De Wet Barry, the Stormers' centre feels Dubai has "something different to offer".
Barry will not be too far from the truth when his team squares up against the Newport Gwent Dragons in tonight's Duel in the Desert at 8.15pm at the Dubai Rugby Exiles ground.
"Dubai has something different to offer to rugby," the 2004 Vodacom Rugby Super 12 Player of the Tournament said. "The last time we came down we saw this aspect for the first time. And now, we are here to take it in again," added the vice-captain of the Stormers for this season.
Gert Smal, the Stormers' coach was not far away from this tune when he stated that there were a few disappointed faces when he announced the squad for the Dubai game.
"This just shows just important this match is for us," Smal stated.
And echoing a similar sentiment was the Stormers' skipper Neil de Kock when he observed that the "first 20 minutes of the game will be crucial for both sides".
"We do not know too much about each other," De Kock said. "But we will keep a tight defence and see how we can play to our normal plan of expansive rugby," the Stormers' captain stated.
The eagerly anticipated clash between the two leading teams from the Northern and Southern hemispheres is the climax of a day-long festival of rugby starting with the Le Meridien Al Aqah ladies competition from 1.30pm. "It's a unique opportunity for rugby fans to come and be part of the action involving two of the best teams from the two hemispheres," noted Dave Skidmore, Chairman of Arabian Gulf RFU.
"So far, Dubai has managed to etch its name as one of the best venues on the IRB Sevens calendar. It's a natural progression now to go a step further and expose ourselves as a venue for the 15s," Skidmore said.
The Dragons may be handicapped due to a bulk of their first-choice players being present in the national squad for the Six Nations starting tomorrow.
But chief coach Chris Anderson believes his bench strength will be in a position to prove itself. "It remains to be seen how the bench performs in this match. This will be a true test for them," Anderson said.
"It's a good learning experience for us. And the more challenges we face as a team, the better it is."
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