It was a fairly inglorious Rugby World Cup for Ireland. They flew past the minnows but struggled markedly against Italy and then in a brutal encounter with France.
And then there was the blow out against Argentina in the quarter-final. Coach Joe Schmidt was without captain Paul O’Connell, and lynchpin flyhalf Jonathan Sexton. The result? Argentina raced to a 17-0 lead and eventually ran out 43-20 winners. It horribly exposed Ireland’s lack of clear thinking under pressure without their key players and delivered a painful memory that Schmidt would prefer to forget but cannot.
Schmidt has since lost instrumental defence coach Les Kiss, who will be replaced after the tournament by former England backs coach Andy Farrell. Hardly like for like.
Top-class performers such as Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Tommy Bowe, Peter O’Mahony and Luke Fitzgerald will also be unavailable this Saturday against Wales in Dublin.
It is not the best way to embark on a defence of their Six Nations title, especially when they have a six-day turnaround for the game against France in Paris.
Ireland could well be on the back foot after the first two rounds.
Schmidt is one of the best coaches in world rugby, however, and he has developed a knack of producing teams in the Six Nations that keep the opposition guessing. Ireland played with width and verve when they won the title in 2014. Last year they played with much more reliance on the high ball and were more direct.
Schmidt has a delicate balance to tread over the next few weeks, but he has made a fine appointment in Rory Best as captain. As a skipper of club side Ulster in Northern Ireland, Best’s appointment might be seen by some in a political context but in truth the hooker is the best available.
PLAYER TO WATCH — SEAN O’BRIEN
With Thierry Dusatoir now retired, Sean O’Brien has the opportunity of becoming the best openside flanker in the tournament. He is a huge ball carrier and his destructive tackling rivals that of the former French captain. It was mooted after the World Cup that O’Brien would head to France, but Leinster re-signed him in December and both region and country will relish the next four years with him.
STAR IN THE MAKING — STUART MCCLOSKEY
It was all too apparent at the World Cup that Sonny Bill Williams is the perfect template for an international centre. Step forward Ireland’s answer to the All Black behemoth, Stuart McCloskey. At just over 16st in a 6ft 4in frame, the 23-year-old Ulster centre has the power to combat Wales’s Jamie Roberts on Saturday if he is picked. He looks to have the skill set, too, and like Williams he has a devastating offload.
POINT TO PROVE — JOHNNY SEXTON
Sexton was the pre-eminent flyhalf in the northern hemisphere going in to the World Cup but injuries and indifferent form have resulted in a drop down the ladder. Sexton is as inspirational as he is highly effective at not only producing Schmidt’s gameplan to perfection but making the right calls when it all goes wrong.
PREDICTION — 3RD
Ireland have a long injury list which makes Saturday’s match with Wales in Dublin a very tricky start. Schmidt’s side must also play England and France away from home, and while neither of those teams are insurmountable, the fixture with France is just six days after Dublin. If Ireland win all three of those games, their long injury list may have abated by the time Italy and Scotland come calling at the Aviva Stadium.
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.
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Upcoming games
SUNDAY
Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton (5.30pm)
Leicester City v Everton (8pm)
MONDAY
Burnley v Newcastle United (midnight)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Teenage%20Mutant%20Ninja%20Turtles%3A%20Shredder's%20Revenge
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'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
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BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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