The Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1st XV travelled to the Dubai Sevens ground last weekend to play TOA Dubai in their first away match of the season.

The Quins faced stiff competition from a determined TOA side but eventually emerged with a hard-fought 36-27 victory. Murray Strang led the way with two tries and three conversions, while Billy Graham claimed two further tries and Thomas Calnan and Patrick Hegarty added another try each.

The 1st XV coach Alistair Thompson said: “This was a well-contested match between two sides with very different styles and overall I am happy we finished with a win and were able to claim a bonus point.

“However, if we have aspirations to win silverware there is still a lot of work to do. We conceded too many points and need to be more patient in attack. Individually, this squad is strong enough to challenge for honours but with new personnel in key positions, we need to bond as a team sooner than later”.

This first team are in action again tomorrow (Friday) as they face off against the Dubai Dragons at 7pm in Zayed Sports City.

Meanwhile, the Quins Ladies were also in action as they claimed a creditable fourth spot in last weekend’s Rugby 7s league tournament in Dubai.

A no-show from the Kuwait team, meant the Ladies were placed in a three-team pool with Dubai Hurricanes, the current league champions, and Doha Trojans.

The Hurricanes were too strong for the daughters of Abu Dhabi in the opening game, cruising to a 29-5 victory, with Tiffany Allard scoring the only try for Abu Dhabi.

The Quins rallied in the second game and Allard claimed four more tries in a comprehensive 39-0 victory over the Trojans, while Kellyann Davey ran over another four scores and Jill Oliver kicked two conversions.

A second place finish in the group pitched the Ladies into a play-off for third place against a strong Sharjah side, who proved just to powerful as they stormed to a 40-0 victory, relegating the Ladies to a fourth place finish.