The final touches might have been messy. An ugly fly hack into touch, while they were down to six men for a deliberate knock on, and with an opposition player prowling the touchline complaining he had been struck by a swinging arm.
But, at the end of an exhausting final day at the Emirates Dubai Sevens, the country who have done more to beautify this tournament over the years than any other were finally champions again.
For the first time in nine years, and just the third occasion in the time that the world series has been coming to Dubai, Fiji won the Emirates International Trophy after a 19-5 victory.
To do so, they had to end the fairy-tale run of Spain, who made it to a Dubai final for the first time, on a day of more giant killing in HSBC Svns.
Fiji had not won the sevens since 2015, when Osea Kolinisau was the captain of a side bound for Olympic glory. Now he is back at the helm as coach.
“It is an amazing feeling,” Kolinisau said. “Two years without a trophy [on the world series] for Fiji is far too long. I am just happy for the boys.
“After the criticism they have faced over the past two years, we are finally able to get one back. I was able to do it as a player, and now I am lucky enough to do it as a coach.”
Kolinisau said ahead of this weekend that he hopes to emulate the success of his mentor, Ben Ryan, and bring back the good old days of Fijian sevens.
The early signs are bright. The side celebrated wildly when they beat France with a final play breakaway score in the quarter-final early on Saturday.
It was the sort of joyous outpouring that would not have been typical of the Flying Fijians in their pomp. Back when Kolinisau was captain, France would have been seen more or less as easy-beats for Fiji.
Now, though, times have changed. France won the Olympics, on home soil in Paris during the summer, and so deposed Fiji – the defeated finalists – who had won gold in the first two Olympic sevens events.
Fiji's semi-final was another inversion of the old established order. They beat Argentina 43-21, which was an extraordinary result given that Argentina have been the best side in the abbreviated format for the past two years, and are the defending series champions.
“We are starting to bring that [the flair with which the great Fiji sides are known] back,” Kolinisau said. “We want to restore the old Fiji style of play, and I have seen a bit of that from the boys.
“I hope this gives them the confidence to keep expressing themselves. Ben messaged me and said, ‘One more to go, Oscar. Just be you.’
“I am happy to always have him in my corner. This ground brings back a lot of memories for me, and hopefully it will for these boys, starting with what they did today.”
Argentina might have been smarting after that loss to Fiji in the last four. But they have not lost much ground after the first leg of their title defence. They bounced back to beat New Zealand 14-0 in the third-place fixture.
South Africa’s men saw their bid for a sixth successive Dubai title ended by New Zealand in the quarter final. It meant that the longest unbroken winning run in the tournament was passed on to the Australian women’s side.
They also brought up a fifth title in succession as they beat New Zealand, their regular rivals in the UAE, 28-24 in an outstanding final.
Fittingly, it was settled by the excellence of the extraordinary Maddison Levi. The Australia wing had scored 12 tries in the first four Australia matches in Dubai this weekend.
She only got the one in the final, but it was a decisive, length of the field effort which finally broke the resistance of the New Zealanders.
“We love the weather, it is a dry field and I think it really suits the way we like to play,” Charlotte Caslick, the player of the match in the final, said of Australia’s long run of success in Dubai.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The five pillars of Islam
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
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Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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