically strove for the championship honors. Noticeable by their absence having chosen not to enter were the Riyadh Warriors who describe themselves as “the only official rugby team in Saudi Arabia.” However as more than one player was heard to muse: “To win it you have to be in it!” And “in it” Jeddah most certainly proved to be. Echoes of the Royal Navy encounter hung over JRFC when they got off to a stumbling start with a loss to Taif 15-12. After a frank analysis and intra-team exchange of views upper lips stiffened and JRFC headed out onto the field with a whole new attitude and determined to prove a point.

They did so in spectacular style with 47 points in fact to Khobar’s 0. In mitigation, Khobar were only able to field 7 players with no reserves and, given the very determined running and tackling during the game, pressure and nagging injuries combined with no substitutes took it’s toll. It was however an impressive win.

The team to beat as ever was the Riyadh Falcons. The national derby between Capital and Coast is always one that produces the highest quality and hardest fought game and this was to be no exception.

Sometimes edgy, sometimes with tempers on the verge of unraveling Jeddah met like with like both physically and in will to win. This time Jeddah triumphed 21-7, a worthy score.

Riyadh’s Scorpions proved less of a contest and although showing signs of battle fatigue, JRFC were able to total a convincing win 45-0.

Riyadh’s Barbarians – a scratch team of spare players who may not be club members and turn up for a game demonstrated just how much team practice counts. Some high-order individual skills were just not enough against JRFC’s now practised passing and well-structured moves. The 57-0 to Jeddah scoreline proved the point.

The team from Taif however was a vastly different prospect for the final against Jeddah. They had not lost a single game in their run to the final and had handed out similar punishing scorelines. Clearly they presented a worthy challenge and would need all Jeddah’s energy to handle.

In the event Taif crumbled. “I really do not understand quite what happened,” said Scott McCarthy JRFC membership secretary. “We scored early and first and the points simply kept coming. It was a surprise to everyone.” Especially to a bewildered Taif, one would speculate, who succumbed 47 -0.

With the Dubai Sevens getting under way in the first week in December, JRFC has reached match form in good time. Whatever happens, with the teams from Saudi Arabia playing in the world famous event, a very high proportion of the players being young Saudi nationals and determined to make their mark, the Kingdom will again set down the marker that rugby sevens is now a firmly established sport here.