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
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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The%20specs
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
England v South Africa Test series:
First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs
Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs
Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31
Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8
NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
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ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
