The future of the UAE Premiership Cup, a new competition being piloted this season, is already in question after Dubai Exiles advanced straight to the final following a second successive forfeit.
Jebel Ali Dragons indicated they would not be able to fulfil the fixture this coming Friday, against the side that beat them in the West Asia Premiership at the weekend.
Dragons had been given a bye to this stage, officially the semi-finals, on account of finishing in the top two in the UAE Premiership last season. However, they opted out of playing the fixture at the start of this week.
They had explored the possibility of using last weekend’s Premiership game against Exiles as a “double-header”, meaning the points would count towards the league, while the winners would advance in the cup. The idea did not eventuate.
Abu Dhabi Harlequins, who also had a bye to the last-four stage, having won the Premiership last season, will play Dubai Hurricanes in a double-header on Friday, February 16. Hurricanes previously beat Abu Dhabi Saracens in the only fixture played so far in the competition.
“It is unfortunate, but we had a plan at the start of the season, and this wasn’t part of it," Stuart Quinn, the Dragons chairman, said. "We wish the best of luck to those sides who are competing in it.”
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Jacques Benade, the Exiles coach, said he understood the reasoning behind Dragons’ withdrawal. He cited their position challenging for the Premiership title, as well as the fact several players who are teaching professionals might be away this weekend, given it is the start of half-term.
That said, Exiles are frustrated another fixture had been forfeited against them. It is their second cancellation against them in the new cup competition, after they were due to open against Dubai Sports City Eagles.
They have also missed out on playing a Premiership match against Saracens, as well as two fixtures in the second-tier UAE Conference.
Benade said it is difficult to justify players paying significant subscription fees if matches are being cancelled on them with such frequency.
“Dragons have had some very hard games with Bahrain, Harlequins and us, and I’m sure they took the decision to give the boys some rest,” Benade said.
“They are still in a good position, they could win the West Asia, and maybe that is what they are focusing on.
“Our frustration is coming from the fact there were four weeks after the [Dubai Rugby] Sevens when you could have played some rugby, but suddenly all our games were cancelled.
“It is very frustrating as a coach. How do you keep the boys positive? You can only get them to travel up to train at The Sevens twice a week so many times, only to tell them there is no rugby at the weekend.”
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
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- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
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5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
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Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
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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.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- 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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