The return of three key players makes Leeds Rhinos favourites to win their opening game in the Super League play-offs tonight.
The defending champions, who are at home to Hull KR, welcome back captain Kevin Sinfield, who was rested against Salford last weekend. Also returning are the influential centre Keith Senior and bruising forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who were both suspended in that 30-24 win over the Reds.
"We're all anxious and excited. It's the business part of the season and we're really looking forward to it," said the Rhinos coach Brian McClennan.
"Hull have been playing really well and have had a good season. They keep getting better and better so we know we're in for a tough game.
"We've had two real tough games against them this year but that doesn't really count for much.
"This is a different ball game and we didn't really think we played that well against them."
The Rhinos won their two regular season games with Hull, 19-10 in February and 24-14 in July.
Meanwhile, the former Leeds player Scott Murrell will return to the Hull line-up after recovering from a broken hand.
In Australia, the Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans go head-to-head in Sydney in the NRL play-offs. The Titans beat the Eels 18-12 in the regular season and have never lost to them. That is why, despite coming of back-to-back losses, they go into the match on a high.
"Three years of playing against each other, and they have never beaten us. That's a confidence builder for us," said the Titans forward Mark Minichiello.
"And another thing is that we finished third in the competition and they got through in eighth. We can go into the game feeling very confident about getting a result."
* With agencies
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
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
'Nope'
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
The years Ramadan fell in May