Dubai College (DC) have long been regarded as the leading rugby school in the UAE but the competition is catching up. And nobody is breathing harder down their necks than the British School Al Khubairat (BSAK).
The pair clashed for the UAE Schools League Under 18 title last year and though DC came out winners (20-17), their director of sport, Andy Jones, acknowledged the great strides their opponents had made.
And they are getting closer; at the Zayed Sports City yesterday, DC eked out a 12-10 win over BSAK in the U18 league, in a game dominated in a number of areas by the vanquished.
The win puts DC top of the league but was effectively a dress rehearsal for the final to be played next month.
The game was a physical one and though BSAK trailed 3-12 with a couple of minutes to go, closely contested.
"The BSAK boys are very large, very physical and very well-conditioned," said Jones. "They are a very good side. So we are delighted by the result. We were a slightly weakened squad suffering from quite a few injuries, but we came down with our squad and just pulled through."
It was BSAK's physicality in particular that impressed Jones, dominating the scrums and putting a lot of pressure at the line-outs.
"They've improved again and their level of physicality is immense," said Jones. "They are a very well-drilled, accomplished side and for large periods of the game we were under pressure. We've got a very talented group of boys who dealt with the pressure and were able to break away a few times. But it was a very even game and more than that a very intense game. A great advert for U18 rugby in the Gulf."
DC's Tom Summers touched down a try, but James Bywater, their highly regarded fly-half, controlled the game, grabbing a try up the right flank as well. As well as those two, Jones paid tribute to their prop Ali Alami.
"He was outstanding," Jones said. "Because they're so physical, he had to step up and he really did and dealt with a lot of the physicality, keeping our pack together. James [Bywater] again controlled the game with his superb kicking but really this was 50-50. We were more fortunate on the day."
BSAK lost to DC in the at The Sevens in December as well, but their director of rugby, Edward Lewsey, feels they are getting closer. Lewsey, brother of England Rugby World Cup winner Josh, was left to rue an inability to turn control and pressure into points.
The replacement fly-half Charlie Fulbrook scored a try with two minutes remaining but possession was lost thereafter and DC were more than happy to run the clock down.
"We squandered a few chances, three clear chances," Lewsey said. "It was just that level of composure in the attacking third to come away with a try or some points that ultimately cost us the game.
Lewsey was happy, however, with the performances of the captain and No 8 Kyle Knox, the fullback Sean Tiernay and Christy McCormick. "I thought we played the best we played all season today and quite dominant in some areas. Kyle was absolutely supreme, outstanding and Sean and Christy were really good as well."
The game was useful, however, in terms of when the teams might next meet in the final.
"We're the two best schools in the UAE and pretty level in some ways," said Lewsey. "We know DC have a lot of strengths.
"Their full back is fantastic and he's very quick and dangerous. Bywater is a really good player and he controls the game very well. In both games he scored a crucial try, so he's the man to mark up."
The win sealed a good day all-round for DC.
Their U16 side were comfortable winners 32-10, while the U12 side triumphed 25-5. The U14 sides, however, finished level 12-12.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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
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.”
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
Brahmastra%3A%20Part%20One%20-%20Shiva
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAyan%20Mukerji%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERanbir%20Kapoor%2C%20Alia%20Bhatt%20and%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
