New Zealand are more than happy to once again be the centre of attention after knocking the number one ranked Ireland out of the Rugby World Cup, according to coach Ian Foster.
The All Blacks prevailed over the Irish 28-24 in front of almost 80,000 spectators in Paris on Saturday night, despite playing for spells with 14 men after both Aaron Smith and Codie Taylor spent time in the sin bin.
With the Irish sitting atop the world rankings, they had been heavily hyped going into the tournament and were tipped to at least go beyond the last eight for the first time in their history.
Given Ireland's lofty ranking, a long winning streak, and the fact that legendary fly-half Johnny Sexton was set to retire after the tournament, the All Blacks were afforded the rare luxury of a low key build-up with their opponents dominating the pre-match debate.
But after sending Ireland home for a second World Cup in a row to set up a semi-final with Argentina, the Kiwis were suddenly the name on everyone's lips.
"I don't think we'll be under the radar next week," said coach Foster. "We know Argentina well. It'll be a good Southern Hemisphere game.
"All the talk was about Ireland," he added. "They had 17 wins in a row. They’ve built a team for this sort of iconic moment, so they had massive expectations.
"Sometimes the sweetest victories are when your opposition plays very well and tests you to the limit. At the end of the day, we played a lot of that game with 14 players. And we looked in control of it and it felt good. We knew where we had to dig into ourselves to get the result. I couldn't be more proud."
Scores from native Kiwis Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park and a penalty try kept Ireland in contention during a tense encounter.
However, three-time champions New Zealand underlined their credentials, with Leicester Fainga’anuku, Ardie Savea and Will Jordan each going over in a statement victory. Eight points from the boot of Jordie Barrett and five from Richie Mo’unga helped the All Blacks set up their last four clash with the Argentines in Paris on Friday.
Sexton, Ireland's all-time record points scorer, was denied a fairytale ending to his storied career.
“It’s gutting, isn’t it? It’s small margins and that’s sport. That’s life. It’s unfortunate, but this group will bounce back," said the 38-year-old. “They are an incredible bunch led by the man beside me (coach Andy Farrell). It’s the best group I have ever been a part of. Bar none. These guys will go on and achieve great things."
Argentina booked their spot in the last four with a 29-17 victory over Wales in Marseille earlier on Saturday. Los Pumas have a victory over the All Blacks as recently as August 2022, and coach Michael Cheika is undaunted by the task awaiting his side.
"What we need is clear, that we are going to be able to prepare, how we are going to prepare and how we are going to phase the obstacles - a good simple strategy so that we can be ready for battle and the physical war next weekend," said Cheika.
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
Company%20profile
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UAE%20Warriors%2033%20Results
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Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
