DUBAI // Two brothers from Dubai will start the new rugby season as professional players with the English Premiership club Northampton Saints.
Devante Onojaife, who first learnt the sport during PE lessons at Jumeirah Primary School (JPS), represented England Under-18 earlier this year, and subsequently signed pro terms with Northampton.
He is on the same playing staff at the club in the English Midlands as older brother Jordan, who also played for England at age-group level having cut his teeth on the pitches of Dubai.
“Words can’t describe the feeling,” Devante, 18, said of his elevation from academy level to the ranks of the professional game this year.
“It’s been a six-year journey of blood, sweat and tears, of knowing what I wanted to achieve and having all the ups and downs along the way.
More Emirates-to-pros rugby stories
• Rory Arthur: Dubai schoolboy excited to train with Saracens in England
• Jordan Onojaife: Former Dubai schoolboy making a name in rugby union
• Iziq Foa'i: Abu Dhabi Harlequins product making great strides toward pro career in New Zealand
“The amount of times in Dubai I spent going to early morning fitness sessions before school, going to cross-fit sessions on a Saturday morning at 6.30am, and my lunchtimes at school and weekends in the gym.
“So when I got the call to come to Saints and train with the senior squad I knew all the pain I went through was worth it.”
The brothers grew up in Dubai after their family moved from London when father Kingsley took a job as a manager in the oil and gas industry in December 2006.
They have enjoyed a startling journey from the UAE desert to the fields of the English professional game.
Jordan had his first taste of the game aged 13, as he was hauled off the basketball court at Jumeirah College when the school’s rugby team were short of players.
Devante, by contrast, says he had never even heard of rugby before the family moved to Dubai. He immediately took to it, after his introductory lessons at JPS.
“What I liked so much about rugby is that until I discovered it, I was always reminded to be careful and to ‘tone it down’ whenever I took part in other sports such as football,” said the prop forward.
“That is fair enough as the nature of the sport is different, but this meant I never felt I could be myself. Rugby allowed me to express myself in ways I was never allowed to before.”
Older brother Jordan might have played more for Northampton’s first team so far, had he not been vying for places with the likes of Courtney Lawes and Victor Matfield last season.
The second-row forward trod a path from Dubai to both Stowe School and then the Saints, which his brother has since followed.
The former Dubai Exiles youth player was part of the England U20 squad which won the World Championship in New Zealand in 2014.
That team was captained by another second-row forward, Maro Itoje, who has since graduated with dramatic effect to the full England squad, and Jordan has been inspired by his former colleague’s development.
“It is hard not to be inspired by [Itoje],” said Jordan, who turned 21 at the start of this month.
“It’s great to see all the young guys who are not long out of the age-group squads progress to the senior team, with both their club and for England. It gives you confidence and belief that it is achievable to make the jump and succeed.
“I have a couple of first-team caps so far for the club and I want to add to that, so my goal for the season is to try and get as many more as I can.”
Alan Hughes, the head of rugby at Stowe School, says Devante’s power marks him out as a fine prospect in the front row.
Having arrived at the school as a loose forward, he was encouraged to make the switch to prop. He can play on either side of the scrum, and played in the front row for England U18 against Wales and France in February.
“Naturally Devante was at first skeptical about this positional switch, and we started him at loose head to begin with so he could adapt gradually to the different demands,” Hughes said.
“He started to recognise this was where he could exploit his physical stature. As he grew in confidence we encouraged him to experiment with playing tight head as well which will certainly benefit him in the long term.
“We hope to see both brothers one day turning out together in a Saints jersey. Both boys enjoyed their time here and it has been a pleasure to watch them both achieve their ambition of becoming professional rugby players.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets