New Zealand coach Steve Hansen on Thursday launched an impassioned defence of Wallabies rival Michael Cheika, pointing to how Manchester United stuck with Alex Ferguson before an unprecedented run of football success.
After Hansen and Cheika named their teams for this weekend's Bledisloe Cup clash in Japan, the All Blacks coach offered support to his opposite number, who survived calls for his dismissal thanks to a stunning 45-34 comeback win over Argentina earlier this month.
"I do know that continuity has been proven over and over again to be a pretty good recipe," Hansen said.
"Look at Alex Ferguson. He was just about to get the sack and went on to do the job for 30 years - and he wasn't too bad."
Hansen likened Cheika's position to current United manager Jose Mourinho, who has come under fire after a poor start to the season.
"Mourinho is probably in a similar boat at the moment," Hansen said. "They're going to decide what they're going to do with him because it's probably not going as well as they would like.
"I just think that sometimes we pull the trigger too quickly on the coach - sometimes I guess it is warranted, but most time I don't think it is," he added.
"I think it's a good thing [Australia] have given the players a platform that's secure, because they know the coach is secure and once that happens people can get on and do what they have to do."
Sonny Bill Williams is set to play his 50th Test on Saturday as the All Blacks named a strong team for the third Bledisloe Cup game in Yokohama.
'Feet on the ground'
"I didn't think 50 caps was a possibility when I first started playing rugby," the code-hopping superstar said.
"My feet are firmly on the ground. I haven't had many minutes playing rugby this year but I've got confidence in my ability and it helps playing alongside these magicians."
World champions New Zealand, chasing a 3-0 series whitewash having extended their 15-year stranglehold on the Bledisloe Cup, also recalled fellow centre Ryan Crotty while Damian McKenzie returns at fullback.
The All Blacks slipped up last year after winning the first two Tests against the Wallabies and Hansen expects a stern examination this weekend.
"They're Australian so they don't need too much motivation," said Hansen, whose team face the 2019 World Cup hosts Japan in Tokyo on November 3 before flying to Europe to complete their five-match tour against England, Ireland and Italy.
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"Through our history, Australia is probably the team that's hurt us more than any other team," he added.
"Everyone knows what it's like between the two countries - whether it's footy, marbles or tiddlywinks, we want to beat them. We need to be right on top of our game."
Cheika, whose side lost six of eight games before erasing a 24-point half-time deficit against Argentina, will give Israel Folau his first start as centre, while veteran Sekope Kepu could earn his 100th cap after being named among the reserves.
Australia will also play November Tests away to Wales, Italy and England.
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
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