DUBAI // The UAE can win the Asia Rugby Championship Division 1 in Malaysia this week, and regain their place in the top flight of continental rugby for the first time in four years.
That is the view of Daniel Perry, the vice-captain, who believes the national team have nothing to fear despite giving away as many as 31 world ranking places to their counterparts.
They start their campaign against hosts Malaysia in Ipoh on Sunday, with Philippines and Sri Lanka to follow this week.
The winners of the competition will be elevated to the top division next season, where they will play against South Korea and Hong Kong for the chance to advance in the World Cup qualifying process.
Perry thinks success is well within the UAE’s compass, given “we have leaders right across the park,” and it is “as strong a side as I have seen in a long time”.
His point about leadership is well founded. Perry, the former captain of Dubai Hurricanes, is deputy to Ben Bolger, the captain who oversaw five trophy wins with Abu Dhabi Harlequins in domestic rugby this season.
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Read more
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■ UAE prepare for Asia Rugby Championship with victory over Premiership Barbarians
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Six of the players competing for the eight starting berths in the UAE forward pack either are, or have been, captains of Premiership first XVs. A seventh, Winston Cowie, is the head coach of Abu Dhabi Saracens.
Even before leaving to tour, the side have proved they have character. In their two warm-up matches, against scratch sides of Conference and Premiership players, they reversed early deficits to win.
“Coming from behind and beating sides brings a team very close together,” Perry said.
“Yes, we will need character this week. It is going into the unknown for a lot of us, but the bottom line is we are going there to win it.
“There is no way we are going there to make numbers up, or to see what we are capable of. We are going there to win the thing, because the squad we have is capable of great things.
“If that means climbing the rankings, then it means climbing the rankings. If we give everything, that should be enough to win that league. That is what we are going there to do.”
Three Test matches in the space of seven days, against teams ranked far higher in the World Rugby standings than the UAE, will be demanding.
However, the national team might feel their own official ranking of 72 is still a false reflection of their capabilities.
Having only become full members of World Rugby in 2011, they entered at the very bottom, 97th in the standings, and have steadily worked their way up since.
Dave Knight, the openside flanker, is confident the national team has assembled its strongest group of players to date.
The Sharjah-born forward is well placed to judge, having debuted for the UAE four years ago, when they last played in the top flight.
His playing experience pre-dates that, too, as he captained the Arabian Gulf at Under 19 level, in a side that also included current colleague Jaen Botes, before graduating to the men’s game with the UAE.
“If you compare the team from now to when I played four years ago, you can’t compare — we are talking about a completely different class of players,” Knight, the Dubai Hurricanes captain, said.
“Even from last year. Last year we had a strong team, but this year has gone up another level.
“We are going there to win it. Everyone has agreed that is achievable with the standard the league is at the moment, and the quality of players that have made themselves available for the tour.”
The quality of personnel in the squad, as well as the atmosphere surrounding it, marks a stark difference from the last time the UAE played at the top level of the Asian game.
Back then, apathy towards a failing side meant many leading players did not make themselves available for selection, which prompted a slide down the divisions.
Now, though, Apollo Perelini, the coach, is overseeing a side full of self-belief who are targeting promotion.
“I think I have got players who, after this tournament if we get there, are able to step up again,” Perelini said.
“Korea and Hong Kong have a very good rugby programme. They have semi-professional players, and some who are fully professional. But what we are aiming for is to get there, to the top flight.”
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THE SPECS
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Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
SHAITTAN
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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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
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Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
The specs
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