Murray Strang and Chris Gregory saved the blushes for UAE as their maiden campaign in the Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament fizzled out with heavy defeats against Scotland 40-5 and Kenya 35-5 at The Sevens stadium off Dubai-Al Ain Road on Saturday.

The only consolation for the hosts was achieving their goal of being able to score in both these matches but they found the big boys too hot to handle when they got into their stride.

In the Bowl quarter-final against Scotland, former Glasgow Hawks player Strang scored a memorable try against his country of birth on his 30th birthday.

“It was a dream come true playing against Scotland. I’ve watched them playing Sevens ever since I took up the game. I supported them all across the globe and watched them in Dubai for the last three years. Running against them and scoring a try was a dream come true for me,” said Strang.

“It was great for me to play against my home country. When I saw the draw come up last night, I was absolutely delighted and raring to go this morning," he added.

Talking about his overall experience during the weekend, Strang said: “It was a roller coaster. It was a really good team effort there. It hasn’t always gone for us. Results have been tough. It’s really been a baptism of fire against all these international players but it’s been a great experience for all,” he said.

“I have always come here thinking if I could make it to the finals with Abu Dhabi Harlequins. That has been the aim for last three years. I have never managed that. So to pull on the national jersey, I feel privileged to be really able to do that," he added.

Scotland had taken the lead in the opening minute with a breakaway try by Ross Miller.

UAE got their act together with the ball with Strang spotting a gap and slipping past the last defender to touch down under the posts. But he was off target with the conversion which would have levelled the scores.

But Scotland just pulled away past a ragged defence to score five more tries, including two by Andrew Turnbull to romp home easily.

In the Shield semifinal against Kenya, UAE sprung a surprise by taking the lead for the first time in the competition in the third minute.

They went on the offensive from the start and after a sustained spell of pressure were rewarded when Chris Gregory dashed over on the left corner after a series of phased out attacks for an unconverted try.

But Kenya surged ahead 7-5 immediately after the restart with Willy Ambaka Ndayara slipping through half-hearted tackles to score the first of his two tries.

UAE enjoyed plenty of possession but found themselves trailing 14-5 at the break.

Kenya stepped up a gear after the turn around capitalising on UAE's mistakes and missed tackles to score three more tries.

UAE's star player Emad Reyal made some jinking runs while Emirati Mohammed Rahma came close with a dash on the left flank.

Steve Smith attempted one final hurrah for UAE with a superb chip kick but was denied by the awkward bounce inside the goal area.

This article was posted on 3-Dec-2011, 11:57 by Hugh Barrow.