Representing the Lions on tours of the Southern Hemisphere is a honour Gareth Edwards has cherished all of his life.
The legendary Welsh scrum-half is eagerly looking forward to travelling with the class of 2009 to South Africa next summer in his role as ambassador for the tour sponsors HSBC.
Edwards, who featured in a triumphant 1971 team in New Zealand and then took part in an unbeaten tour of South Africa three years later, stressed the importance of the role of the captain.
Edwards was in awe of Willie John McBride, the Lions captain on the second of those tours and a teammate on the first one.
It will be hard for Ian McGeechan, the coach of next year's tourists to find such a commanding figure as that uncompromising Irish forward, but he believes the man who gets the nod will rise to the occasion.
Three candidates stand out in the opinion of the experienced Edwards, who was capped on 53 occasions for Wales. His fellow Welshman Ryan Jones would have been a shoe-in for the role if the tour had taken place this year in the aftermath of a Wales grand slam in the Six Nations competition. A year on, Jones, in Edwards' opinion, faces his strongest competition from the Irish duo of Brian O'Driscoll, who endured a torrid injury-hit time when captaining the Lions in New Zealand in 2005, and the powerful lock forward Paul O'Connell.
There appears to be no realistic challenger from the Scottish ranks while Edwards feels the claims of England's Phil Vickery and Steve Borthwick have diminished during the turbulent period of transition under new coach Martin Johnson.
"Ryan Jones was ticking all the boxes at the end of last season after the Welsh grand slam but you have to remember that team was nearly dead and buried at half time against England at Twickenham. So fortunes can change dramatically at this level," he said.
"He would be the first to say that he has not played as well as he did last year in the first few months of the season. But he showed glimpses of it against New Zealand [on Nov 22] so he could be back on the case.
"Brian O'Driscoll is also back in contention. He is looking more of a threat now. Last year he wasn't quite there but he was only being measured against what we have come to expect from him. He has got the experience of being a Lion before, twice over, He would have been very disappointed with what happened to him in New Zealand. Will that be a motivating factor? I don't know.
"Then there is his Irish colleague Paul O'Donnell. He is also in with a good chance in my view. I think it is down to those three though."
Edwards feels the role of Lions captain is more important than the national team captaincy because the man in charge has to embrace the different cultures of the four nations in a short space of time.
"There are seven fixtures before the first Test match and the captain has to stamp his authority on the squad in that time," he said.
McBride had no problems asserting himself as a leader.
"When he talked, you listened, it was as simple as that. His presence motivated the team. He was a big man who took the fight to the opposition. He took no nonsense. He was a peacemaker if needed but he could also look after himself."
That begged the question about McBride's infamous call of "99" in South Africa in 1974 - a coded signal for the Lions to pile into their opposite numbers at the first hint of trouble on the field.
It was described at the time as "getting our retaliation in first" against the physical Springboks.
"That was a myth," said a grinning Edwards when pressed about the 99 call.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The%20specs
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The%20new%20Turing%20Test
%3Cp%3EThe%20Coffee%20Test%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EA%20machine%20is%20required%20to%20enter%20an%20average%20American%20home%20and%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20make%20coffee%3A%20find%20the%20coffee%20machine%2C%20find%20the%20coffee%2C%20add%20water%2C%20find%20a%20mug%20and%20brew%20the%20coffee%20by%20pushing%20the%20proper%20buttons.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EProposed%20by%20Steve%20Wozniak%2C%20Apple%20co-founder%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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