ABU DHABI // Lyn Jones, the director of rugby at the British School Al Khubairat, expects this weekend’s landmark game between London Wasps and Harlequins in Abu Dhabi to help stimulate the growth of the game in the capital.
The two English domestic sides will play an LV Cup match on the lawns of the Emirates Palace hotel in front of an expected crowd of 5,000 on Sunday night in what will be the first time a British fixture will have been played outside the United Kingdom.
The fact Jones, who coached the likes of Wales internationals Gavin Henson, Shane Williams and James Hook during a five-year spell as head coach of Ospreys, swapped a role in 2009 as attack coach with the Newport Gwent Dragons for a position at the British School is an illustration of the increasing importance rugby is playing in the sporting calender and the school curriculum in Abu Dhabi.
Jones helped set up the Abu Dhabi Schools Cup which will culminate in the inaugural final at the Emirates Palace in March and the former Wales international believes Sunday’s game between the two London sides will help provide a further boost to game at grassroots level in the UAE.
“The game of rugby in Abu Dhabi is going through the roof,” Jones said. “The schools programme is really taking off and there are some good Emirati boys.
“The trouble is they don’t know how good they are. It is not in their culture and some of them don’t know exactly what the game is about but it’s growing.
“Dubai is the leader in terms of sheer numbers but the Quins [Abu Dhabi Harlequins] were champions here last year and we are closing the gap.
“I think this game on Sunday will re-emphasise what the game is about for the young boys. It will be a great day for the young boys and a great experience to see first hand exactly how physical and quick the professional game is.”
Jones feels it is important that the game between the two free-scoring and attractive sides is a high points-scoring affair if it is to appeal to the neutrals and stand a chance of being staged here again.
He feels the warm weather will be conducive to an expansive game.
“The temperature here will help,” Jones said. “The game at the top level is all about not making mistakes and the weather should mean the error count is minimal and lead to an open game.
“Playing in this environment enhances the skill set. The game in the northern hemisphere is traditionally played in wet weather so the conditions will come as a surprise to the players and should mean the time the ball is in play is increased by 15 per cent. It’s important the first game here is a classic. The first 20 or 30 minutes will be tight and the pure rugby fans will understand that, then it should open up.”
Although teams traditionally play second-string teams in the LV Cup, Jones appreciates the value of the competition having won it under its previous name as the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2008.
“It’s a high profile competition,” Jones said. “Neither side has nothing to lose. Quins are in a strong position in the group and so are Wasps. Quins play a good brand of rugby but then Wasps had a great win over Toulouse [in the Heineken Cup] at the weekend. I expect a close, exciting game but Quins just to nick it.”
He added: “It’s great that a game of rugby union is coming here, to the island. I’d heard a few whispers but it came as a surprise. I wasn’t sure if there was a market for it but people here know how to make things work and make things happen – Abu Dhabi is good at that.
"It should be a great occasion and it would be fantastic if it was an annual event. Whether it's viable or not is another matter because I'm sure gate receipts would not cover the costs."
kaffleck@thenational.ae
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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
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Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
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Andor
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Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
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As it stands in Pool A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
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