When Covid cancelled the 2020 Emirates Dubai Sevens, it meant a cohort of senior-level schoolkids missed out on a shot at playing in a Pitch 1 final in front of thousands.
For Hannes Kruger, captain of the Dubai English Speaking School rugby team, it meant an extra year to work towards avenging a defeat in the Gulf Under 19s final.
DESC lost out in the final back in 2019 to Dubai College, the competition’s most successful side.
Two years later, DESC turned the tables on their city rivals. Kruger led the way as captain this time, scoring two tries, while his twin brother Marcus also crossed the whitewash in the 36-14 win on Friday evening.
“We knew we were facing a hard game and that DC would put up a big performance,” Kruger said.
“But we have the mentality that we trust ourselves to beat any team we are playing against.
“Before the game, we looked up and you could see many, many people, and knew it was going to be a really big game.
“But when you are actually on the pitch, you are zoned in. It is such a great feeling to win.
“It is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, so just to get the chance to play on Pitch 1 is a great feeling.”
Zane Alam scored two tries from the wing for DESC, while Alfie Wilson — who was also playing alongside a brother, as his younger sibling Max was also in the side — scored the last of their six.
Victory also gave bragging rights to one coach over another. DuRandt Gerber, co-coach of DESC, has enjoyed great success with Dubai Exiles in West Asia men’s rugby in recent seasons.
His coach at the Exiles, Jacques Benade, is also part of the DC coaching team. Gerber joked it was “about time” he got one over on Benade, but said he was mostly delighted for his players.
“Two years ago, we came close, losing to DC in the final,” Gerber said.
“Last year, there was no Dubai Sevens because of Covid. This time round, we were just focused on doing the simple things right — rucking right, kicking right — and be clinical in the things we do.
“The school is happy, I am happy. We have been targeting the Sevens as a pinnacle of the season. XVs kicks off in a month’s time and we are excited for that, but we are happy for the school with this win.
“I have been there just over two years and we have been putting back to try and give the kicks the best opportunity as possible. It has definitely paid off, because we have some class players.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
