DUBAI // This weekend is the 10 year anniversary of England’s first trophy win at the Dubai Rugby Sevens.
Mike Friday and Simon Amor masterminded that success in concert as coach and captain respectively.
At 11.14am on Friday, though, all the reminiscing about the good old days will be set aside as they are rivals for once in the HSBC world series competition. Friday, who was in charge of England for each of their consecutive wins at the old Dubai Exiles ground in 2004 and 2005, took the helm of the United States in the summer.
Being in the opposing technical area to his former lieutenant, who is now coach of England, for the first time in Dubai is set to be a surreal experience for them both.
“Meeting here, where we won together in Dubai 10 years ago, it feels odd for us,” said Friday, who was recruited by the US with a view to the 2016 Olympic Games.
“We have only ever competed together. We are great pals, we share the same birthday [April 25], seven years apart.
“He took over from me as captain, I mentored him as a coach and I wish him nothing but success and praise - apart from for 14 minutes.
“The good thing about rugby is, those 14 minutes apart, we are doing nothing but supporting each other.
“After that, we are all pals again. But it still feels odd.”
Friday is starting to feel old, too. It is not just the fact it is a decade since England’s first success. It is his 20th anniversary of coming to Dubai, a trip he initially made to play in an invitational tournament on the sand fields of the old Exiles in Al Awir.
“I love this place,” Friday, 42, said. “I’m disappointed the sand has gone, I used to enjoy playing on that. It is the tournament for rugby purists.
“I still remember the days when you would sit in the changing rooms with your England shirt on and you would be sat next to a vet who was having a fag. It was proper rugby and they have managed to keep that alive in Dubai.
“The social, vets and invitational tournaments are what make this weekend so special.”
Both England and the US will have their work cut out to advance to tomorrow’s trophy quarter-finals, with Kenya and Australia in the same group.
England finished third in the opening leg of the series in Australia, and Tom Mitchell, their captain, is hopeful the side can end their long run without a trophy.
“Last year we had a good season and finished fourth, it was just the first time in a while we haven’t won a tournament,” Mitchell said.
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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What Super Bowl LIII
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Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Everton%20Fixtures
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Honeymoonish
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