Rugby in the UAE has always bounced back. Players rotate, clubs rebuild, life goes on.
But this season? It feels like a warning.
Before kickoff, the league had already shrunk in the mens rugby:
- Sharjah Wanderers, gone.
- Al Ain Amblers 2nd XV, gone.
- Abu Dhabi Pumas, gone.
- Abu Dhabi Harlequins 4th XV, gone.
- Dubai Hurricanes 2nd XV, gone.
And the same story in women’s rugby:
- Sharjah/Exiles combined, gone.
- Phoenix B, gone.
- Al Maha B, gone.
- Exiles B, gone.
- Sharks playing with squad of 7.
That’s not turnover. That’s contraction.
Are player numbers dropping?
Division 1 only looks stable because of the Tuskers. A team operating at near semi-pro level.
They’re so far ahead that we’ve seen clubs shy away from playing them. When teams start asking if a game is safe, competitive balance is broken.
And honestly, the solution seems obvious. The Tuskers should be in the West Asia Premiership.
They’re too strong for Division 1, and leaving them there is distorting everything underneath.
Bahrain run two high-performance teams, which raises another problem… are a handful of powerhouse clubs holding the whole system up?
Meanwhile, player availability is getting tighter. Workloads are heavier. The expat cycle is faster. Even the Hurricanes admitted they can’t field a D1 team on the same day as a Premiership match. That speaks volumes.
The national team isn’t getting younger either. Many key players are 35+. Experience helps, but where’s the next wave? Are the pathways strong enough? Are we producing enough 20–25-year-olds?
And what about Emirati growth? There’s progress, especially in youth and sevens, but is it happening fast enough to make the sport sustainable long-term?
Because expats come and go. Local players stay.
Does rugby here truly want to grow?
Growth means change. Change means tough decisions. League structures, performance pathways, strategy, all of it.
UAE Rugby isn’t in crisis. Not yet.
But the depth is thinner. The cracks are real.
The real issue isn’t whether the sport is dying.
It’s whether we treat this as a warning and act before it becomes one.
