The opening day of any sporting season drums up a cauldron of emotions, objectives and a hint of entering into the unknown.
The start of this year's Arabian Gulf Premiership is no different.
This is not a league containing a mix of players who bring distinct styles from around the world, providing the spectator with an exciting brand of quick-tempo rugby with the emphasis based on skill and swift handling.
Unlike many leagues around the world it is hard to spot the major powerhouses from the eight closely-matched top-flight clubs, four of which are from the Emirates, and each will tell you that they have a chance to claim some silverware come March.
The intrigue lies within how each club musters a team together mostly on the basis of expatriate players. Being amateurs, or at most mildly semi-professional, the league relies on the influx of expatriate workers to provide the backbone of the squad.
The economic downturn, which has seen players head home, has been a disruptive factor for each club.
The situation could be compounded over the next few seasons.
This factor can provide a great leveller, but for Abu Dhabi Harlequins, the Premiership champions, the recession has not halted their march for more glory as they bid for an ambitious league and cup double this term.
"There has not been that many comings and goings at the Quins," says the head coach Alistair Thompson.
"We have been lucky to keep hold of the mainstays of the team and no one has had to leave because of the economic climate.
"This is a sport that holds strong ties to the expatriate community and with that it comes firmly with the territory.
"It has hit the Dubai teams a little harder than in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to fellow players, some have left but they have been replaced by newer players.
"Whether they are left weakened is a different proposition.
"On the other hand a real quality player could become available in the region. It is a lottery."
The recent success has been a reversal of fortunes for Abu Dhabi, who were the perennial whipping boys of the region as little as three years ago.
With 45 senior players at the club, backed with a junior section as well as a women's team, the club has the foundations to become a force in the Gulf, according to the Harlequins captain Dave Stolzenberg.
"Our goal this season is to win both the league and cup," he says.
"When I joined three years ago, we won nothing.
"But having won the cup two years ago and the league last year, it is our quest to win both."
Stolzenberg believes the league can only improve if the quality exiled players put down roots in the region.
"We have 'A' grade players that have come here and help us be successful, but we also have players that have never played before," he says.
"I think the standard of the league can improve by players staying a little longer to help develop the sport and develop new players.
"With the continued development of Abu Dhabi, I would hope that there will be two clubs here in a few years time.
"The more rugby played in the Gulf the better, not only for competition but for the development of rugby in the region."
While the Quins have not suffered from an exodus, their status as champions hands the incentive to their rivals as the team to beat.
The club is not taking the challenge lightly, starting their pre-season a month earlier than their rivals.
Thompson expects a title challenge to come from the majority of the opposition.
"This will be a very interesting season. Six of the eight teams will be seriously thinking that they can win the Gulf Premiership, the three Dubai sides certainly do," he says.
"Since winning the league last year, each side will be gunning for us and I feel we are the team to beat."
"The team has prepared very well and I was happy with what I saw at the Al Ain tournament and the match conditioning our players put in up there."
The Quins kick off their campaign against the Dubai Hurricanes in the opening round of the Arabian Cup today, a fixture that has added spice following Abu Dhabi's league triumph last season in their 23-23 draw with the Hurricanes.
"They will definitely be out for some revenge.
"But the cup is a competition we desperately want to win back having lost in the semi-finals last year," says Thompson.
"A win would be the perfect start to the season and will help us gather momentum for the start of our league defence."
Elsewhere today, Bahrain will host Doha in a 5pm kick-off, Muscat make the trip to the Dubai Exiles at the same time while the Kuwait Nomads host the Dubai Dragons in a 7pm kick-off.
snelmes@thenational.ae
Visit www.thenational.ae/sport for a video on the Quins' pre-season preparations
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Company%20Profile
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Company%20profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
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