DUBAI // When the Dubai Dragons squad board the plane bound for Kuwait this morning, they will find it is like stepping into a time-warp.
Not long ago all players in the Middle East had to make do with playing matches on sand levelled by tractors, with oil demarcating the pitch.
Dubai's finest have long grown used to the high-spec facilities on offer at the region's new head quarters, The Sevens, which is still less than a year old.
Not everyone is so lucky, howe-ver. Kuwait Nomads, who provide the opposition for the Dragons tonight, remain the only side in the region to play their home games on sand.
It should level the playing field considerably between the tourists from the UAE, a thriving club who are eyeing success in all Gulf competitions this year, and their hosts, who often struggled for numbers last term.
Happily for the travelling side, they can draw on the considerable experience of their new coach, Geoff Frost. The Welshman has lived in the region for 26 years, and well recalls what rugby was like in his early years.
"It was like playing on a car park," he says of his initial foray in Oman, after moving from the muddy fields of South Wales to the sand of Muscat. "It was hard going but the quality of players was just excellent."
Frost originally relocated for his job as an electrical mechanical engineer, and, having played second team rugby for Cardiff, was not sure what to expect on arrival.
"The best standard I played was out here," he recalls. "When I first came out I thought, 'I'll walk into this team'. I didn't realise the standard was so high, with New Zealand provincial players and the like.
"At that time they [Muscat] were probably the strongest side in the Gulf. It was good second division, possibly first division, standard back in the UK."
Frost has returned to the game after a stint away when his daughter Kelly put him in touch with the Dragons, having met some of the players at a boot camp.
Despite not having a coach, the Dragons were universally regarded as the best team to watch in the Gulf last season.
Frost realises he has plenty of talent at his disposal. He revealed the methods he employed to harness that through pre-season have not always been the friendliest.
"We have had over 40 players to every session," says Frost, who also played for and coached Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Exiles.
"I'm not making it easy for them, and they are loving it. They don't mind taking the pain.
"There is a lot of talent in this side, but the big thing is they are a good bunch of mates. Last season they didn't have someone on the line saying, 'This is where you are going wrong'. The talent was there, it just needed coordinating from the side.
"I'm big on contact. Every session I do is full contact. At first they just wanted to play touch rugby, but they have got better and tougher. If I keep them fit, and they can maintain that in the second half of games, we should blow everybody away."
@Email:pradley@thenational.ae
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
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.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5