Imad Reyal still hopes he can achieve his dream of playing rugby professionally abroad, despite being forced to return from New Zealand due to visa issues.
The Sri Lankan fullback has returned to Dubai after a season playing in Auckland, having initially travelled there on a scholarship to attend a rugby academy.
He believes he was on the brink of being inducted into the development set up of a leading provincial side, only to be forced to return home when his tourist visa expired last month.
“If I had stayed for another two months, I could have had a crack at ITM development but, given my passport, it was really hard for me to stay back,” Reyal said.
“I was four games away from it, so it was unlucky. The club [Bay of Plenty] tried to help, but the Sri Lankan passport was restrictive.
“When the visa runs out, you have to exit, you can’t renew. For Tongans, Samoans and Fijians, who have a good reputation for rugby and who have been growing up in New Zealand for generations, it is possible.
“Sri Lankans don’t really have a reputation for playing rugby around the world. When it comes to cricket, everyone knows we are really good at it. It is not the same in rugby.”
Arguably the best finisher ever to have played top-flight rugby in the Gulf, Reyal will return to playing in the UAE Premiership with Jebel Ali Dragons.
The former UAE fullback, though, is looking into the possibility of returning to Auckland and studying sports management, while looking for a professional rugby contract.
“I haven’t given up,” said Reyal, whose older brother Shaheer has also played for the UAE sevens team, while younger brother Adil has represented the country in senior international cricket.
“I am thinking of going back and doing my studies for a year or two years so I can study and play as well.
“It is really costly, and I have already paid lots of money to pay for my air fare to go to New Zealand this year. I have to work for a while, then try to apply for next year. That is my best chance, I think.”
Reyal’s return coincides with a raft of changes at management level at the Dragons this summer, as they attempt to reassert themselves as the team to beat in the UAE.
The club enjoyed unprecedented success when they won back-to-back trebles up till 2014, with Reyal prominent in the second season, but they were also-rans last term.
Paul Hart, who was captain when they won the first triple crown in 2013, has taken on an overseeing role with the title of director of rugby. He will continue with playing duties, too.
Bruce Pendrey, 25, has been appointed as the forwards coach and will be in charge of the first XV having recently arrived in Dubai from the UK.
“We have some young, exciting and ambitious coaches which we think is the best approach for the club,” Hart said.
“We want to draw a line under last season. Every club has injuries, that is no excuse. We were dominant in terms of silverware for two seasons, but these things tend to go in waves in competitive sport.
“To retain all three trophies for a third season is unheard of. The level of rugby in the region has continued to rise and we were simply left behind last year.
“We have had some reconstruction as a club this season and we hope to be judged by our results moving forward.”
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Book%20Details
%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EThree%20Centuries%20of%20Travel%20Writing%20by%20Muslim%20Women%3C%2Fem%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEditors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiobhan%20Lambert-Hurley%2C%20Daniel%20Majchrowicz%2C%20Sunil%20Sharma%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndiana%20University%20Press%3B%20532%20pages%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
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The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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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.”
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
