Another momentous occasion for DBS sport this year saw the Under 14 DBS Rugby squad triumph to the school’s first League Winners Championship.

DBS entered the emerging schools league this year to discover the taste for rugby in Dubai. Unaware of the capabilities of the other schools that had entered the league, DBS entered with a huge amount of confidence and excitement.  

After the first few training sessions it was clear the boys had huge potential however there seemed to be a huge lack of experience with only one player, Stephan Mashford, playing club rugby outside of school.

After much training and effort the boys were anxious for the season to begin. Some of the squad competed in the Dubai College Rugby 7’s which ended as a great success for the school. It did however open the boys eyes, showing the high standard of rugby played in Dubai.

Our first league opponents were Repton B squad where DBS won the game convincingly. Then the squad entered the DC 10’s with hopes of finishing higher than their finishing position in the DC 7’s. This was not the case however the boys showed some excellent rugby skills. DBS were beaten by two teams that reached the cup semi finals by a mere try. The boys were disappointed however they then realised how much they had progressed and proved that they could compete against the best teams in Dubai.

UAS were next in line and the game began with some hard hitting tackles from both sides. The quality of DBS shone through and again we won the game convincingly however UAS continued to battle throughout which kept our boys on their toes. DBS then faced Sharjah English School and once again beat them convincingly however it was noticed by both members of staff that there was a huge amount of improvement from all players, the knowledge, understanding and organisation was fantastic.

DBS then had two games remaining and this would determine whether we would win the Emerging Schools League. The first game was against GCS who proved to be a strong team with some excellent players. The boys showed grit and determination however we lost the game and this made a huge impact on the run in for the league.

The final game and league decider was against an unbeaten Deira International School. The boys grouped together for their ritual pre-game talk led by Captain Nic Campbell and Vice captain Stephan Mashford. They knew this would be their toughest game yet and all players had to put 100% into the game. The boys did just that and came out victorious in an extremely hard fought battle. The boys were ecstatic at the end and Mr Grainger was proud of every single player.

This has been a fantastic season for DBS and the Under 14 rugby team and there are clear signs of potential for next season. The boys have been a credit to themselves and the school and we are very proud of them all. Congratulations boys, the hard work and effort in training made you become a fantastic squad.