DUBAI // Italy’s chances of finally becoming a serious force in the Six Nations have been boosted by the recruitment of a coach who succeeded in domestic rugby where even Eddie Jones failed.
Brendan Venter, Italy’s new defence coach, turned around a failing Saracens side, and set in motion the transition that has seen the London club become European champions.
It was a transformation that had proved beyond Jones, who had two stints with a club who were conspicuous for underachievement before they started on their present ascent.
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Venter, who is also a qualified doctor, took over from Jones as Saracens director of rugby in 2009. Alex Goode played under both, and he thinks Venter’s force of personality could help transform Italy into a “dangerous” proposition.
“He was working with a tough organisation,” Goode said of Jones’ spell at Saracens between 2007 and 2009. “It was a failing organisation. That sounds harsh, but it is true.
“It took characters like Brendan and Ed Griffiths [the Saracens CEO] together to achieve that [improvement]. Somebody so supremely confident, that even if he got sacked, he could just go and become a doctor. He didn’t worry about that, so he could implement radical change.”
Six Nations fixtures and UAE kick-off times
• Saturday, February 4: Scotland v Ireland (6.25pm), England v France (8.50pm)
• Sunday, February 5: Italy v Wales (6pm)
• Saturday, February 11: Italy v Ireland (6.45pm), Wales v England (8.50pm)
• Sunday, February 12: France v Scotland (7pm)
• Saturday, February 25: Scotland v Wales (6.25pm), Ireland v France (8.50pm)
• Sunday, February 26: England v Italy (7pm)
• Friday, March 10: Wales v Ireland (11pm)
• Saturday, March 11: Italy v France (4.30pm), England v Scotland (7pm)
• Saturday, March 18: Scotland v Italy (3.30pm), France v Wales (5.45pm), Ireland v England (8pm)
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Tips to avoid getting scammed
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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