With just weeks to go before the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Steve Luckings highlights 10 players to likely to make the biggest impact on the tournament.
Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
When a midfield luminary like Tana Umaga tweets that you are the greatest No 12 of all time, it’s worth paying attention. What Ma’a Nonu brings to the All Blacks can be measured most by their two most recent outings against Australia. The first, a 27-19 defeat in Sydney, saw the New Zealand attack lack punch in midfield. Nonu was on the bench for that game. The second, a 41-13 thumping at Eden Park, saw him restored to the line up, score two excellent tries and set up a third for fellow centre Conrad Smith. His running lines straightened the attack and he carried the ball up with trademark power and precision. Injuries permitting, he will become the sixth All Black centurion during the World Cup. A born leader.
Mike Brown (England)
The safest pair of hands in any sport that involves a ball – round or oval. Whether it’s defusing bombs under his own posts or leaping like a salmon over an opposition defender to claim a high ball to get his side on the front foot, few are equal to the England fullback. Brown regularly gains vital yards with the ball in hand and is a monster in the tackle. England’s unsung hero.
Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
A tank in human form. When the 23-year-old lock, who stands at 2-metres tall and weighs 118 kilograms, gets going, there are few in world rugby capable of stopping him. Etzebeth has taken over from World Cup winner Victor Matfield as the Springboks’ line-out leader but he will lean on the considerable experience of his partner in the second row as South Africa plot to win the Webb Ellis trophy for a record third time.
Sean O’Brien (Ireland)
While many of you may have expected Johnny Sexton to be the man highlighted here – after all, he is the form fly-half in international rugby – ace scavenger O’Brien is cut from a different cloth. While the likes of David Pocock, Richie McCaw and Sam Warburton will be vying for the mantle of “king of the breakdown” at this year’s World Cup, few master this dark art better than the Irish flanker. Whether he lines up at 6, 7 or 8, the amount of turnover ball O’Brien wins is likely to determine whether Ireland can engrave their name on the famous trophy for the first time.
Israel Folau (Australia)
While many have made the switch from the 13-man game to the XVs code, few can claim to have played all three forms of Australia’s most-beloved oval-ball sports at the highest level, with Folau having made the move to union from Aussie rules football. Tall (Folau is 1.93m), strong, supremely fit and fleet of foot for a man weighing in at 103kgs, Folau many be the most celebrated footballer in a country that loves nothing more than celebrating its footballers. When he gets ball in hand, a current of electricity surges through the stadium in expectation that Australian fullback is about to do something special. His sense of timing is impeccable, joining the Wallabies line of attack to create an extra man or finish off flowing moves. A bona fide rugby star.
George North (Wales)
After being sidelined with a string of concussions since March, the enforced rest could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Wales’ giant wing. With a half-century of caps under his belt already at the tender age of 23, North is one of the game’s most lethal finishers. Wales will need the 109kg flyer at his bulldozing best if they are to emerge from a pool that contains hosts England and Australia.
Wesley Fofana (France)
The only thing you can trust the French to be at a Rugby World Cup is French. The personification of unpredictability, Philippe Saint-Andre, one of Les Bleus’ all-time greats, has endured a turbulent three years in charge of the national team but it would surprise absolutely no one if they suddenly clicked at a major tournament and made it all the way to the final (see the tournaments in 1999 and 2011). If they are to click, it will be through the skill and terryfing pace of centre Fofana. They don’t call the Clermont man “the Cheetah” for nothing.
Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
The fullback doubles up as both Scotland’s best defender and most potent attacking weapon. His form in the Six Nations, where Scotland finished bottom having failed to win a single game, was scintillating, with three cover tackles on rampaging England runners in the opening 10 minutes the only thing that kept the scoreline respectable.
Juan Imhoff (Argentina)
Years of pastings at the hands of the Southern Hemisphere powerhouses looks finally be paying off for the Pumas. They claimed their first win in the Rugby Championship this summer with victory over South Africa and in Imhoff, who can operate anywhere across the back three, they have a lethal try scorer who can put the finishing touch on the hard yards Argentina’s famed forwards are renowned for making.
Sergio Parisse (Italy)
Rome produced many inspiring leaders from Caesar to Marcus Aurelius but on the rugby field Sergio Parisse is emperor. The Italian has carried the Azzurri for much of his 13 years in the national team, making his international bow as a raw 18-year-old back row and maturing into one of the planet’s most fearsome No 8s. The Stade Francais stalwart has great hands and breaks the gainline with monotonous regularity. The one Italian player other teams genuinely fear.
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
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UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Mobile phone packages comparison
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MATCH INFO
Argentina 47 (Tries: Sanchez, Tuculet (2), Mallia (2), De La Fuente, Bertranou; Cons: Sanchez 5, Urdapilleta)
United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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more from Janine di Giovanni
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)