Reaching out for success. Players from Dubai Hurricanes, left, and Abu Dhabi right, fight for the ball during a clash last season. Both sides are hoping for a strong campaign in the new campaign.
Reaching out for success. Players from Dubai Hurricanes, left, and Abu Dhabi right, fight for the ball during a clash last season. Both sides are hoping for a strong campaign in the new campaign.

Hurricanes demand respect as they begin title defence



The Dubai Hurricanes captain, Chris Gregory, reckons his side are never afforded "any respect" - even though they have been the top team in the region for the past two years. The defending champions kick-off their Arabian Premiership defence against their city rivals Dubai Dragons at the new new rugby facility, The Sevens, tomorrow. Despite their recent dominance, the majority of talk during domestic rugby's off-season has centred around the advance of Abu Dhabi Harlequins.

Quins have been termed the region's new "glamour" club, following the influx of two new coaches, a raft of new players, and a high-profile associate deal with the English Premiership club Harlequins. Their summer push has also prompted predictions of a revival from the sleeping giants, Dubai Exiles - relegating the current champion side, Hurricanes, to a mere afterthought in most people's predictions for the new campaign.

Gregory, who also plays for the Arabian Gulf, believes that will work in his side's favour when the talking finally stops and the action begins. He said: "It seems to have happened again where we are the underdogs, despite having won it for the past two seasons. "No-one pays us any respect. It has been like that forever for us. We really enjoy it because it means we have to keep proving ourselves to everyone.

"We know what we have done, and what we are capable of. We hear, 'Oh, Hurricanes are not going to do anything this season' - then we just come back and win it again." At the request of the clubs, and with the aim of increasing the amount of games involving the top sides, the Gulf union (AGRFU) have introduced a new tournament this term. The Super Five will pit together the Hurricanes, Dragons, Exiles, Abu Dhabi and Muscat - meaning the best players will get more game-time than ever before in the region.

"Older guys like myself will probably be laid up in bed by Christmas," joked the Hurricanes and Arabian Gulf winger Graham Brown of the new development. "It will be very competitive this year. Rugby out here has come on leaps and bounds." Before the Hurricanes assumed their mantle, their opening day opponents the Dragons were the perennial champions. They have spent the past two seasons rebuilding, and - despite losing the influential former Gulf captain Diarmuid O'Malley to retirement - they believe they are more than ready to challenge this time round.

The Dragons captain, James Wellings, is excited at the addition of a new fly-half to his line-up - not least because it means he can move back to his preferred position in midfield. The arrival of Henry Connell, who played national league rugby for Otley back in England, could provide the spark for the speedy Dragons back division. "Henry is looking very sharp," said Wellings, who is a secondary teacher at Wellington International School in Dubai and a member of the Gulf's sevens squad.

"We have a lot of new players. The pack in particular has been strengthened, especially the back-row. "That is what we need if we are going to compete with Hurricanes and Abu Dhabi." The Exiles, the team everyone else likes to beat most, have endured a fallow run by their own standards recently. They have seen first the Dragons, and lately the Hurricanes supersede them as the Emirate's top club.

Furthermore, initial signs suggest the Exiles will have little say over running the new rugby facility, the Emirates-owned Sevens. Having been turfed out of their iconic former home in Al Awir, which was bulldozed to make way for the Meydan project, they are looking to become more proactive in recruitment. That drive started with the appointment of the popular former Abu Dhabi captain Wayne Marsters - who remains on the AGRFU's coaching staff - as head coach this summer.

Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait Nomads take the Arabian Gulf Premiership up to seven teams. However, the financial constraints involved in travelling such vast distances to the majority of their away matches is likely to hinder a sustained title push from any of them. The economics behind entering a team in regional competition has already accounted for Muscat. The Oman club have been surviving on good will and astounding player commitment since their club-house was closed 18 months ago.

Despite fielding a competitive starting XV which finished fifth last term, Muscat were forced to withdraw from the Premiership. Now they will solely participate in the cups and the newly-inaugurated Super Five competition. "Without the money generated at the club-house, we have been struggling to cover travel expenses," said the Muscat captain and Arabian Gulf flanker Karl Sutcliffe. "Also, with the weekend in Oman still being Thursday/Friday, it makes it very difficult for the players.

"If we have a match in Dubai, the players have to drive for five or six hour to get there, play, and then head straight home afterwards." pradley@thenational.ae

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

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COMPANY PROFILE
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Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

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Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding,  was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”. 

 

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.  

 

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events. 

 

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.  

 

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.  

 

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.  

 

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.  

 

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.   

 
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Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
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Two stars

Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE

There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.

It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.

What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.

When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.

It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.

This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.

It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.

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Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco

2.5 / 5 stars

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Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5


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