So now we know. Qais Al Dhalai, president of Asia Rugby and vice president of the UAE Rugby Federation, told The National this week that a potential joint bid by the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to host the Rugby World Cup has the “experience, expertise and the means” to succeed and the time was right to bring the tournament to the region. His remarks backed up earlier media reports of a probable bid and confirmed that the aim was to secure 2035 or 2039 staging rights.
Australia has already been named as host in 2027, marking the third time the two-time World Cup-winning Southern Hemisphere nation has staged or co-hosted the tournament since its inception in 1987. The US will host the competition in 2031, potentially leaving the way open for a joint bid from West Asia for either of the next two tournaments. The previous two rounds were staged in Europe in 2023, when France hosted, and in East Asia in 2019, when Japan hosted.
The UAE national side performed credibly in a Test match against higher-ranking opposition late last year and is ranked within the top 50
The path to securing hosting rights in 2035 looks crowded, however, with six other countries said to be considering a bid, including England, which has hosted or co-hosted on three occasions. Italy and Spain are also said to harbour interest in bidding, as well as current world champion South Africa, which last hosted in 1995 and has bid regularly since then. Japan and Argentina are thought to be probable entrants into the race, too.
The naysayers have already suggested that the Gulf has no right to stage such a competition, given the presence of a number of elite rugby nations on that short list, and have also pointed to a lack of rugby pedigree in the tri-nations. But as is often the case, the facts tell a different story from the reflex reactions of critics.
First, the pedigree. It is almost 80 years since the sport was first played in the region in a match organised by Kuwait Oil Company workers and a representative side from the British military. The annual Dubai Rugby Sevens was first staged in 1970, and it is one of the star attractions of the World Sevens series. The Doha Rugby Football Club marks its 50th anniversary this year. Saudi Arabia’s rugby scene is growing and can trace its roots back decades.
Today, in the UAE in particular, the sport is flourishing at grassroots levels with thousands of men, women and children playing for clubs and schools. Several expatriate players have gone on to enjoy careers in the professional game overseas and received international call-ups in their “home” countries.
The UAE national side performed credibly in a Test match against higher-ranking opposition late last year and is ranked within the top 50. The Under 18s 7s boys’ side are serial champions in Asian continental tournaments and have previously achieved age-grade double honours with both boys’ and girls’ teams lifting international trophies.
Schools have an impressive track record of nurturing talent, with Jumeirah English Speaking School’s U14 girls side winning the prestigious Rosslyn Park 7s tournament in the UK last month for the second year running and their U16 girls winning the plate final. Three pieces of silverware in two years at an elite Northern Hemisphere tournament illustrates how deep the talent pool is here. And while the 2035 or 2039 bid is for the men’s competition, bringing the World Cup to the Gulf would in all likelihood assist development for the sport in general.
Then there is the track record for hosting major sporting events. The UAE and the Gulf’s winter sporting calendar is full of top-level international sport, from the Dubai Sevens and Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi to the ILT20 cricket league, ranking men’s and women’s tennis tournaments, multiple golf championships, the Dubai World Cup racing meet and so on.
Previous sporting credits include hosting the T20 Cricket World Cup, the Special Olympics, the Club World Cup on a number of occasions and the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens, when a Arabian Gulf combined team performed credibly, losing narrowly to Italy and scored in defeat to New Zealand.
Few will need reminding that Qatar hosted the last football World Cup. The country endured years of criticism, particularly from the West, ahead of the tournament but went on to deliver a hugely successful competition that won widespread acclaim for its hospitality and for showcasing Arab culture. Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of the 2034 edition of the World Cup late last year. This region sits in a time zone-friendly part of the world for global sporting audiences, and the winter months – when the 2035 or 2039 rugby tournament would be held – are a great time of year and perfect temperature-wise to watch and play sport.
All three Gulf nations have a broader economic certainty and a commitment to infrastructure delivery – you only have to look at the success of Expo 2020 Dubai to confirm that point – which effectively underwrites any potential bid and provides good reason to be excited. The region has the pedigree, passion and purpose to provide the perfect staging post for international rugby’s biggest tournament a decade from now.
Those who question the reasons for staging such a tournament are pursuing the wrong line of enquiry. They should ask why not instead of why?
Honeymoonish
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The%20Sandman
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Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')
Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
PETER%20PAN%20%26%20WENDY
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Celta Vigo 2
Castro (45'), Aspas (82')
Barcelona 2
Dembele (36'), Alcacer (64')
Red card: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
SPEC%20SHEET
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Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
