South Africa captain Siya Kolisi praised his team for never giving up after the reigning champions came from behind to defeat hosts France on Sunday and book their place in the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
South Africa trailed 22-19 at half-time and had Eben Etzebeth off the field for the opening eight minutes of the second half for a yellow card, but they prevented France from capitalising and eventually came back to win the match by the narrowest of margins.
"We scrambled a lot, especially when we were short of numbers," said Kolisi. "We talk about chasing lost causes. Don't stop until they put the ball down over the tryline. Don't do that and we'd be going home tomorrow.
"That's what we do as a team. Never give up."
The Springboks edged in front thanks to replacement fly-half Handre Pollard's second-half points, setting up a last-four meeting with England in Paris at the Stade de France on Saturday.
"It was an amazing game," said Kolisi, who was substituted early in the second half. "It flowed, it was tough, physical, the way both teams played outshone everything.
"The French have been building for four years and knew it was going to take something special."
The South Africa captain, who is looking to repeat the triumph of 2019, said the Boks had prepared for the noise and atmosphere of taking on the hosts in Paris by using speakers in training.
But he paid tribute to France, especially captain Antoine Dupoint who returned to the lineup after suffering a fractured cheekbone in the pool games to play the full 80 minutes.
"France can be proud. For their leader to be injured and come back and play like as if he had never been away was incredible."
Dupont, however, was furious with referee Ben O'Keeffe, claiming he should have penalised the Springboks for slowing down French possession when the home side were attacking late during the game.
"I don't want to be the bitter person who complains about the referee because I lost the game," Dupont said. "There's a lot of disappointment and frustration but we can't wait to see the footage again.
"There are clear things that should have been whistled. I don't think the refereeing was at the level of what was at stake today," he added.
France head coach Fabien Galthie backed his skipper's opinion but chose not to single out New Zealand match official O'Keeffe.
"I understand the players' frustration," Galthie said. "I understand there is lot of frustration, emotion, it's difficult to digest. I will accept it, as it's already happened, the decisions."
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on animal trafficking
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
