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Captain keen to erase memory of 2005

The British and Irish Lions' disastrous tour of New Zealand in 2005 will serve as a huge source of motivation for Paul O'Connell, the captain of the 2009 vintage.

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The British and Irish Lions' disastrous tour of New Zealand in 2005 will serve as a huge source of motivation for Paul O'Connell, the captain of the 2009 vintage. Under the guidance of Sir Clive Woodward, the Lions were whitewashed 3-0 by a Dan Carter-inspired All Blacks side. The defeat clearly still rankles with O'Connell who played every minute of all three Tests.

"A lot of things went against us on the tour and at the same time I don't think we did the tradition proud," said the hulking Munster lock. "I think for me personally, looking back at 2005 is a big motivation. "I think it's important that when the players wear the jersey on this tour, they live up to the tradition and the history of the jersey. "I think when you look back at some of the players that have won the British and Irish Lions jersey down the years, there were great players. Maybe in 2005 we didn't live up to that."

O'Connell also revealed that he was not the only one keen on putting to bed what happened in 2005, adding: "I know for a few other guys that were on the tour, it's the same thing. "Living up to the tradition of the jersey is a big thing for us. "A lot of us when we play for our clubs give everything playing for Munster or Ireland. "I think the same thing applies when we play for the British and Irish Lions."

The Lions touched down in Johannesburg yesterday and kick-off their trip with a match against a Royal XV in Rustenburg on Saturday. Given the four withdrawals so far McGeechan would have been a relieved man yesterday after seeing his entire squad go through their paces trouble-free. Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who suffered a shoulder injury scare during Leinster's Heineken Cup final victory over Leicester in Edinburgh three days ago, was among those who took a full part in training. He showed no ill effects from the injury as McGeechan continued the build-up for Saturday's first game.

The Lions assistant coach, Wales boss Warren Gatland, confirmed the feelgood factor among a squad seeking to emulate the 1997 Test series triumph against world champions South Africa. Gatland said: "I think we are lot further forward than we expected after the first week we had together in England. "The players have picked up the calls and things really quickly. "Playing against South Africa is always tough. We have got to be accurate against them for 80 minutes."

* With agencies

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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.”

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By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
 

Tell-tale signs of burnout

- loss of confidence and appetite

- irritability and emotional outbursts

- sadness

- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue

- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more

- impaired judgement

- excessive and continuous worrying

- irregular sleep patterns

 

Tips to help overcome burnout

Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’

Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do

Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones

Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation

Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.

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