The UAE have done their bit, and in some style, too, with a 29-21 victory in Sri Lanka. Now they need Hong Kong to do them a favour on Saturday, and their Rugby World Cup qualification adventure will continue.
Jack Stapley scored two tries, and Sakiusa Naisau and Brad Janes one apiece, as the national team claimed a bonus-point win in Colombo.
It means that South Korea need to upset the formbook and beat the five-time defending champions Hong Kong to deprive the UAE of second place in the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship.
If the UAE do finish runners-up, they will head to Uganda later this month for a play-off against the second-best side in the equivalent competition in Africa.
The Africa Cup starts this weekend in Kampala. Namibia are favourites to win the competition, which also involves Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Morocco and Senegal.
The winners of the play-off will advance to the four-team event in November which will decide the final qualifier for the 2027 World Cup.
Andrew Semple, the UAE captain, said his side are glad to still be in with a shot.
“We started very well, but let things slip as the game went on, and it ebbed and flowed,” he said after the win in Colombo.
“We are not very happy with our overall performance. It was a bit under par but we are just happy that we came away with a win and can move on in the tournament.”
The UAE were giving away three places in the World Rugby rankings to their host, but travelled to Sri Lanka full of confidence.
Jacques Benade, the UAE coach, had said the national team would look to put their hosts under pressure via their extra power in the forward pack.
The UAE’s tight-five combined weighed more than the entire eight-man pack of Sri Lanka, and they made advantage of it from the start.
Stapley got his first after some irresistible mauling by the UAE pack, before Janes went over to send the tourists into a 12-3 lead.
It seemed as if the home side were powerless to hold back the UAE forwards, but Sri Lanka had suggested they had a plan.
“They seem to be big, but we have come up with a gameplan which we hope can counter them,"Tharinda Ratwatte, Sri Lanka’s captain, said in an interview ahead of kick-off.
Ratwatte – and in particular his unerring boot – was at the centre of their fightback. They scored tries, either side of a third for the UAE by Naisau, to reduce the arrears to 22-21.
At that point, the home side were in the ascendancy, and they had two kickable penalties to take the lead.
For the second time in two matches, though, the UAE profited from their opposition’s reticence at kicking for the posts.
Ratwatte had been having an outstanding game till that point, but passed up two chances to kick for three points in quick succession. It felt similar to the closing throes of the UAE’s comeback win in Incheon two weeks earlier.
The UAE defended their line, and when Stapley later went through for their fourth try, victory – and likely second place – was theirs.
“We lost a bit of focus and lost a bit at the set piece,” Semple said.
“It was a case of resetting and doing what we knew we are good at: carrying ball, getting back to the scrum, and winning lineout ball.
“Sri Lanka stayed in the game, even though we got a little bit ahead. They fought back, credit to them, but we just managed to come away with it in the end.”
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England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, Andrea Atzeni, Charles Hills
7.40pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: New Trails, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
8.15pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Mnasek, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: D’bai, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Summer Romance, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
10pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
The years Ramadan fell in May
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THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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