On February 22 the devastating earthquake that shook Christchurch killed 181 people and reduced large swathes of New Zealand's second-largest city to rubble. In such circumstances it is easy to apply the thin veneer of a metaphor, but if one edifice survived that dreadful night it was the spirit built up by the Canterbury Crusaders rugby team.
The Crusaders may have lost their home after the turf in their AMI Stadium was deemed unplayable, but they subsequently embarked on a journey that has taken them to the cusp of one of team sport's greatest achievements. The Crusaders may be one of world rugby's most successful sides, boasting seven Super Rugby titles, but to reach their 11th final having played all of their 18 matches away from their home ground is remarkable.
There are few comparisons. Most football fans have heard of the Invincibles, the Arsenal team that went through the 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten. But the Crusaders had already achieved an unbeaten season in 2002, winning the Super 12 with ease.
Unlike football, rugby relies on a team's ability to stand up and perform in the face of physical intimidation. Even the smallest element of encouragement gives a side inspiration. Much like the host Springboks' mission to unite a nation during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, the Crusaders have used their exploits on the pitch as an adhesive to a beleaguered community.
"It's something I'll never forget; the shock on people's faces, all the traffic lights out, water gushing out in the streets, cracks in the road, traffic jams. It was a pretty scary time," said Dan Carter, the Crusaders fly-half and Super Rugby's record points scorer. "There were people coming out of their houses crying and neighbours returning home shocked. There was … silt all over the roads, fire sirens going off everywhere. It was just like a bomb site."
He said members of the All Blacks, the national side, are placed "on a pedestal here in a nation of rugby fanatics", and he felt obliged to make clear that the earthquake had shaken them, too. "You've got to make sure people know that you're just like everybody else, you're just human, going through the same emotional roller-coaster.
"I didn't know my neighbours that well," Carter said. "Now I do because we've been working so closely together on a big clean-up. If there can be any positive to come out of such a disaster, it's the real fantastic sense of community which has built up here."
If Carter has been doing his bit off the pitch, on the pitch he has been chipping in, too. Last weekend, he helped the Crusaders pull off one of the biggest upsets in Super Rugby's 18 years of competition when the team beat the Stormers in Cape Town 29-10 to set up today's final in Brisbane against the Reds. No team had won an away semi-final since 1999, and the New Zealand franchise defied a 11,265-kilometre journey through nine time zones to beat history, as laid out by the statisticians.
But helping clear up the physical mess in the city and performing every week on the pitch is just a small part of what this tightly knit squad have given to the cause.
The trip to South Africa capped a ferocious schedule, which has seen the squad travel over 96,000km in four months, the bulk of which included a whistle-stop visit to Twickenham, in England, where they beat the Sharks 44-28 in front of 35,000 fans. Around Dh25 per ticket was donated to the Red Cross earthquake appeal in New Zealand. The giving does not stop there.
Sonny Bill Williams, the Crusaders' centre, is also a professional heavyweight boxer. His contract makes provision for three bouts a year and last month he dissected the Tongan Alipate Liava'a to score a unanimous decision. Williams, who fought during the Crusaders' bye weekend in round 16 of the tournament, pledged Dh305,000 of his television earnings to provide aid for victims of the catastrophe.
Williams said the event was particularly alarming because his sister was visiting Christchurch at the time of the earthquake and was in one of the hardest-hit areas.
"It was pretty scary because she was studying in town," he said. "It was just that feeling you get where you cannot get through because all of the phones are down. It's a yuck feeling, a feeling you don't ever want to feel. Some people had the same feeling, but it didn't come right for them. They never get to see their friends and family again."
A week later the off-loading former Rugby League player featured in the 23-16 victory over the Blues. What is Wladimir Klitschko doing this weekend?
Despite this pro-active approach from the squad, the seismic activity did not end with the events of February 22. Christchurch has been beset by aftershocks and the city was hit particularly hard at the beginning of June when a magnitude 5.5 quake rocked the city on June 6. One week later, a 6.3-magnitude shock hit.
Just days afterwards, the ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano caused severe travel disruption in South America, Australia and New Zealand, and with Christchurch airport closed once again the Crusaders looked to their captain, Richie McCaw, to provide leadership. McCaw happens to be the patron of the Southern DC-3 Trust, and the group arranged a charter flight for the squad in a stylish, 67-year-old Douglas DC-3 aircraft which flies at a lower level than a modern jet. As seats were limited on the flight, members of the Crusaders support staff travelled with team equipment by ferry from Picton in the South Island to Wellington.
The final denouement in their travel nightmares occurred earlier this week when their flight out of Johannesburg was delayed and they missed their connection to Sydney. As a result, the advance party arrived three hours behind schedule, and to make matters worse Luke Romero, the lock, did not arrive at all as he was quarantined by Qantas after suffering chicken pox.
Said Macaw: "You get a choice, don't you? You can use travel as an excuse and everyone will probably pat you on the back and say, 'Oh well, that's fair enough.' We made a decision when all the carnage happened at home that we would stand up for the people at home and for what the Crusaders mean."
It is easy to train the magnifying glass on the Crusaders, but in the rush to put their season into context it is easy to forget that just seven months ago the Reds' home, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, was 2.5 metres under flood water as Queensland endured its worst flooding in 37 years. Around 30 people died during the natural disaster and 19 of the Reds' squad spent a day handing out sandbags while Rod Davies, the team's wing, manned a telephone during a televised telethon.
The Faingaa brothers, Anthony and Saia, gave their subsequent match fee to flood relief, while Quade Cooper, the team's gifted fly-half, tweeted: "Been out at Stafford depot all day filling, passing and packing sandbags. Best thing is seeing how many people are turning up and helping."
Only six trans-Tasman Sea finals have been played since the inaugural Super Rugby tournament in 1996. New Zealand teams lead 5-1, but in the history of the tournament only one side has managed to lift the trophy on foreign soil. The Crusaders beat the Brumbies in 2000 in Canberra.
Justin Marshall, the former All Black and Crusaders scrum-half, believes that the momentum is with his former teammates.
"It's clear adversity has been a galvanising force among this united squad," he said. "These are the traits I believe they will again display at Suncorp Stadium, which will culminate in them beating the Reds in the final and achieving what no other Super Rugby team has done before; win all of their games on the road.
"Use the superlative of your choice."
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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EXPATS
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The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
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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.
Civil%20War
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
GRAN%20TURISMO
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Rebel%20Moon%20%E2%80%93%20Part%20Two%3A%20The%20Scargiver%20review%20
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ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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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
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Background: Chemical Weapons
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
'Nope'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jordan%20Peele%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Keke%20Palmer%2C%20Brandon%20Perea%2C%20Steven%20Yeun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
