As the camera panned in front of South Africa’s players, each bellowing out Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika before the Emirates Dubai Sevens grand finale, it was clear one player was going to demand more attention than any others.
It had been the case for most of the weekend till that point on the field, too. Ricardo Duarttee was electric in his debut tournament in the green Blitzboks shirt. And, apparently his vocal cords are every bit as impressive as his dancing feet.
The broad grin he wore all through the anthems spoke of someone enjoying every moment of being an international rugby sevens player.
And well he might. After all, this time last year, he had all but given up on a career in the sport. He decided to give it one last crack, and sold his car so he could enroll in a sevens coaching programme. On the evidence of this weekend, it was one of the shrewdest investments imaginable.
“I started doing MMA and boxing, and was getting into that,” Duarttee, 24, said. "My coach sent me a message from Varsity Cup, and said [the South African Academy of Sport] is a good place to be seen. He sent me a pamphlet and it was R125,000 [$7,120] to go to this academy.
“I went to Philip [Snyman] who was the head coach of the academy back then and asked for a chat. He said I need a deposit of R60,000 [$3,400].
“I walked back to my car and thought, ‘Here is more than 60k.’ You only get one shot at this, one chance, and I wanted to give everything.
“If nothing happened of it, then it was not meant for me. But this was meant for me. God meant this for me.”
He downgraded his Hyundai Tucson N-Series, trading it in for something cheaper, but making sure he could still get to rugby training. He enlisted in the academy and impressed.
So much so, by the start of the new season, he had landed an SA Sevens contract. Dubai was his debut tournament – and it could not have gone much better. He was the breakout star of the Blitzboks’ latest title win.
“It has been way better – everything I imagined it would be, times by a thousand,” Duarttee said.
“I can only thank God for giving me this opportunity. To be able to sing the national anthem for the first time with this team is a massive experience.”
When he scored his first try for his national team, in the second game of the opening day’s pool play, he was mobbed by his teammates, with the sort of vigour usually reserved for a decisive, final-play winner.
The first player to him was James Murphy. Just as the 27-year-old Bok had promised.
Amid the euphoria of winning the Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham last summer, Murphy had called his friend to tell him days like that would come for him, too.
And when they did, Murphy said he was going to be the first player to jump on Duarttee when he scored his first try.
“Every time someone scores their first try, everybody will congratulate him,” Duarttee said.
“It is a funny story. A few months ago, my friend James Murphy phoned me and said, ‘Brother, when you get your debut try, I am going to be there.’ And he was the first one there. It was such an amazing moment.”
Murphy was delighted with his mate’s success. “That academy is where people come for a last chance, and get scouted for contracts which aren’t officially part of [the national sevens set up],” Murphy said.
“We became close back then, where we stay and train. We have watched him grow, and off the field we have a great relationship. He is like a brother, and we share loads of stories.
“To share that moment with him was incredibly special, and something I won’t forget.”
His debut tournament might have had a dream ending, as the Boks beat Ireland in the final, but the rest of it had been special enough, the newcomer said.
“Before I got on the flight, my whole family was there to see me off,” Duarttee said. “They made me a banner, so even before the flight had left home, just getting this opportunity was emotional.
“Coming to Dubai there was an emotional moment, just coming in the room. I phoned my parents, then my girlfriend, and said, ‘I am going to Dubai.’ The emotions started pouring out of me.
“I can only thank my teammates. They have pushed me to bring out the best in me. And the system is something that always demands the best of you.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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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
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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.
