Bahrain will be added to the list of countries to have played the game at the highest level when they play Jordan in Janabiya this Friday.
After a couple of years of playing sevens, the small Arab state in the Persian Gulf will step up to make its Test debut at the home ground of its only rugby club, Bahrain Rugby Football Club.
Former Scottish club player Rory Drummond has the honour of being the first coach to lead them into this exciting new era, having moved to the country in 2022. Whilst he’s still very much active as a player, the five-year World Rugby residency precludes him from winning a first international cap.
Only one local Bahrani player will be present in the matchday 23, but the rest have either been born to expat parents there or have lived in the country long-term.
At present, there are only 140 senior registered players aged over 16 in Bahrain, around 50 of whom are eligible for the national team. Drummond works with a training squad of around 35 players.
He says the very fact that Bahrain are making their Test debut – the first country to do so since Albania in January 2024 – has piqued the interest of the 1.6 million population. And he hopes that a good showing in front of what he anticipates will be a 3,000-strong crowd will further heighten awareness of Bahrain as a rugby-playing nation within both its own shores and further afield.
“We’re in our infancy of this, we know that. But I am a big believer that to encourage anything, especially sport, you have to inspire, and to inspire, you have to have a product that people see and can value and mimic and go after,” said Drummond, who even had a hand in designing Bahrain’s kit.
“I don’t think it really matters at this stage who is pulling on the jerseys, provided they are eligible for World Rugby laws. If they go out there and do a good job and the country wins, that is going to inspire kids of all backgrounds, and that is what we are aiming to do.
“We have done a hell of a lot of promotion for it, and I think we will get a good turnout, which is really exciting for myself and all the boys that are playing. It has been a long time coming and a lot of work has gone on in the background to get to where we are.
“The build-up to this game has been like no other,” he added. “We have had West Asia Premiership Finals in Bahrain, the highest level in the region, and we have won that, but not had much of a pick up. But the press and the interest from this has been insane, it has been quite incredible. Players are getting stopped in the street and being asked about the game.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we get 3,000 coming, and there will be a huge number tuning in online to watch the stream.”
“Rugby has been a huge part of Bahrain, not necessarily to the locals. But the club was founded in 1971, it is one of the oldest in the Gulf, so there is a long history, and now it is finally getting the exposure that it deserves.”
Jordan is a 15-year veteran of the Test arena, having made their debut against Lebanon in Dubai in 2010, but Drummond says his team aren’t just in the game to gain exposure, they want to get off to a winning start. And because Bahrain Rugby Football Club is a private members’ club – one of five in the country – Drummond will be able to toast a victory with a well-earned beer.
“First and foremost, we need to get a win, we need to get a good win. It would almost be a statement win, as we would be looked upon as opposition for UAE, for example, Qatar, and even further afield with the likes of Hong Kong and Malaysia, the countries in the top tier of Asian Rugby. That’s where we need to get to, and this is the first step.”
With talk of big money Saudi investment in the sport and high-profile games potentially being hosted in the region, the Middle East has never felt so connected with rugby, and Drummond is loving his time there.
Drummond, once likened to ex-Scotland international Josh Strauss because of his beard and abrasive loose forward play, arrived in the country three years ago, having had a nomadic rugby journey up until that point.
“I had two spells at Glasgow, for six months in 2015, and the second one was pretty much the whole season. With the second one, it was a wee bit of unfortunate timing; it was the time Gregor (Townsend) was going off to be with Scotland, and Dave Rennie was coming in, and he kind of wanted some of his own faces. I only got two caps. It was quite a hard one to take, and left a bit of a bitter taste.
“I played in Spain as well, at Gernika Rugby. We played in the Challenge Cup when I was there, against Brive and Worcester.
“Watsonians was the club I moved to when I went to Edinburgh. I was there for six years, and then I went over to Boroughmuir before going to Hong Kong. I loved Hong Kong, that’s where I met my wife. But then Covid hit, and I ended up moving back to Scotland and playing for Boroughmuir Bears for one season in the Super 6.
“When I was looking at what to do next, a good pal of mine from my time with Scotland U18s, U19s, U20s, Lindsey Gibson, who’s been out in Bahrain about 10 years, randomly got in touch and within about four days of him making contact I was flying out to Bahrain.
“Within a few months of my arrival, Asia Rugby made us an associate member, so we basically became a union. And then there was suddenly this rush to get things moving. I had a few conversations with the board at the time, and I said I would love to be involved. I started as a consultant because I have my own fitness business, but I ended up laying off a lot of my own work, and I became more full-time, initially as a rugby development officer with the Bahrain Rugby Football Club. I did that, and then I became Director of Rugby for the Union. Now I combine that as Head of Sport at the club, as it’s not just rugby played here, we’re a sporting hub with 3,000 members.
“Every day is bizarre and wonderful and challenging.”
Moving around so much, as Drummond has done, comes with obvious sacrifices, but one thing remains non-negotiable – his first child is to be born a Scot.
“I’m going back Wednesday for most of the summer, as soon as this international is done. We’re expecting a wee baby boy, so it’s exciting times.”
