UAE 35
Premiership Barbarians 15
UAE: Tries: Botes, Penalty, Stevenson, Carey, Cowie; Cons: Stevenson 5
Premiership: Tries: Overton, Naisau, Taylor
Man of the match: Jaen Botes (UAE)
SHARJAH // Ben Bolger, the UAE captain, says his side have much work still to do, despite their improved form in a win over the Premiership Barbarians at Sharjah Wanderers.
For the second weekend running, the national team fell behind to the scratch side that had been cobbled together to give them some opposition ahead of the vital tests to come next month.
The UAE will be pitted against Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines in the Asia Rugby Championship Division 1, starting on May 14.
Win that, and they will be promoted to the top tier of continental rugby for the first time since 2012, where they would meet the might of Hong Kong and South Korea.
They will have been encouraged by the way they bounced back twice after struggling early, first against Conference Barbarians last Friday, then against a side made up of the best players from the Premiership in Sharjah.
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Read more
■ Ed Lewsey: Aiming for one last hurrah with UAE rugby team
■ UAE rugby: UAE show 'character' in win over Conference Barbarians
■ Abu Dhabi Harlequins: Success worth the wait for dominant 'one club'
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Ian Overton and Saki Naisau gave the Premiership team a 10-0 lead. The UAE found gear, though, and were comfortable winners thanks to tries from Jaen Botes, Luke Stevenson, Winston Cowie and Sean Carey, who was denied another when a high tackle on him led to a penalty try instead.
“We absorbed some pressure in the first 20 minutes,” Bolger said. “They played some typical Barbarians rugby, throwing the ball about, and we were our own worst enemy in terms of giving away penalties.
“We built into the game, and eventually it was a very good performance from our boys. The Barbarians haven’t had much time together, but I think it showed how close we are getting.”
There was much to encourage coach Apollo Perelini about the performance, before he cuts the squad down from 32 players to 27 for the trip to Malaysia.
Botes was a powerful presence at No 8, Stevenson was flawless with the boot, while Andy Powell, the newcomer from Dubai Hurricanes, made some electric breaks from outside centre.
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” Bolger said. “The boys are buying in to what we want to do. Everything we have spoken about in training we are doing.
“I have played in teams before where we say we are going to do a load of stuff, then we don’t actually put it out on the field. I’d say we are where we want to be, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
The fact the UAE have been pushed twice by league select XVs speaks volumes for the quality of the domestic scene at present.
From the Premiership side, the likes of Naisau, Andrew Semple and Patrick Jenkinson in particular would have strong claims to a place in the national team, were they not recently arrived in the country.
“It shows the standard of the Premiership at the moment is pretty phenomenal,” said Mike McFarlane, the Abu Dhabi Harlequins coach who took charge of the Premiership XV for the occasion.
“I said all along when I was asked to do this that it would be a great opportunity to work with some fantastic players.
“But the overarching goal was to give the national team as stiff a test as possible before the three Test matches coming up.
“If they can do what they are capable of, and earn promotion to the top division, it will do wonders for the union.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Company%20profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Getting%20there
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Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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)
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
LIVERPOOL%20TOP%20SCORERS
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