Dubai Hurricanes might have thought they had perfected the art of the smash-and-grab raid in stealing the UAE Premiership title from Dubai Exiles a week ago.
In fact, that late, single-point comeback win against their neighbours in the domestic final constituted doing it the easy way when set against what was to follow seven days later in the cross-border equivalent.
For 13 games and 78 minutes, Bahrain were the best team in regional rugby. Then the Hurricanes broke from their own 22 to score the try that gave them the West Asia Super Rugby title.
They could not have timed it more perfectly. Two weekends, two finals and, amazingly, two titles, having led for a combined total of approximately 15 minutes over the course of both games.
“The biggest thing about this team in comparison to any team I have ever worked with is that they do not know when they are done,” Mike Wernham, the Hurricanes director of rugby, said after the 24-21 win.
“They just don’t quit. They’d have to be 50 points down and then the ref blows the whistle for them to believe it. They just do not know when they are beaten.”
Bahrain were firm favourites ahead of the game, by dint of the fact they won all 12 regular league season matches, as well as the semi-final which followed, against Abu Dhabi Harlequins.
The Hurricanes, by contrast, had lost both their regular season games against their final opposition, as well as three others besides.
And yet they had showed in their win against the Exiles a week earlier that they have the firepower to threaten anyone.
Just as it had done against the Exiles, the form book initially rang true. Bahrain were 11-0 up, via a try for Jack Phillips and two penalties from the boot of Josh Drain.
They were cruising, despite the fact Aled Morris, their blindside flanker, had been shown red for a shoulder to the head of a Hurricanes player during a melee on the Canes tryline.
Despite being down to 14 men for the majority of the game, the tourists dominated the ball, and the Dubai side only got a foothold in the game thanks to a piece of brilliance from Martin Mangwiro.
The tireless back rower made a break through the middle of the pitch to score from 65 metres out after Ruan Steenkamp, the Hurricanes captain, had secured a turnover.
It was totally against the run of play, but again proved the Hurricanes are capable of scoring from anywhere.
Bahrain edged 14-7 ahead at the start of the second half before the side in yellow shocked them again, this time with Andre Gerber bursting through to score.
Bahrain, who were cheered on by a substantial travelling support, moved back into a 21-17 lead with time ticking down when Mackenzie Oliver touched down after a driving maul following a line out.
There was enough time left, though, for the Hurricanes to apply the ultimate sucker punch. Again, it was Mangwiro who fashioned the opening, this time from his own 22. He offloaded just before he got to the opposition’s 22, and Toby Oakeley was in support to run the ball under the posts.
“I think I can speak for all the boys by saying we could feel the momentum shift last week [in the final against the Exiles],” Mangwiro said.
“We just knew that we had to pull it through right till the very end. Even though we were down in the first half and for a bit of the second half, we knew we had that fight until the end.”
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
BLACKBERRY
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More coverage from the Future Forum
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
Read more about the coronavirus
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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