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  A record crowd of 25,000 fanatical supporters saw England defeat Fiji 26-21 to win the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, with the nail-biting final bringing to a close three days of non-stop sporting action featuring over 150 teams in the biggest event of its kind in the Middle East.

  For England, the victory was the perfect start to the IRB World Sevens Series – eight competitions held throughout the world to decide the best team in the shortened form of the game. Once again Dubai played host to the opening round of the series, which is traditionally used by the world’s leading rugby nations to develop young, up-and-coming players.

  As well as the 16 international teams taking part, there were separate competitions for invited international, local and social sides making the Dubai tournament a unique festival of rugby featuring players of all ages and abilities. Add to the mix a lively crowd of enthusiastic supporters and you have a fantastic party atmosphere and one of the highlights of the Dubai social calendar.

  With the first day of the three-day tournament dominated by action involving local teams, the main competition kicked off on the second day with each of the 16 international teams playing three pool games to decide who would meet in the following day’s quarterfinals.

  Having won the IRB Sevens Series for the past five years in a row, New Zealand are the undisputed kings of sevens rugby and very much the team to beat. A dominant first day’s performance saw the Kiwis beat Canada, Australia and local favourites the Arabian Gulf to set up a quarter final clash with Scotland.

  The only other teams to win all three of their pool matches on the opening day were Fiji, Argentina and England, although England were pushed very close by a determined Scottish team in the early morning Battle of Britain clash. Despite leading 19-10 midway through the second half, the Scots couldn’t close out the match and two late converted tries saw the English through 24-19 in the dying seconds of the game.

  The competition entered the knock-out stage on the final day with defending Dubai champions South Africa defeating Argentina to set up a semi-final with England, who had seen off the challenge of Australia. Fiji edged out fellow Pacific Islanders Samoa 14-7 to book their semi-final place against favourites New Zealand who had proved far too strong for the Scots earlier in the day, running out 31-0 winners.

  South Africa’s hopes of retaining the Emirates International Trophy ended in a 14-5 semi-final defeat to England, while Fiji booked their place in the final with a hard fought 22-12 victory over New Zealand. Having never won the Dubai competition before, England were firm favourites with the crowd and didn’t disappoint as they faced off against a determined Fijian side in the climax of the tournament.

  In what was an often overly-physical final that saw two Fijians sent to the sin bin, England came through thanks to tries from Rob Thirlby, Pat Sanderson, Mathew Tait, and Neil Starling to three Fijian tries from Neumi Nanuku, Kameli Ratuvou and Marika Vakacegu.

  But they had to do it the hard way after England captain Simon Amor had to be helped from the field with a neck injury after a dangerous late shoulder charge by Saiasi Fuli that saw the Fijian receive a yellow card. Yet despite the loss of their inspirational captain, England stayed resolute and pulled off a well-deserved win in the face of a powerful late onslaught by the Pacific Islanders.

  “It’s no secret that England have wanted to win here for a long time,” said delighted England coach Mike Friday. “The people of Dubai have also wanted us to win this tournament so the atmosphere was fantastic out there. We may not have started the event very well but we got stronger as the games went on.”

  In the Plate final, Samoa edged out Argentina 21-19, while Portugal defeated France 10-5 after extra time to win the Bowl, and Tunisia championed the cause of African rugby by beating Ireland 17-5 to win the Shield. In regional rugby, bragging rights went to the Dragons who defeated their Dubai counterparts the Hurricanes to lift the MMI Dhalah Trophy as Gulf Champions, while in the ladies competition the Samurai Ladies from the UK destroyed the opposition finally lifting the title with a resounding 41-0 victory over fellow British visitors the Moody Cows.

  The international invitation competition saw English rugby league team St Helens become just the second rugby league side to compete in Dubai following the appearance by the London Broncos last year. Switching rugby codes didn’t seem to phase the Lancashire side who made it through to the final before going down 33-19 to the Kentz Drifters – a team of Pacific Islanders including sevens legend Waisale Serevi of Fiji, who still holds the record as all-time leading points scorer in the IRB Sevens Series.

  The Dubai competition once again lived up to its reputation as one of the best on the circuit, with the tournament having come a long way since the days of playing on sand pitches. Now in its 35^th year, the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s is renowned as the tournament that has catapulted relative unknowns into the international rugby arena. New Zealand's Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen and England 15-a-side captain Lawrence Dallaglio all cut their teeth in Dubai before making a massive impact on the global game.

  “The Dubai 7s is extremely important to unearthing rugby stars of the future,” Dallaglio said. “It is an excellent game of speed and agility and deserves its status as a front-line sport in its own right, with its own successful International Series.”

  With many of the international players competing at the Dubai Exiles Ground poised to go on to become test stars of the future, the coming years also look promising for rugby in the region. The Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU) has now appointed its first Arabic speaking Development Officer in Gaith Jalajel, who is tasked with the challenge of introducing rugby to local schools.

  The Jordanian longs for the day when the Arabian Gulf team – currently comprised of expatriates living and working in the GCC – features truly local players.

  “It is possible that an all-Arab team will take part in the Dubai 7s, but it’s going to take some time,” he said. “It’s a physical game and the first impression of many parents is that it’s not for kids. It will be important for me to talk to them, break the ice – and once they start playing they will never stop. Rugby’s that type of game.”