Japan and Hong Kong will play Sunday in the final Asian Five Nations fixture before the competition is consigned to the archives, knowing a place in next year’s World Cup awaits the winner.
The five-team competition will be abandoned from next year in favour of a new event, which will see the three leading Asian nations play each other home and away.
The chances of Hong Kong beating Japan to Asia’s lone guaranteed World Cup spot today are small.
But the fact they are established as one of the continent’s top two nations shows how much they have benefited from the seven editions of the Five Nations.
The competition was largely the brainchild of the Hong Kong union and they were the major drivers behind getting the main sponsors HSBC on board to bankroll it.
Although it is debatable whether the Five Nations has delivered on the stated aim of raising standards across the continent, Hong Kong have undoubtedly thrived.
They have advanced past South Korea, who were Japan’s nearest rivals back in 2008, to the point where Japan will have to make an effort against them today.
“We are going into our last qualifying match very respectful of Hong Kong but also confident that we can play good rugby,” said Eddie Jones, the Japan coach.
“While playing attractive rugby is a goal, the most important thing is to win and make sure we qualify for the World Cup.”
Dai Rees, Hong Kong’s head of technical development and performance, said his side believe they can compete with Asian rugby’s superpower side in Tokyo.
“There is no pressure on us because everybody expects us not to win, but there is an expectation and confidence within the players,” Rees said.
The match will be streamed live at www.rugbyworldcup.com
pradley@thenational.ae
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
