Abu Dhabi school retains international tournament in Beijing



Fraser March already feels sorry for the next captain to lead a British School Al Khubairat (BSAK) rugby team in China because the pressure to win three in a row will be huge.

The Abu Dhabi pupil was a "brilliant" leader according to Lyn Jones, the coach of the Under 13 BSAK Blues, who returned this week with a trophy from an international tournament in Beijing - just as the school did a year ago from their first trip to the Chinese capital.

March, 13, was a veteran of this tournament, which again took place at Dulwich International College, as he made the inaugural trip a year ago. He will be too old for a third visit so it will be up to someone else at BSAK to make it a trio of triumphs.

He said: "If the school goes back next year, there will be a lot of pressure on that team to win it for a third time. We felt pressure this year because we wanted to retain the trophy.

"So to win it as captain was an amazing feeling. Myself and two other boys were there a year ago with the younger team so we knew how close it had been in 2010. However, this time we really dominated and were so much better.

"A year ago we conceded five tries, which is good, but this time it was only two. We also scored over 200 points."

This is all the more impressive as the 10-a-side version they played in China was relatively new to them.

"We usually play 15s, 12s or seven-a-side. We really only play the 10-a-side game at this tournament and there are a lot of adjustments to be made," said March.

"It was a fantastic trip. It gave us all a wonderful chance to see life in a really different part of the world."

The BSAK Pink Team of younger boys finished seventh overall.

Jones said: "The boys were excellent. They came back more mature and better people. The trip to the Great Wall was a real highlight for them all."

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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.