James O'Connor, the former Wallaby, would be welcome to give some help to the Australia sevens team but 'it can't be a publicity stunt' says coach Michael O'Connor. Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
James O'Connor, the former Wallaby, would be welcome to give some help to the Australia sevens team but 'it can't be a publicity stunt' says coach Michael O'Connor. Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
James O'Connor, the former Wallaby, would be welcome to give some help to the Australia sevens team but 'it can't be a publicity stunt' says coach Michael O'Connor. Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
James O'Connor, the former Wallaby, would be welcome to give some help to the Australia sevens team but 'it can't be a publicity stunt' says coach Michael O'Connor. Mark Kolbe / Getty Images

Stars are not needed but the more the merrier at the Dubai Sevens


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

Unlike the Rugby League World Cup, the Dubai Sevens never has been a hard sell.

If a Sonny Bill Williams celebrity/player just so happens to be involved, then whoop-de-do. It is good to see them, but it would not be the be-all and end-all for ticket sales.

The tournament is so entrenched on the UAE calendar that the western expatriate population of Dubai are still sure to decamp to The Sevens for the weekend.

The scaffolding stands are always crammed to capacity, even if most of the time the players competing in the showpiece IRB competition are relatively unknown. The adoration is for the event itself rather than the players involved.

That said, it would still be fun to get a glimpse of James O’Connor here next month.

Michael O’Connor, the Australia sevens coach, says he would happily pick the troubled winger in his team, even though he recently had his Wallaby contract terminated. If the player’s head was in the right place, that is.

“James would have to be genuine about sevens and committed to the harder training, but if he was I’d definitely like him on board,” the coach said at the weekend. “It can’t be a publicity stunt. We have a close-knit team culture which he would have to conform to.”

The Dubai Sevens does not necessarily need that publicity. However, the presence of a player who played a seminal part in the recent British & Irish Lions series would certainly improve the box-office ratings anyway.

sports@thenational.ae

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About Krews

Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

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Sreesanth's India bowling career

Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40

ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55

T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Dolittle

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Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen

One-and-a-half out of five stars

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

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Transmission: 10-speed auto

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Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a black hole?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

match info

Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')

Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)

NYBL PROFILE

Company name: Nybl 

Date started: November 2018

Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence

Initial investment: $500,000

Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)

Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up