Wallabies captain Harry Wilson has promised a brutal response when Australia meet the British & Irish Lions in a do-or-die second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Trailing 1-0 in the three-match series following last week’s 27-19 defeat in Brisbane, the Wallabies know another loss would seal the series for Andy Farrell’s side. But Wilson believes his side are ready to fight fire with fire.
“We want to go out there and impose ourselves physically,” said the back-rower on Friday. “We want to back our skills, start fast and, with a 6-2 bench, it means another person gets to go off the field. So there’s more reason to throw your body around, knowing there’s quality players ready to come in and finish strong.”
Australia were bullied at the breakdown and in the collisions in Brisbane, but welcome a trio of key forwards back into the starting side. Will Skelton and Rob Valetini return from injury to bolster the tight five and back row respectively, while hooker Dave Porecki has been cleared to play following a concussion.
Coach Joe Schmidt has signalled his intent by opting for six forwards on the bench in place of the traditional 5-3 split, anticipating a wet and bruising battle at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“A lot of us watched the Pasifika and First Nations XV earlier this week,” added Wilson, referring to the scratch side that pushed the Lions in a bruising midweek fixture. “They went after them with line speed, big hits, and plenty of niggle. It was a great blueprint of how to physically dominate them.”
Wilson’s comments echoed those of Schmidt, who said on Thursday: “We don’t want to be nice, and we don’t want to be submissive.”
Despite the Brisbane defeat, Wilson said the squad had taken belief from their second-half performance, where they narrowed a 24-5 deficit and finished the stronger of the two sides.
“We do feel like we’re improving every week,” said Wilson. “We got away with one against Fiji, but in that first Test, once we had a bit of possession and territory and started playing our sort of footy, we really built into the game.
“We take a lot of confidence from that second half, and we know we’ll need to be even better on Saturday.”
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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