Crouch, touch ... engage | Dubai gets its groove back
Fiji on fire as the sun and ‘7he Sevens’ shine brightly in the desert
The buzz is back in Dubai – that was the message on everyone's lips after an almost perfect weekend of rugby at “7he Sevens” complex. The sun shone, the corporates wined-and-dined, and an estimated 50,000 spectators on the final day enjoyed some fabulous rugby.
Undoubtedly the party atmosphere was bolstered by the happy coincidence of a public holiday the next day, but it was just one of those events where everything seemed to hit the mark – the DJ played all the favourite musical stadium standards, the ground announcer was amusing, the beer was cold, and the cheerleaders seemed increasingly attractive as the afternoon wore on.
It was the rugby that took centre stage, however, with first an amazing come-from-behind victory for the Australians in the Women's Cup Final, and then the Fijian men's return to imperious form, stunning the packed stands with a crushing defeat of New Zealand in the semi-final, before going on to produce a sevens skills master class in the final against South Africa.
Like the city of Dubai, Fiji sevens rugby has had a few lean years recently, but with Ben Ryan's arrival as coach they appear to be back to their very best, which is great news for all lovers of sevens rugby but not so good for their rivals.
It certainly seems Dubai's dark days of financial turmoil and cars being abandoned at the airport as their owners fled from collapsing businesses and mounting debt have now been consigned to the history books, as everyone looks forward to exciting times ahead.
Last week it was announced with great fanfare that Dubai will host the 2020 World Expo, and the current Middle East political environment seems to be encouraging investors to look once more to the relative stability of this part of the region. Long abandoned desert developments are being restarted, and the lights are back on in the building sites as Dubai gets its second wind.
