DUBAI // George Cliffe, the Dubai Hurricanes coach, is confident his side can revive their UAE Rugby Women’s Cross Border League title defence at Sharjah Wanderers on Friday.
The Hurricanes slipped to second in the table, behind Abu Dhabi Harlequins, after a disappointing tournament in Doha two weeks ago.
The sides reassemble for the penultimate sevens tournament of the season at Sharjah on Friday, with the Hurricanes looking to make up a 12-point deficit on Quins at the top of the standings.
“We have had heaps of players missing and injured, plus we had visa issues as everyone else does, and other teams stepped up,” Cliffe said.
“The standard of women’s rugby is very good. If you are not at your best you will get torn apart, as we were last time out.”
The Hurricanes men’s team have endured lean pickings in recent times, relative to their glory days of the turn of the decade, but their club colleagues have been the dominant force in the women’s division of Gulf rugby of late.
They won the league and Dubai Rugby Sevens titles last season, and have already achieved the first half of that double again this time around.
On Pitch 2 at The Sevens in December, they beat their city rivals Heartbeat Tigers 12-7 in a tense final to claim the Gulf Women’s League trophy.
Cliffe says his players deserve their successes, given the commitment they make to excelling at their sport.
“It is a big commitment they make,” Cliffe said. “It is frustrating for them if people think it is a second-grade thing they are doing.
“But they are no different to the men’s game in terms of the expectations they have and the commitment they make. As a consequence the playing level is high.
“This season we had five new players who were teachers, new to Dubai, who were picked up by players already in the team who said, ‘Come along, it is good fun’.
“In the past we have had a lot of girls who were netballers, or who have played hockey, or from athletics, and we have tried to complement that.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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UAE Rugby Women’s Cross Border League
Round 6, Friday, Sharjah Wanderers
Top 6
1. Abu Dhabi Harlequins, 256 points
2. Dubai Hurricanes, 244
3. Heartbeat Tigers, 236
4. Dubai Sharks, 216
5. Abu Dhabi Bats, 176
6. Doha Oryx, 168
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PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
4 Man Utd 26 13 7 6 44 34 46
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5 West Ham 26 12 6 8 45 34 42
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6 Arsenal 23 13 3 7 36 26 42
7 Wolves 24 12 4 8 23 18 40
8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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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
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20(2022)
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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