A moment of yellow-card naivety by Sam Burgess and a touch of brilliance by Henry Slade in his partner’s absence may have nosed the latter ahead in the fight for the remaining centre slot in England’s World Cup squad.
Although coach Stuart Lancaster refused to acknowledge it, the two debutants, along with replacement Billy Twelvetrees, were effectively battling for one position when they faced France in a World Cup warmup on Saturday.
Established wings Anthony Watson and Jonny May took the headlines with three tries between them in England’s 19-14 victory but the midfield battle between two very different players was the main talking point at Twickenham all evening.
Burgess, a superstar of rugby league but still a fledgling performer in union and even more so as a centre, started well and had the crowd gasping at some of his monster hits.
But his lack of experience was exposed late in the first half when instead of retreating 10 metres he interfered with an attempted French tap-penalty and was sin-binned.
While he looked on, Slade showed the instinctive skill that has fast-tracked him into the squad with a high-speed flicked pass that opened the door for England’s third try.
Both men had played a part in the second, a superb set-piece backline move, and Slade, 22, showed several more glimpses of his silky talent and clever angles before being replaced by a largely ineffective Twelvetrees after 66 minutes.
Lancaster said both men had advanced their cases. He added that no decision would be made on the back of their Saturday showing and also played down Burgess’s brain-fade moment.
“Sam was good,” he told reporters. “He’s disappointed to have put himself in the bin but generally his decision-making was good on when to pass and when to carry and his defensive physicality was good.
“He translated what we’ve seen in training which is hard to do in your first game. He gets into the line and hits people and runs good lines and that provides a balance when you are looking for that blend.”
With Jonathan Joseph, Brad Barritt and probably Luther Burrell already nailed on for the squad, Lancaster must consider who fits in well with who when he makes his final cull on August 31.
“Henry played well, took his opportunity and it’s very exciting to have people like him coming through,” he said of Slade.
“He worked well off the ball and made good decisions but it’s a very competitive position.”
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
SPECS
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START-UPS IN BATCH 4 OF SANABIL 500'S ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
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Mod5r: Makes automated and recurring investments to grow wealth
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
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Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
