As Dewald Human breezes through the airy lobby of the team hotel in Festival City, he appears not to have a care in the world.
No matter that he and his teammates are sleep deprived, and have yet to get into their rooms after their overnight flight from Cape Town.
Nor the fact they are carrying the burden of attempting to keep up the most extraordinary winning record in the long history of the Dubai Sevens.
The 29-year-old playmaker carries the sunny disposition of someone who is happy with where they are in life. After all, South African rugby players love Dubai.
Even though the Blitzboks ended seventh on the world sevens series last season, they started their season as they always do: by winning the Dubai title.
They have done exactly that every time the tournament has been played since 2019. That amounts to five in a row. Not even the all-conquering New Zealand side of the early years of the world series managed dominance like that.
And yet last year’s tournament was bittersweet. Human ended the closely fought final against Argentina with tears streaming down his face. Arriving in the city earlier this week ahead of their title defence, he said those same feelings came flooding back.
“I was thinking about when we came over, thinking about what happened last year and it was emotional again,” Human said ahead of the 2024 tournament.
“It was the same time last year that my sister passed away. It was my motivation last year.
“It is still lekker [good] to come to Dubai. There is a lot of pressure on us and people are asking if we are going to break the record going for six [in a row]. We just want to focus on our process this week, and start off well.”
Human dedicated last year’s Dubai win to his sister, Marelize, who had died in the lead up to the tournament. He said he would always be reminded of her every time he put on his green Blitzboks shirt, with “Human” written between the shoulders.
“It is still the same motivation,” he said. “Every time I put that jersey on, my surname is on the back. It reminds me of her and the legacy I want to put back.
“She was a big fan of the Blitzboks as well. I want to represent her in the national colours, and I am happy to be back representing my country. It is going to be a big part of who I am this weekend. I want to serve the team.”
Living near South Africa’s sevens training base in Cape Town means Human has not been able to see his sister’s young family as often as he would like.
They live around six hours away, but he stays in contact with her three young sons as best he can. And, he says, he wants to make them happy by performing on the field.
“That is quite a challenge,” he said. “Within our team we talk about making sacrifices and that is one of the sacrifices I have to make to play this wonderful game.
“I know why I am doing this. This is my dream. After Cape Town [Sevens, next week] I will get to see them for two weeks, then will have to be back into camp again.
“They understand. The middle one is a big fan of me, and I always get messages saying, ‘Boeta [elder brother], you must play well.’ They still don’t understand what is happening fully.
“This year has been about trying to build up their understanding and explain what the future holds, and how they are going to miss their mum. I miss them a lot.”
For now, all his focus is on more success at Dubai Sevens. South Africa’s record in the city is remarkable. Their haul of 11 titles since the advent of the world series in Dubai is nearly double the next best – that of New Zealand, who have won six times.
“When you come to Dubai, everyone is fresh,” said Human, whose side start their title defence against Australia on Pitch 1 at 10.50am on Saturday.
“Every side is putting their best team out on the circuit. For us, we are not thinking about the outcome, instead it is about following the process this week.
“Starting from Monday, we want to try to be perfect in everything we do so that by the weekend we are hitting form. It is not about preparing for the final, it is about preparing for the first game.
“This weekend for us, that mean Australia. We focus on Australia and try to take care of that, and the dynamic of our team is very good.
“We each understand what our role is in the bigger plan. If you understand that, we can move forward. We have been lucky that, for five years, we have been successful.
“Also, there is massive crowd in Dubai. We feel the love of the South Africans coming over and supporting us.
“We like being in Dubai, we know what to expect and we can focus on the process and not the outcome.”
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
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Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
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Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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The five pillars of Islam
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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