Rugby 15s season ready to rumble

AMMAN — Following a promising 7s season which culminated in Jordan winning the Bowl event at the Asian 7s tournament earlier this month, the Kingdom will launch its 15s season this Friday, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

And what a start to the season it promises to be with reigning champions Nomads taking on their cross city rivals Amman Citadel, who finished runners-up last year.

The format of the 15s Premiership has been tweaked this season but both Amman sides are expected to face a tough challenge from the Saracens, a team made up predominantly of expatriate players living in Amman.

“We are in a phase of development for the 15s game in Jordan so it will be interesting to see how teams fair this season,” said Zu’bi Al Zu’bi, secretary general of Jordan Rugby.

“We are looking to build a bigger base of 15s players with the league followed by two cup competitions over the next couple of months.

“We have enjoyed a very fruitful 7s season where we undoubtedly showed how much the game has moved on here and we look forward to picking up from where we left off later in the year.

“But first we have some exciting matches coming up in the 15s version of the game starting with a real battle of the top two ranked sides this Friday.”

Aqaba Sharks will also be playing their part in the 15s season and will also host the Aqaba Cup next month. They are looking to spring a few surprises on home soil.

The match this Friday will kick off at 2pm at Petra University on the airport road.