One is a decorated warhorse of English rugby union — three-times European Champion Saracens. The other is Israel’s first professional team drawn partially from a single kibbutz in the north of Israel, Tel Aviv Heat.
In what is set to be a gripping contest, the two are set to square off this Sunday in a pre-European Cup friendly at Saracens’ StoneX stadium in Hendon, North London.
Billed as a start-up rugby team for the Start-up Nation, Tel Aviv Heat has had an outstanding run since it was launched in March last year.
The team came second in the group stage of the Eastern Conference of the Rugby Europe Super Cup last year when they beat Georgia’s Black Lions 24-18.
Saracens' StoneX stadium in Hendon (Photo: Getty Images)
That placement qualified Tel Aviv Heat to compete in the Western Conference against the table-topping Lusitanos from Portugal in the semi-final playoff on December 4 in Lisbon.
Tel Aviv Heat’s squad is composed of both Christian and Jewish players from Fiji and South Africa, and home-grown Israeli players, who train every day during the season at the Wingate Institute in Netanya. One player, Thomas Berman, made aliyah to join the team last year.
Pete Sickle, CEO of Tel Aviv Heat, told the JC: “We’re just getting off the ground, and we’ve got some amazing guys, and as a team on the rise there is an exciting and fantastic atmosphere.
“Some of the guys have made a real leap of faith to move to Israel for the team. Some of them are devout Christians who come from countries with much larger, much more established rugby cultures, to move to the Holy Land.
“Our Israeli guys are all from the Kibbutz Yizre’el in the north of Israel, which has a passionate rugby culture thanks to a group of rugby fans from South Africa who moved there in the 1970s.
“Two years ago, no kid in Israel was talking about rugby, and now we’ve had people asking for autographs. There’s a small, but passionate rugby community in Israel taking shape.”
Their opponents on Sunday are the prestigious Saracens, multiple winners of the Premiership Rugby in England and European Rugby Champions Cup.
Mr Sickle says, “From a rugby standpoint, it’ll will be a very tough game. We’ll need a lot of luck to beat them, even if they don’t bring out their starting 15.
“But it does have a bit of a Rocky Balboa feeling to it, we’re the underdogs — but Israel does its best work when put in that position.”
A spokesperson for Saracens said: “We embrace our Jewish community in north London, and we look forward to hosting this special fixture, which will take place on a Sunday to permit those who observe the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday to attend this historic match.”
Kick-off is this Sunday at 12.15pm.
