The Six Nations title will go down to the wire next Saturday with points difference poised to be crucial after a spirited Wales blew the fight for first place open by defeating Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.
Wales came out on top 23-16 and that, aligned with England’s 25-13 success over Scotland at Twickenham, means that there is a three-way tie at the top with England, Wales and Ireland all on six points.
England top the table thanks to a superior points difference of 37 compared to Ireland’s 33 and Wales’s 12. They also have the advantage of, when they take to the field for their final game against France at home next Saturday, knowing exactly what they need to do to win their first title since 2011.
Wales are first in action in Rome against Italy, before Ireland take on winless Scotland at Murrayfield.
Consequently, England will take on France knowing exactly what points margin they need to win by, if Wales and Ireland get the victories they are expected to record, to be the champions.
England’s points advantage could have been even better. They had two tries disallowed as they made hard going of seeing off the challenge of Scotland.
Jonathan Joseph’s early try had given England a great start, but Scotland fought back through a Mark Bennett try.
Further tries from George Ford, who also kicked 10 points, and Jack Nowell proved enough for England, with Nowell’s score, which came with five minutes to go, putting them above Ireland at the top of the table with a points difference that is four superior. Ireland had looked in a strong position to win their second successive title going into yesterday’s games, but they were beaten by a Welsh side who claimed their third straight win.
Wales wobbled but did not wilt in the face of fierce Irish pressure, and even a late penalty try which set up a grandstand finale proved insufficient.
“An absolutely unbelievable effort,” Sam Warburton, captaining Wales for a record 34th time, told the BBC. “I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“They just kept coming and coming at us. We had to keep our discipline.”
Ireland enjoyed 64 per cent possession, as their run of 10 successive wins came to an end, and made 461 metres against 195 by Wales, who forced a crucial seven turnovers.
Leigh Halfpenny took full advantage of early Irish indiscretions with four penalties inside 13 minutes. His boot ultimately proved the difference on the scoreboard, but it was heroic defence in the second half that carried the Welsh home as Ireland charged at them time and time again.
Wales looked to have repelled all Ireland could throw at them when replacement centre Scott Williams burst through for the opening try to put Wales 11 points clear with 19 minutes left.
But Ireland, with captain Paul O’Connell winning his 100th test cap, hit back with a converted penalty try before Halfpenny’s fifth penalty took Wales seven clear and they clung on.
Saint-Andre wants France to show pride
National pride and fighting spirit should be on the menu when stuttering France face Italy on Sunday in a game that could also serve as a World Cup rehearsal, France coach Philippe Saint-Andre said.
Saint-Andre was furious with France following a disappointing 20-13 defeat to Wales in Paris two weeks ago, and he has made eight changes for today’s clash at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
After defeat to Wales effectively killed off France’s title hopes, Saint-Andre blasted his side for not living up to their hype.
Italy have at least two reasons to believe they can cause an upset. On France’s last visit to the Italian capital, in 2013, Italy stunned France 23-18 to extinguish any hopes they had of aiming for the grand slam.
Italy, along with Scotland, are candidates for the wooden spoon, but they are on a high, having returned from Murrayfield with a morale-boosting win two weeks ago.
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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.”
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
