For the first time in the history of an event which predates the country in which it is played, a side with an Emirati core has serious designs on winning one of its premier tournaments.
When the Dubai Sevens was first played in 1970, the emirates were still a year away from formally establishing the new federation which would become the United Arab Emirates.
Other than for interruptions for the Gulf War and Covid 19, it has been staged every year since. It has changed out of sight since those early days when British servicemen based in what was then the Trucial States won an invitational tournament on sand.
And not solely because Stormzy and the Sugababes will be playing on the main stage. The changes are more subtle than that, too.
Emiratis – both male and female – have been playing in increasing numbers in recent years. Now five Emiratis – Mohammed Ali, Majed Al Balooshi, Mohammed Hatem, Mohammed Al Marar and Ibrahim Doori – will be part of the UAE Shaheen squad who will debut in the Gulf Men’s League this weekend.
The Emirati players are no novices themselves. For example, Al Balooshi has been immersed in UAE rugby since he was introduced to it in a PE lesson at school via the Princess Haya Initiative 12 years ago.
But Shaheen’s chances of winning one of the Sevens’ blue riband events are complemented by playing alongside some of the finest locally based talent available.
The rest of the squad are all Fijian, including a trio of players – Sakiusa Naisau, Niko Volavola and Emosi Vecenaua – who have won the Sevens multiple times before.
The players are employed as rugby development officers by the UAE Rugby Federation, as part of an agreement with Fiji Rugby. That involves giving classes at national schools, and spreading the word about the sport within the indigenous population.
Playing alongside them has helped fast track the development of players like Ali, for example. The 23-year-old wing has been playing for three years, after a friend invited him along to rugby training.
He said he fell for the sport after his first tackling session, prompting him to forego a promising football career with Al Wasl.
“When I first saw rugby, I saw these really big boys, with big muscles, and I was scared before I started playing,” Ali said.
“Then, when I made my first tackle, I saw that nothing would happen. It is all about heart. It is not about muscles or how big you are.
“I started to get active in rugby and the sport touched my heart. It was all about being one family, which is what I loved about it.”
According to Ali, Shaheen are not just going to be making up the numbers when they face the leading teams in the Gulf, starting against Bahrain on Friday.
“Having this [UAE] flag on my chest is everything to me,” Ali said. “It is how I get the chance to give my thanks for what my country does for me. I play for this flag.
“To win the Dubai Sevens for the first time, Inshallah, alongside these boys would be a great experience. Our coach always says we are not going to the Sevens just to have fun, we have to go there to try and win. We are serious.”
Al Marar, 27, started rugby aged 16. The physical nature of the game appealed, given he had already been playing ice hockey since he was nine years old.
“My neighbour played rugby and he invited me for training,” Al Marar said. “Hockey is a contact sport, too, and after I went to training a couple of times I thought, ‘I think I should continue with rugby.’
“I like the community. Rugby is about one family, more so than in other sports. And you can play rugby anywhere you want. For ice hockey, you can’t just find any place with ice.
“Rugby, you can play at home, in the field, with friends, family, wherever. And if you are lucky you get to travel the world with the national team, and see other communities. That is what I like about rugby.”
Al Marar played for Al Ain Amblers in the past, and he is happy to have been brought into the Shaheen fold, even if it does mean a longer commute to training in Dubai.
“We are not going to be fun to play against for any team,” he said of his side’s chances in the Gulf Men’s League.
“It is sevens, and you don’t know what is going to happen. You might have been playing well in training, but in the game situation anything can change. I hope we can make it. We have to believe in ourselves.”
The progress of the Shaheen side is an endorsement of the work done by Apollo Perelini to develop the game among the local population.
Perelini arrived in Dubai in 2008, and was busy developing Emirati players long before his role was made formal with the Shaheen side in 2015.
“A lot of our Emirati players have come through the player pathway system, right from a very young age,” Perelini said. “It is fun to see them out there. It makes me think, ‘Gee, it was worth it.’”
Perelini, who is the performance manager for UAE Rugby, says he has more Emirati players attending training regularly than ever before. He will even be fielding a second-string Shaheen side in the Sevens, too.
He believes the agreement with Fiji Rugby has had a significant impact in developing the sport.
“They inspire the locals to get into rugby,” Perelini said. “Just because of those boys coaching in schools, it has attracted a number of 16- and 17-year-old boys to join our Shaheen set-up.
“Because of their enthusiasm with the ball and for the game, the local players can appreciate it. They see fellow Emiratis playing with Shaheen, and they get even more excited.
“Culturally, they connect. The Pacific Island culture and the Arab culture are very similar, in the way they communicate, laugh, and make fun out of each other. It dovetails with everything we are looking to do, and the growth of Shaheen this year has come off the back of that.
“It doesn’t matter whether they are speaking to each other in Arabic or Fijian, they still understand each other. Communication is open and the Emirati boys really appreciate they are helpful to their growth.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
more from Janine di Giovanni
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
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The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
