Jacques Benade, the UAE coach, is calling for improvement from his side after they made a false start to the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) in defeat to Hong Kong.
The national team had entered the tournament on a wave of optimism. They finished second last year for the first time in their history.
That was the incentive for a vastly improved programme as they prepared for this year’s ARC, which carries with it a qualifying place for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
They played two Autumn Test matches, against Zimbabwe and Germany, and preceded this tournament with a tour to Kenya. Hopes were high that they could push for top spot, and a trip to Australia for the World Cup.
But Hong Kong are the favourites for qualification for good reason. They have won the past five ARCs. Previous to that, they were runners up four years in a row against Japan, who have since switched from Asian competition to play more fixtures against Tier 1 nations.
And Hong Kong showed their class straight from the off, as they outplayed the home side in a 43-10 at The Sevens, Dubai, on Saturday.
The difference in quality was laid bare at set pieces. The UAE were penalised at the vast majority of scrums, while the tourists established the lead via two push over tries from line outs.
The frustration for the home side was the fact there were positive moments which showed they could compete with their well-drilled visitors.
They made an alarmingly nervy start, but Gerard Pieterse, the debutant full-back, snapped them into action with a crunching, try-saving tackle on Alexander Post, the Hong Kong hooker.
Brad Janes, the Jebel Ali Dragons flanker who was outstanding on his UAE debut, scored the try his performance deserved.
The UAE were within touching distance at that point, at 15-10. When they then botched a golden chance to go into half-time 22-17 behind with an attacking scrum underneath Hong Kong’s posts, the game went away from them.
“We are all disappointed,” Benade, the UAE coach, said. “Looking at the boys in the dressing room, their heads were down, and I don’t think we played as well as we could.
“We are better than that. Given how hard we work for everything, that was just not good enough for us. We should be better, and there will be a lot of hard work this week.
“We need to be honest with ourselves, and there are no more excuses. We need to step up as a group and play better rugby next week.”
The national team travel to Incheon to face South Korea next Saturday. Their ambitions will likely now be revised down to a runners-up place, which would keep alive their World Cup qualification hopes.
The second placed side in the ARC will enter a play-off system which concludes with a week-long tournament in Dubai in November. The winner of that will also make it to the World Cup.
The Koreans began their tournament with a thrilling 38-34 win against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday. Benade knows a big improvement needs to be made if they are to take points in Incheon, particularly at scrum time.
“They [Hong Kong] were very good up front,” Benade said. “They will have known from last year we do put an emphasis on our scrums. It was something that didn’t work tonight and we have three sessions to fix that.
“We have seen that if you can’t get good set-piece ball, you can’t play rugby. From the start, we made mistakes. From the kick off, we couldn’t get the ball away.
“It was completely different to what we have been practising over the past five weeks, and then you realise the boys are under pressure.
“It is hard work, and we need to get it fixed. We need to get them to believe they can compete against boys like that.
“They are a very good side, but we showed what could happen when you put them under pressure.”
Joshua Hrstich, the Hong Kong captain, said his side were satisfied with their opening day win, in which they ran in six tries to one by the UAE.
“We are pretty excited to get out of the desert with maximum [points] and get our campaign off to a good start,” Hrstich said.
“Pressure is a privilege. We are taking this tournament one game at a time. You just have to watch the Korea-Sri Lanka game to see that everyone is dangerous. We are taking no one lightly.”
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
