The British & Irish Lions gave their detractors in New Zealand some food for thought after notching up a 12-3 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch.
It was a much-needed success, given that the touring side had been on the end of some stinging criticism in the past week, writes Paul Radley.
Crisis? What crisis?
When the extended tour squad and staff beat a path from the stands to pitchside to celebrate the win with the playing XV at full time, their faces told a story.
It spoke of relief. Relief that they had not doubled up on defeats against provincial sides, having lost to the Blues on Wednesday.
And belief, too. So they lost to the lowest-ranked New Zealand side in midweek. Now they have beaten the top-ranked one, which should give them the belief they can compete in the Test series after all.
“I wouldn’t say we are back on track,” Alun Wyn Jones, the Lions captain, said in his post-match TV interview. “I don’t think we were off track.”
Best form of defence
No southern hemisphere side have beaten the Crusaders this year. The Canterbury franchise have won their 14 Super Rugby league fixtures by an average margin of nearly 18 points. Yet all they could muster against the Lions was a solitary penalty goal.
To say it was a great defensive effort by the tourists is too simplistic. The Lions missed 11 tackles over the 80 minutes, but it was their dominance of possession that was the difference.
Key to that were the loose forwards and half backs. Sean O’Brien was only playing as the Lions preferred caution over the fitness of Sam Warburton, the tour captain.
The blindside flanker, in concert with his Irish compatriot Peter O’Mahony in the back row, was one of the game’s defining forces, though.
Farrell and Sexton
Johnny Sexton’s troubled start to the tour has mirrored that of his team. The two indifferent performances the Irish fly-half gave in the opening matches were black marks, which many felt might have cost him the No 10 shirt for the Tests.
And his replacement, Owen Farrell, had a typically masterful game in navigating the Lions to the win against the Crusaders.
However, circumstance dictated that Sexton benefited from Farrell’s excellence, rather than suffered because of it.
A first-half injury to centre Jonathan Davies gave Sexton and extended run alongside Farrell in the Lions backline. They dovetailed superbly both in attack and defence.
Scrum downed
In the 21st minute, the home scrum monstered the Lions eight. Both sides came up fighting, but it was a moral win for the Crusaders. And New Zealand, too.
Not just from a metaphorical point of view. The Crusaders will provide the majority of the All Blacks tight five when the Test matches start.
And yet that success was more or less the only thing the home pack had to celebrate all even. The Lions forwards won numerous scrum penalties.
Maybe that was down to the interpretation of the European referee, but the New Zealanders will have to adapt when the real business starts.
Haka-d off
The Lions have played three times so far on tour. They have already seen infinitely more hakas than that, though.
The challenge of the war cry is part of the fabric of New Zealand rugby. But its effect might already be being diluted, just as the Lions coach Warren Gatland predicted.
The disinterested countenance of Mako Vunipola, as he scratched his ear looking totally over it, before kick off against the Crusaders suggests the ritual may already be reaching overkill.
pradley@thenational.ae
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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"
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
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.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Fixtures
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
The%20specs
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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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
