Travel restrictions around the globe have meant a variety of familiar faces have had to forego their return to the UAE for this year’s Emirates Dubai Sevens.
It would be easy to have assumed the strict regulations in New Zealand, for example, would have paused one of the tournament’s most enduring stories.
Speranza 22 are an invitational side who were founded for the purpose of an annual get-together at the Dubai Sevens, in memory of their friend Marco Speranza.
The former Abu Dhabi Harlequins player died in a plane crash in his native Argentina in February 2013. The team bearing his name has appeared at every Dubai Sevens since, winning the International Invitational title — which is the tournament one down from the World Series competition — in 2017.
Given the nucleus of the side now live in New Zealand, it was always going to be a stretch to field a side in this tournament.
Or so you might think. In fact, they will be fielding three — one each in the International Invitational, International Open, and Local Social tournament.
And their International Invitational side might be one of the most star-studded ever to take the field in a sevens event anywhere — World Series or otherwise.
After pooling their resources with Life After Rugby, a Fiji-based initiative for ex-players, Speranza will be able to call on many of the players who won the first Olympic gold in sevens, back at Rio 2016.
Their squad includes World Rugby hall of famer Osea Kolinisau, former world player of the year Samisoni Viriviri, and two-time World Series winner Semi Kunatani.
“A lot of us started out playing on the series in Dubai and it holds a lot of memories for us,” Kolinisau, who was the Fiji captain at Rio 2016, said before conducting a training session for schoolkids at Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai.
“This is about giving back to rugby for what it has given most of us. In terms of the Speranza partnership, we are happy to represent the memory of Marco.”
Back in their pomp, this Fiji side were one of the most attractive ever to play the game. Now the pressure is off, Kolinisau reckons they might be even better to watch.
“We were a bit rusty on the first day we arrived here,” said Kolinisau, who won the International Invitational with South Sea Drifters on his debut tour in 2007.
“It is the first time we have been back together for three or four years. We know we are not the youngest team there, but we might be the biggest and most physical.
“Nothing will change. We will live and die by the sword, by our offloads. We are hoping to showcase Fijian rugby, and do in the Invitational tournament what we did in the main competition.
“When we go to a tournament, our only intention is always to win it. Not to participate, but show the world what Fijian rugby is all about.
“It is going to be a good feeling to be back out there in front of those crowds again. These are going to be good memories.”
Whether they have a full squad to call on remains to be seen. The logistics of travel to the UAE from the South Pacific given the current climate have been challenging.
The players had to fly from Fiji via Sydney, then Singapore and on to Dubai. Rory Greene, the Abu Dhabi-based manager of the Speranza side, says all the effort will be worth it to see the players in action.
“What we are trying to do is become a globally recognised invitational sevens team who bring good people in, but maintain the focus on charity,” Greene said.
“The only way we can really do that is expanding who can play for us, while maintaining the ethos of making sure they are good blokes first and foremost.
“It has been difficult this year. The New Zealand boys have not been able to come here, which is a real shame, but it was not worth the risk.
“We could get them here but there would be no way to get them back. We have been watching the news very carefully, and hopefully we can get through the weekend before there is anything drastic like travel bans.”
LAR Speranza 22’s International Invitational fixtures
Thursday December 2
2.20pm Pitch 4: v Monaco Impis
4.20pm Pitch 4: v Zastava 7s
Friday December 3
6.46pm Pitch 2: v Germany Development
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Meydan racecard:
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7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
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10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
