Alun-Wyn Jones says the British & Irish Lions stars on the Wales team cannot use fatigue as an excuse for their below-par Six Nations campaign.
Warren Gatland's side slipped to a 29-18 defeat to England at Twickenham on Sunday, surrendering any lingering hopes of claiming a third straight Six Nations title.
Wales’s second loss of the tournament, after being humbled 26-3 in Ireland last month, left Jones frustrated with their performance. Jones, along with many Welsh compatriots, played all three Tests in the 2-1 Lions success down under last year, but refused to allow it to explain his side’s Six Nations losses to England and Ireland.
“I am not sure that had anything to do with the defeat,” the 28-year-old forward said.
“When you do not have the ball, it makes it much harder and we had to defend a lot.
“I do not know if fatigue is an issue after a long year. Many of us were on the Lions tour, but each individual is different and you would have to ask the opinion of every player.
“It could be an excuse.
“Although it is a relevant question, I do not think I can answer it.
“It was always going to be a big load this season, but there are potentially bigger things to worry about.
“You cannot expect teams to be up for a final every Saturday, but you have to in the Six Nations and that is the difficulty we have.”
Wales host fifth-placed Scotland on Saturday, intent on restoring some pride after the Twickenham defeat, with Jones expecting a stubborn challenge from lock duo Richie Gray and Jim Hamilton in the Scottish line-up.
“We are all very disappointed about Sunday,” he said.
“We were in the game more than we were in Ireland and certain aspects were better, but there were areas we were not happy with.
“Two losses at this stage is not what we were looking for. We are lucky we have another game coming up quickly.
“You can take nothing away from England and credit to them: they starved us of ball but when we did have it 50 per cent of our turnovers were unforced errors and we put pressure on ourselves.
“England have bounced back from the defeat in Cardiff last year and we have to do the same.
“Scotland took a lot of stick in the first two rounds, but they are gaining in confidence and it will be a tough ask.
“Richie Gray’s omission earlier raised a few eyebrows, but he was outstanding against France” in a 19-17 Scotland defeat.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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