Seventeen-year-old Emirati star Sophie Shams makes her debut at Dubai Rugby Sevens

RUGBY STAR

When did you first get into rugby? I started playing tag rugby when I was four years old at Dubai Exiles. My mum used to play and I grew up watching her from the sidelines.

Were you the only girl playing rugby at the start?

There have always been a few girls dotted about the boys’ teams in most of the clubs throughout the UAE. I think being a girl has helped in a positive way to make me more determined in sport. Each season, there would always be the question of whether I would be able to cope as a girl – never from me, my coaches or my family – but from others who often thought they knew better. I couldn’t afford for my game to drop or show any weakness, as people would assume it was always because I was a girl.

What do you love most about playing rugby?

I love rugby for lots of reasons. It’s such a brilliant team game. Rugby is forever changing and today you cannot just power through a tackle to become a successful player. It is one of few sports that really tests how quickly you can react to what’s in front of you.

How does it feel to be taking part in such a huge competition?

I think the Dubai Rugby Sevens is the highlight of Dubai’s sporting calendar. The atmosphere will be phenomenal. Women’s rugby rarely draws big crowds; but at the Sevens we get to play in front of thousands.

Now that rugby sevens is an Olympic sport, could you see yourself representing your country one day?

You never know what the future holds, and with women rugby developing worldwide, fingers crossed I can be part of this.