British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has backed his newly anointed Test captain Peter O'Mahony to inspire a "courageous" first Test performance and attack the All Blacks in their own backyard.
O'Mahony was handed leadership duties for Saturday's clash at the All Blacks' fortress of Eden Park despite only skippering Ireland three times, relegating tour captain Sam Warburton to the bench.
The injury-hit Warburton has struggled for form in warm-up matches, while O'Mahony's commitment was impressive as he captained the Lions to a 32-10 win over the Maori All Blacks last week.
Gatland believes that passion, coupled with an attacking intent that the Lions have only showed in glimpses so far, will be needed to topple the back-to-back world champions.
The tourists have won plaudits for their defence in the warm-up matches but New Zealand-born Gatland said that would not be enough at Eden Park, where the All Blacks have not lost for 23 years.
"We've picked a team we think are capable of playing some exciting rugby, you've got to be prepared to match the All Blacks," he said.
"We've strangled a couple of sides and we're not going to deny that's been successful but we've also got to have the ability to play."
Gatland, himself a former All Black, said the players O'Mahony will lead onto the field had to be brave enough to chance their arm in pursuit of victory.
"To beat the All Blacks you have to be courageous and play some rugby -- you have to score tries and I think we have picked a team capable of doing that," he said.
Gatland made only four changes to the starting XV that defeated the Maori, choosing England star Owen Farrell at fly-half over Ireland's Johnny Sexton.
In line with his commitment to attack, Gatland reshuffled his backline to include Liam Williams at fullback and Elliot Daly on the wing after their eye-catching performances in this week's 34-6 win over Waikato Chiefs.
They edge out Leigh Halfpenny and George North respectively, with North not even included in the match-day squad after failing to impress in the warm-up fixtures.
Perhaps surprisingly, Alun Wyn Jones comes in at lock, with Maro Itoje starting on the bench.
Gatland said his replacements, which include the likes of Warburton, Itoje and Sexton, would be vital as he seeks an 80-minute performance against strong-finishing New Zealand.
"We're excited about the 15 to take the field but we've also got a strong, experienced bench of players who can give us some real impact," he said.
Warburton's relegation had been widely anticipated and Gatland said he was determined to select players based on their tour performances, not reputations.
"We have picked a side based on form with a lot of players putting their hands up, especially from the Crusaders and Maori All Blacks games, and it was a lively selection meeting," he said.
"The win against the Chiefs was also extremely important for the squad and some players played themselves into the side."
Gatland could not resist a dig at his rival coach Steve Hansen yesterday, saying he was happy to be "getting up his nose".
Gatland again called for a truce in the "trash talk" between the two sides ahead of the first Test -- but slipped in one more jab while he was at it.
"If I'm getting up his nose, that's a good position to be in," the New Zealander said.
The build-up to the Test has been filled with taunts such as Hansen was "worried", New Zealand cheated, the Lions are too predictable and that Hansen had inside knowledge of what was going on in the Lions camp.
The All Blacks have named a strong side to face the Lions, including 12 of the starting side that thrashed Samoa 78-0 last week.
They also claim to have a plan to deal with the Lions' defensive line speed – a key weapon in their artillery – but Gatland said he was not bothered by what Hansen was saying.
"I'm not worried about Steve at all. We've got ourselves to prepare and get ready. We know it's going to be a tough encounter," he said.
"Let's let the rugby do the talking because there's been enough trash talk already."
Hansen dismissed Gatland's claim that he was worried, describing himself as "pretty cool, calm and excited", and told reporters he had not initiated any barbs at his opposite number.
"I haven't had any conversations about Gats (Gatland). I've just answered the question you blokes have asked me. It would be a very boring press conference if I sat here and said nothing," Hansen said.
"But it's not about the coach, well, it shouldn't be. It's got to be about the team and what you're trying to do as a team, and what you're trying to build.
"If you feel he's here to prove something about himself then you probably better ask him," he said, in answer to a question."
* Press Association
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Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
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Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Why%20all%20the%20lefties%3F
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
It Was Just an Accident
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
More from our neighbourhood series:
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
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- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
