The future is all that matters for Andy Robinson, the Scotland coach, as his side go in search of the victory over England that would extend their stay at the World Cup in New Zealand.
Scotland tomorrow take on England in a must-win Pool B clash at Eden Park in Auckland, with Robinson hoping his side can progress to the quarter-finals at his former team's expense.
"You can never turn the clock back, you've always got to look forward," said Robinson, who was the England coach between September 2004 and November 2006 after being forwards coach in the 2003 World Cup-winning campaign.
"Historians like looking back. I'm the type of guy who likes looking forward and looking forward to challenges that are there.
"The guys are in great shape and I'm really looking forward to seeing how we face what is a phenomenal challenge for us tomorrow.
"England-Scotland games have always had massive hype about them and this one is going to be a fantastic occasion. We all should look forward to the game.
"I really hope it's another cracking Test match; two teams going head to head that know each other pretty well."
He said the key for his team is breaking down the England side. "If we can do that, we've got the players to finish off and that's what we'll focus on."
The ingredients are present for a momentous occasion.
The fixture is 140 years old, dating back to the first meeting at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh in 1871, yet this is the first time the two sides have met on neutral soil.
The Calcutta Cup will not be at stake, but the prize of progression to the last eight of the tournament is incentive enough.
The agonising loss to Argentina last Sunday, when Scotland led by six points with eight minutes to go, has been put behind them and Robinson said he is totally focused on victory over England. "The guys are in good shape," he said.
Robinson has selected a starting XV showing six changes from the side which lost to Argentina.
The captain, Alastair Kellock, returns in the second row, Euan Murray at tighthead prop and Richie Vernon starts at number eight, with Kelly Brown ruled out with a concussion. Mike Blair has been promoted to start at scrum-half, Sean Lamont has been moved to inside centre, with Simon Danielli taking his place on the wing. Joe Ansbro is to start at outside centre.
Scotland's most-capped player and leading points scorer, Chris Paterson, will set a record with his 15th World Cup appearance.
Victory by eight points or more is required for Scotland to advance to the quarter-finals.
Johnson regrets ball-switch scandal
Martin Johnson, the England coach, has revealed his regret over the ball-switch scandal that led to two senior members of the side’s management team being banned from tomorrow’s game against Scotland.
Jonny Wilkinson’s mentor Dave Alred and fitness specialist Paul Stridgeon were found to have illegally switched balls during England’s 67-3 victory over Romania.
Asked whether the situation had been an embarrassment for England, Johnson said: “Paul and David did what they did in the heat and confusion of a Test.
“We should have asked the referee if switching balls was permitted. We didn’t. They asked us to stop. We did.
“I don’t suspend guys lightly. We regret what we did and it was wrong.”
Rugby World Cup officials confirmed that England would face no further sanctions, having been satisfied with the RFU’s response.
Johnson preferred to focus his attention on today’s decisive Pool B showdown with Scotland, which could leave one side facing elimination before the knockout stages for the first time.
England will still qualify if they earn a losing bonus point, but Johnson insisted that the Eden Park clash is winner-takes-all.
“There has been a definite edge about it,” Johnson said.
“We are playing knock-out rugby. This is where we want to be: playing a big pool game, wanting to win it to win the pool. There is lots of chat of getting bonus points but we want to win the Test match as we always do. That doesn’t change.”
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
