Gone are the days when England fans rocked up to the Emirates Dubai Sevens expecting their side to be in title contention at the end of it.
It is 12 years now since England was last inscribed on the Emirates International Trophy. And they will struggle to do it this weekend, seeing as the side no longer exists.
For years, England, Wales and Scotland fans had baited each other in the scaffolding stands while their teams did battle on the field.
Then in the past two years they discovered they were going to have to rub along nicely instead seeing as they were all part of the same team now. Most were a little nonplussed to discover the home nations had been merged to make Great Britain Sevens.
Robbie Fergusson, the captain of the GB men’s team, says it has taken some getting used to, even for the players.
“I have some of my best memories here from when I was playing for Scotland against England, and the bagpipes were playing and there was the rivalry,” Fergusson said.
“Last year was almost a shock to the fans. They didn’t seem to be fully aware of GB and what that was. There would still be an English contingent, a Welsh contingent and a Scottish contingent.
“[Dubai] was the first tournament last year and as the year went on the GB element grew. We saw Union Jacks and the fans came round to it.
“It will be interesting to see this weekend where we are with it. The expat community is obviously massive, with lots of English support.
“Will they stick with England and not really know as they are there for the party, or have they twigged on to the Great Britain thing?
“We have found that the better you play in these tournaments the more people back you anyway. So that is the simple answer.”
Ayr-born Fergusson knows bagpipes are a little slice of home for him, but he says all of his teammates would appreciate hearing them in the stands.
“Whether you know it or not, you have our own little cultures inside the team, but the English boys love the bagpipes, as do the Welsh boys,” Fergusson said.
“Yes, we know it is iconic of Scotland, but as Great Britain it encompasses what we are as well. It is a thing we love in general, not just for us Scottish players.”
Although England last won in Dubai in 2011, they did finish second in 2015, then third for the four years which followed.
Wales were third in 2012 and fourth in 2016, having won the Rugby World Cup Sevens when it was played in Dubai in 2009.
When they joined forces for the first Olympics sevens tournament in Rio in 2016, they took silver behind Fiji.
And yet the new, permanent GB team has more modest goals at present. They finished ninth on the World Series last season, so retaining their place on the newly revamped 12-team series for next season is priority No 1.
Financial constraints have also altered the way they train. There three four-day camps in Largs near Glasgow, and also played a four-day tournament in Spain.
“The reality of Great Britain is we are still a team that is forming and finding its feet,” Fegusson said.
“We don’t have a training base. We travel to train and everything is camp based for us. We have had really minimal training together, 16 days, when some of these teams will have done 16 weeks.
“That is where we are as a team. We know there is going to be hurt in this but one thing we are is super tight as a group. Our culture is brilliant.
“We realise it is backs against the wall for us which makes you tighter as a group off the field. Whether that translates on the field, maybe not early doors, but I think it will slowly.
“These two weeks [for Dubai and the Cape Town Sevens which follows] are massive for us because it almost doubles our time together. We know there will be hurt involved, but it is about how we learn and develop.”
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
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57%20Seconds
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
