Ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Paul Radley takes the supporters' pulse for Ireland and Canada.
Ireland
Name: Pete Dennehy, UAE rugby referee
Nationality: Irish
Ireland will be semi-finalists at best. Many will say the loss to England at the weekend was an isolated performance. As a realist I was worried about several key areas of weakness which may leave us exposed during the tournament. Apart from our captain Paul O’Connell and fly-half Jonathan Sexton, I’m not sure we have the same depth of on-field leadership as in previous competitions.
England can pull off a surprise, but it is hard to see anyone beating the All Blacks. World Cups throw up surprises, of course, but few teams look at strong as the Kiwis at this stage. Hard to see the reigning champs losing their title.
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Nigel Owens is the world’s No 1 referee for good reason. Forget his technical competence and physical fitness, he has a way of making the process of refereeing human. He works hard on communication and man-management at the highest level and even though he is often a central role in games, it is not negative, nor a side show from the rugby. He adds a real flair to the game and the World Cup is served better for his presence.
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Players and spectators will always complain about the game being stopped for TMO (television match official) reviews, yet they would never forgive the match officials for not using them when the TV broadcasters play them endlessly, particularly if a glaring error is obvious. On a law perspective, the perennial feeding of the ball in the scrum will keep the over 50s moaning.
Canada
Name: Conrad Manly, Abu Dhabi Harlequins player
Nationality: Canadian
Success would be keeping the big teams to a respectable score. In the early 2000s, the Canadian team hit hard and made the world-class teams work for their wins. They were super competitive when it was an amateur game. When it became professional, it was really slow to catch on in Canada in terms of finance.
Money is always an issue. If you make it in hockey in Canada, you get big coin. The same with American football and basketball. They are big money sports. Rugby is not big because there is not a lot of money to be made, even though it is in the rest of the world.
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I do not think New Zealand are nailed-on winners: look at the way the last World Cup panned out. France nearly had them in the final. I hope Wales win it this year. They had the red card for Sam Warburton in the early stage of the semi-final last time and that really hurt them. They should have won that game and gone on to the final.
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The player I’m most looking forward to watching play is Matt Evans. The main reason for that is because he is originally from my club in Canada. He plays on the wing, he will be a reserve to start with but he is a good player. I will be rooting for him if he gets on.
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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