JORDAN RUGBY AIMS FOR ANOTHER “REMARKABLE” YEAR

The sport of rugby is coming of age in Jordan and the union has reflected on 2016 and what it calls a “remarkable year” by unveiling some ambitious plans for 2017.

Despite being relatively young to the sporting scene in Jordan, the Jordan Rugby Committee (JRC), under the Presidency of HRH Prince Mired Bin Ra’ad, have received official praise and recognition by being promoted to full member status of Asia Rugby, and have implemented a comprehensive development programme for the first time.

The national 15’s side has developed on the pitch with some impressive international results in 2016, and the Premier League has increased to four teams. Meanwhile the 7s scene has blossomed with six teams in the Jordan 7s series and more promising results on the international stage. Jordan is currently preparing to compete at the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy that will take place in Doha from March 3-4 against 11 of the best rugby nations in Asia.

“It has been a remarkable year,” said David Martinon, JRC Vice President. “The game has made huge strides forward over the past 12 months thanks to the hard work of a growing number of people.

“We are proud to see that rugby is now played in schools as well as seeing an increased number of women also playing the game. We have built strong foundations to grow the game further so we have set some very ambitious challenges over the coming two years.”

With the next Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the 2020 Olympic Games both taking place in Japan, there is a new focus on rugby in Asia, and JRC is anticipating that the youth development plans will capture the imagination of the Kingdom to attract even more players to the game.

The Union intends to not only continue to develop the game through the Get Into Rugby programme in more schools, it will also take the sport this year into Jordanian universities to promote the values of rugby.

“At our recent Jordan Rugby Committee meeting, we welcomed new members who have the energy and drive to contribute to our ambitious goals,” added Martinon.

“Without a doubt rugby is going through an exciting time here in Jordan and we are looking forward to working together with partners such as Mahmoudia Motors to continue to make the game more visible, more accessible and more successful on the international sport scene.”