New Zealand set their Rugby World Cup preparation on track with an emphatic 41-13 win over Australia on Saturday which retained the Bledisloe Cup and extended a 29-year winning streak over the Wallabies at Eden Park.
After last week’s 27-19 loss in Sydney which awarded the Rugby Championship to Australia, the All Blacks faced the even worse prospect of giving up the Bledisloe Cup – played for annually against the Wallabies and which they have held since 2003. That prospect died in a barrage of tries early in the second half.
New Zealand scored through Dane Coles, Ma’a Nonu – a double – and Conrad Smith, and won a penalty try to extend their winning streak on home soil to 38 Tests stretching back to 1994.
It also marked captain Richie McCaw’s 142nd Test appearance which made him the most-capped player in Test rugby history. McCaw was subbed in the 67th minute, leaving the field to a long ovation.
The All Blacks had a perfect storm of motivations to win Saturday’s match, including atonement for last weekend’s disappointing loss and to honour McCaw, flyhalf Dan Carter and centres Nonu and Smith who were playing their last Tests on home soil.
They were also determined, after losing the Rugby Championship, to retain the Bledisloe Cup, which has been in New Zealand’s possession for 12 years, and to continue their remarkable winning streaks at Eden Park and at home.
Most importantly, they needed to restore confidence in their preparation for the defence of the World Cup, starting next month. No team in seven World Cups over 28 years have managed to defend the trophy and New Zealand, the top-ranked team in world rugby over the last eight years, are determined to become the first to do so.
There were jitters when Australia dominated the first 20 minutes, with the All Blacks kicking away the little usable possession that came their way.
The turning point came in the 23rd when, for the first time, the All Blacks kept the ball in hand and launched a movement which sprawled from one end of the pitch to the other, ending in a magnificent try to Coles which, converted by Carter, gave New Zealand a 10-3 lead.
The move began when the All Blacks won a rare turnover near their own line and at last decided to run rather than kick. Winger Julian Savea made a lumbering run and, from a quick recycle, Nonu fed Carter, standing wide, who beat his marker and sprinted into space. Carter fed Coles and the unusually agile hooker side-stepped winger Adam Ashley-Cooper and dashed 40 metres to the tryline, fending scrumhalf Nic White at the end.
By half-time, when they led 13-6, the All Blacks had begun to look in control. They were dominating the breakdown and the Wallabies were forced to replace Wycliff Palu with David Pocock at the break, restoring the backrow combination with Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy which performed so well in Sydney.
Australia’s use of a new-look halves pairing in scrumhalf White and flyhalf Quade Cooper also failed as Cooper, who has a long history of failures against the All Blacks and in New Zealand, added to that invidious record. Cooper conceded a penalty try and received a yellow card for a high tackle which prevented a try by scrumhalf Aaron Smith in the 49th.
Young winger Nehe Milner-Skudder, who scored two tries on debut last week, made the break from which the penalty try developed, then made another that led to a try to Nonu two minutes later, putting the outcome of the match beyound doubt at 27-6.
Smith then scored from Nonu’s long pass in the 54th as the All Blacks ran in three tries in six minutes; one conceded by Cooper and two scored while he was absent in the sin-bin.
Nonu scored his second try in the 65th, running off a neat inside pass from Carter after an attacking scrum. Carter converted to finish with 16 points from five conversions and two penalties, lifting his world record tally in Tests to 1,516 points.
Australia scored a consolation try from a breakout by fullback Israel Folau in the 75th minute – his 18th try in 33 Tests.
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Company%C2%A0profile
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THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
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The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Company%20profile
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pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
