A record crowd of 25,000 supporters saw England win their first Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s with a thrilling 26-21 victory over Fiji at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club.
The final match of the three-day rugby and social festival was a fitting finale to an event that had seen more than 45,000 people pour through the gates to watch 16 of the world’s best sevens nations as well as a host of invited international, local and social sides. In all, over 150 teams took to the four grass pitches in what is the biggest event of its kind in the Middle East.
As well as the record attendance of teams, players and spectators, the Dubai 7s were watched live by a global audience stretching from Europe to Australia as the IRB Sevens kicked off its eight-round series with the Emirates Airline-sponsored tournament.
For England, it was a great start to 7s World Cup year with skipper Simon Amor collecting the Emirates International Trophy from Maurice Flanagan, Vice Chairman Emirates Group, and Peter Richards voted the Nivea Player of the Tournament by the spectators. “It’s no secret that England have wanted to win here for a long time,” said a delighted England coach Mike Friday.
“The people of Dubai have also wanted us to win this tournament so the atmosphere was fantastic out there. We may not have started the event very well but we got stronger as the games went on.”
