The British & Irish Lions are just over two weeks out from their Test opener against Australia.
They have shaken off the disappointment of defeat to Argentina in Dublin with two breezy wins since arriving in Australia.
Not everything has run smoothly, though, particularly with two tour-ending injuries leading to some intriguing subplots to the series.
Farrell fated
It always felt destined, even if Andy Farrell tried his best not to go there.
His son, Owen, has built up such a fine body of work during his glittering career that he would have been well within his rights to hope for selection for a fourth Lions tour.
There was mitigation. He had a poor spell playing club rugby in France. He had suffered injuries and concussion. All of which meant his absence from the initial squad was understandable.
It has taken a broken forearm for Elliot Daly for it to happen, but Farrell Jr is set to be a Lion again.
The originals in the squad have had a head start of three matches in staking a claim for a Test starting place. Farrell will be playing catch up, but he can be assured of one thing: no one will have a better grasp of his qualities than his dad.
Itoje revived
Owen Farrell is only 33, but he might feel like an old stager walking back into the Lions team room.
He has been retired from international rugby for a couple of years, and the game in Europe has marched on without him.
Dan Sheehan, who captained the Lions in their first game on tour, is 26. Joe McCarthy, the standout player in that game against Western Force, is 24. And Henry Pollock, the much-talked-about back-rower, is only 20.
But there will be many who are glad to see a familiar face. Maro Itoje, for one, will be happy about the idea of getting the old band back together with his long-time Saracens and England colleague.
The tour captain looked revived himself in the win over the Queensland Reds. He is under pressure to show his worth given the excellence of the others pushing for a place in the second row. Itoje did so with a try, 10 carries and 18 tackles in what ended up a sound win.
Welsh influence
All the great Lions touring sides have had a strong Welsh backbone. To pick one famous example, the lone series win over New Zealand, back in 1971, involved such legendary names as Gareth Edwards, Barry John, JPR Williams, and Gerald Davies.
Even in more modern times, the likes of Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies have been central to touring triumphs.
The stock of tourists from Wales this time is historically low, and one fewer after the unfortunate injury suffered by Tomos Williams in the first match on tour.
But a Welshman might still have an influence in Australia. Jac Morgan was excellent in the win over the Reds and nosed ahead in the traffic for a back-row starting berth.
Flying Freeman
From the fringe of the scrum to the fringe of the field, the selections are not yet cut and dried for the tourists.
Andy Farrell namechecked Mack Hansen after the win in Perth. Despite the fact the Ireland wing actually had a mixed time against the Force, his coach said his work rate was something all Lions should aspire to.
It makes sense that Farrell would have faith in the players he knows so well from his day job with Ireland, making Hansen and James Lowe favourites to start on the wings in the Test side.
But Tommy Freeman scored two tries against the Reds so will certainly be pushing for consideration for the first Test in Brisbane on July 19.
Testing opposition
Upon arrival in Australia, the Lions management made a point of demanding testing warm up matches. Ben Calveley, the Lions chief executive, pointed out the small print of the tour conditions that Test players be released for tour matches.
Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies coach, countered that the conditions are subjective. Either way, the two tour matches have been heavily one-sided so far.
The tourists scored eight tries in each of the games against the Force and the Reds, without looking perfectly synced themselves.
Whether that shows underpowered opposition, or points to lower standards overall in Australian rugby union at present, will only be shown once the Test series starts.
Saturday’s opponents, the NSW Waratahs, could provide more of the same. They finished eighth in the Super Rugby season, which is just one better than the Force.
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Naga
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
