Super Rugby landscape set to change as Waratahs prepare for title defence

A World Cup year is always a watershed in rugby but, beyond the usual retirements and departures, it is fair to say the southern hemisphere game will never be the same after 15 teams battle it out for the 20th Super Rugby title.

The annual provincial championship has had plenty of changes since 12 teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia kicked off the debut season in 1996, but nothing as radical as the plans for 2016.

The addition of teams from Argentina and Japan, as well as another outfit from the land of the Springbok, will transform the reach and balance of the championship.

The 2015 season will mark the end of an era in other ways, too, with luminaries Dan Carter and Richie McCaw set to pull on the red shirt of the Canterbury Crusaders for the final time.

The Crusaders came agonisingly close to winning their eighth championship last season until a last-gasp penalty handed a first title to the New South Wales Waratahs and they will be desperate to end their seven-year trophy drought this season.

Todd Blackadder’s team are usually New Zealand’s best chance of a title but the 2012 and 2013 champion Waikato Chiefs have Sonny Bill Williams back in the centre and have made a couple of other quality additions to their backline.

Wellington Hurricanes always appear to have the raw talent to mount a title challenge and if the Auckland Blues can match their performances at Eden Park with their road form, they also will be dangerous.

Australia’s financial problems means they face an exodus of talent once the lure of playing for the Wallabies at the World Cup is gone and this season could be the last chance for fans to see Israel Folau playing the 15-man code.

Full-back Folau’s tries helped the Waratahs to the title last year and they should still be the team to beat under Michael Cheika, who will combine his provincial duties with preparing the national team for the World Cup.

The ACT Brumbies, semi-finalists last year, have lost skipper Ben Mowen and a key member of the back-room staff, Laurie Fisher, but will welcome back the talent and leadership of flanker David Pocock after nearly two years on the sidelines.

Western Force were the surprise package of 2014 but will do well to win as many close matches as they did last year, while the Queensland Reds hopes of a revival received a blow when they lost fly-half Quade Cooper to injury for three months.

The Reds won the title in the last World Cup year in 2011 and will be banking on a big impact from code-hopping back Karmichael Hunt, prodigal winger James O’Connor and former All Black loose forward Adam Thomson.

The other Australian team, the Melbourne Rebels, face yet another season of consolidation at the wrong end of the table.

The Sharks ran away with the South African conference last year before falling to the Crusaders in the semi-finals and they again look like the best chance of a first champion from Africa since the Bulls won their third title in 2010.

South Africa’s talent pool has been depleted most by the lure of the riches of Europe.

But new Sharks coach Gary Gold has reversed the trend by bringing in prop Matt Stevens, lock Mouritz Botha and winger Jack Wilson from English club Saracens.

Cape Town-based Stormers are already wrestling with a lengthy injury list and might struggle to send coach Allister Coetzee off to Japan triumphant at the end of the season.

The Bulls have also struggled to impose themselves on teams away from Pretoria.

But with Pierre Spies returning to their back row after missing last season and Handre Pollard leading the backline will cause problems for plenty of teams.

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.”

How it works

Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.

Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.

As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.

A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.

Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.

Red flags

Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching