Goode vibrations at Vicarage Road



Jonny Wilkinson will be given a reminder of his past and a glimpse into the future, when he lines up for Toulon against Saracens at a frosty Vicarage Road tonight. Even if the snow has thawed in time for the plum tie in European Challenge Cup, there will be enough of a chill in the air to remind the celebrated fly-half what his winters in England used to be like.

Wilkinson has enjoyed an Indian summer since he opted instead for the sunnier climes of the south of France last year. As such, his name has been written with indelible ink into Martin Johnson's Six Nations squad. The No 10 shirt is his sole property again. Yet tonight, the player who might come to be regarded as his long-term successor for the national team could be lying in opposition. Standing at a mere 5ft 11ins tall, tipping the scales at just over 13 stone, and, perhaps most importantly, with no league rugby experience to draw on, it is little surprise Alex Goode's name did not feature on Johnson's list yesterday.

That is not to say he does not feature in the England manager's plans, however. Brendan Venter, Goode's coach at Saracens, revealed this week that Johnson had phoned him to discuss the youngster's form. The South African coach acknowledged he is a "very special" talent, but pleaded for patience over the 22-year-old fly-half, who can also play full-back. Eddie Jones, the former Australia coach, handed Goode his senior Saracens debut on his 21st birthday. Jones even regards Goode as the brightest prospect in the English game, alongside the Wasps player Danny Cipriani.

"I think he is a very good young player," said Jones. "He is a confident footballer. He reminds me a lot of Leon MacDonald [the Crusaders and All Blacks full-back]. "He does the simple things very well, he is a good communicator, he is able to play 10 or 15 equally well. He has a certain toughness about him. He is a very smart player and is starting to put his mark on the Premiership." "I have told him by the time he is ready for England he'll be brilliant," Venter said. "He will have learned his trade in the Premiership and he will play international rugby for the next 10 years." @Email:pradley@thenational.ae Saracens v Toulon, 11.30pm, Showsports 2

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How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5

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