When the domestic rugby season began two years ago without Dubai Hurricanes in the top flight, it felt as though Premiership rugby was missing one of its giants.
After all, they are one of the biggest amateur sports clubs in West Asia. At present, they have around 1,200 members across their rugby (700), netball (400) and cricket (100) sections.
Having been conspicuous by their absence among the elite for one season, they came close to completing a neat redemption story the following campaign, even if they did leave it late.
The Hurricanes did not win a match until January, after which their form improved markedly. They inflicted a first defeat of the season on Dubai Tigers, who had been the dominant force until then, and ended it with a UAE Premiership final – albeit one that was lost to Jebel Ali Dragons.
Now, the club are hoping they are timing their run back to the very top just in time to celebrate their 25th anniversary. They want some silverware with which to toast their silver jubilee.
“Two years ago we had lost a lot of players to other clubs and did not have a Premiership team,” Ross Clow, the vice-chairman of the Hurricanes, said.
“Last season we were back and went all the way through to the finals, and made it through to the final of the [Dubai Sevens, where they were beaten by the Tigers].
“We are looking to get to the Premiership final again, and for sure we are looking to be there at finals time in the Sevens, and hopefully bring it home.”
The club was formed in 1999 when a set of Sharjah Wanderers players were fed up of making the journey from their homes in Dubai to play and train in the neighbouring emirate.
They opted to set up a new team instead, managed to secure sponsorship from Mina Seyahi, and trained on the grass at the hotel.
The vast membership numbers are not the only thing that reflects the advance of the club since. Rather than a patch of turf at a hotel, they have long been residents at the immaculate rugby fields at The Sevens.
Now they also share a shirt-front sponsor – Emirates Airline – with the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Those shirts are integral to the club’s origin story. The club’s name stems from the fact replica shirts of the Wellington Hurricanes’ Super Rugby franchise were the only ones they could get hold of at short notice, a quarter of a century ago.
They needed 50 shirts – for the players and supporters – for the new team’s competitive debut at the Dubai Sevens. As such, they became the Hurricanes.
“It was a very social club back then and more about that than winning,” Ian Gregory, who is one of the longest-serving club members, said of the early days.
“We weren’t the best side, but it put the club in a good stead. Being so sociable attracted a lot of people.
“It speaks highly of the sport in general. When you move to a new country, you don’t know any people. When you join a rugby team, you instantly meet 30 people.
“Some you get on with very well, and some you don’t, but it is a great way to get used to a new country.”
Along with his brother Chris, Gregory was an integral part of the Hurricanes side that eventually overtook the likes of Dubai Exiles and Dragons to become regional champions.
Both still play for the vets’ side, while Ian’s three sons also play within the club’s mini and youth section.
The landscape of the game has changed appreciably since they started out, when Hurricanes were competing with established institutions like the Exiles, Dragons, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi Bats (now known as the Harlequins).
Other clubs, such as Dubai Frogs, Sharjah Wanderers, Kuwait Nomads, Muscat and Doha have had contrasting fortunes in the time since.
The foundations provided by their thriving junior section (the Hurricanes will enter 32 teams at various levels of rugby this season) make them the envy of many of their rivals.
“There was a time when the minis and youth was focused on when the other clubs didn’t have the energy or time to do the same,” Gregory said.
“It was so important to have done that, because it just grew and grew and grew. It has been a huge success, even if there have been ups and downs with the first team.
“To grow to the size the club has now, there has been an evolution. They have kept the right balance and the whole club ethos just works.”
Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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THE%20SPECS
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Company%20profile
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Results
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
more from Janine di Giovanni
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
RECORD%20BREAKER
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Company%20Profile
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STAGE%201%20RESULTS
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar
5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
