So it was all an act of genius after all, and not the rantings of an unhinged conspiracy theorist. A Rassie Erasmus masterstroke, coolly executed, and prompting the desired effect for a 27-9 win.
Make no mistake about it: South Africa were comprehensively better than the British & Irish Lions in the second Test. It was not even close, either on the scoreboard or in the run of play.
The Springboks had taken one Test to shake off the rust. And the Lions? Well, if their back three could catch, maybe they might have made a game of it.
Ahead of the deciding third Test, the tourists have as many questions to answer as Nic Berry, the harrowed referee, found coming his way after the portentous first match.
But all that apart, did Erasmus’ unprecedented social media campaign of last week have an effect? Unquestionably so.
The first half finished 64 minutes after it had kicked off. Which is kind of understandable when every incident had to be pored over in the sort of granular detail which Erasmus’s midweek excoriation demanded.
In fact, the first half was so long, it was even longer than the video the Springboks’ director of rugby had posted relating to all the alleged officiating deficiencies.
From the very first play of the game, it was suffocating. Mako Vunipola – one of many who had been named and shamed by Erasmus, or Jaco Johan, or whoever – was penalised for not rolling away.
It was an identical incident to those specified in the Erasmus video. Vunipola trotted away with a wry grin that said: Ah, so this is how it’s going to be.
A minute later the tinderbox was lit when Alun Wyn Jones, the Lions captain, waded in to sort out a perceived injustice himself, and ended up at daggers drawn with Eben Etzebeth, his gigantic opposite number in the Boks second row.
From that point on, it was, as Sam Warburton said on commentary, “an Alpha off”. The Lions were up to it, too, with their big men repelling the giants running at them.
Rarely ever have the Boks been beaten back from the gain line with such ferocity as the tourists managed during the first quarter of the game.
But it was frenetic. There was plenty of fire in bellies. Far less ice in minds.
Duhan van der Merwe was reckless twice. First with a late tackle which led to Pieter-Steph du Toit’s involvement in the game being curtailed. Then with a rash fly-hack/kick/trip on Cheslin Kolbe, for which he saw yellow.
Moments later, they were sat together in the naughty corner, like two boys sent to the headmaster for fighting, after Kolbe was also sin binned.
Like Van der Merwe, Kolbe might have been lucky the punishment was not more severe for an incident which saw Conor Murray come to earth headfirst.
Whose fault was all the indiscipline? Clearly, the players had a part in it.
But the atmosphere the game was being played in was surely created by the spiteful lead in.
At half time, Bryan Habana bemoaned the lack of anything approaching fluency. He was right. The game had been all about who knew the law book better than the playbook.
Given how the second half panned out, it is unlikely there will be quite such an online campaign coming back the other way in the lead up to Saturday’s finale.
Not solely because, as the Lions have pointed out, the tactics Erasmus employed were an attack on the integrity of the game. But because they have more things to worry about themselves.
Like how to cope with the pinpoint kicking game of Handre Pollard and Faf du Klerk, which defined the 21-0 second half landslide in the home side’s favour.
Maybe there will be another compilation coming from Erasmus. Or maybe he will consider it job done already.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
The%20Beekeeper
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'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Nike @niketraining & @nikewomen
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Ouai Hair @theouai
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Zara @zara
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
