The UAE’s admirable quest for a place at the next Rugby World Cup finally reached its end at the weekend when they were soundly beaten by Namibia in Uganda.
The loss was predictable. After all, they were playing against a fully professional side coached by Jacques Burger, a great of the English Premiership with Saracens, who have played at the World Cup seven times themselves.
The fact the national team made it that far was a fine effort, their best yet in 14 years as a competitive entity.
For the tour to Uganda, the amateur players of the national team were biting into annual leave they might otherwise have wanted to use elsewhere. One player cut short his honeymoon to play. Another flew in fresh from getting engaged.
It had been the best part of a month since they had earned their place in the Africa-Asia play-off by finishing second in the Asia Rugby Championship.
Although they have fallen short of a home appearance at the final qualifier, which will be played at The Sevens, Dubai, in November, their exploits should be commended.
So, what happens next? After the massive strides that have been made in recent seasons, one area of concern when looking forward is the age profile of the side.
Many of the players who have brought the UAE to this position – their highest world ranking to date – will not be playing next year, let alone when qualification reaches its business end again in 2029.
Time needs to be invested in young players who will be better off for four years of international rugby experience.
That is easier said than done in the UAE. With no existing structure for professional rugby, retaining good young players within the country, and in a competitive system, has always been a challenge.
The improved performances of the national team have partly come about as a result of the willingness to cast the net beyond the usual confines of domestic competition.
UAE-qualified players have been considered from wherever they can be found, and their availability investigated.
Apollo Perelini and Jacques Benade, the brains trust of the coaching team, have raided their contacts books.
It has turned up quality players like Sam Bullock, Gerard Pieterse, Max Johnson and Jack Stapley; all based overseas but recalled to play for the country where they spent their formative years in rugby.
Change beyond that will have to be incremental. A move to semi-professionalising the game in the Emirates would take a massive shift, let alone having a fully professional set of players, as happens in the countries they are now actively competing against.
But they have shown over the past two years they are increasingly open-minded and nimble. A set of extremely talented Fijian players have been recruited to help develop the game among Emiratis.
They will qualify to play for the national team in due course. If they can have a similar effect to their compatriots, Sakiusa Naisau, Niko Volavola, Epeli Davetawalu and Emosi Vecanaua, it will serve the national team well.
Relying on readymade, imported talent has limits, though, and will mean the average age of the side will always be high.
There is no easy fix to reversing the talent drain. Even players who do not look abroad to further either their professional or playing careers, or for education, are not guaranteed to remain involved.
For example, Robert March, a product of British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi, is set to be lost to the system after signing professional terms to play football with Al Jazira this summer.
But if they can keep as many as possible of the following players engaged, it would swell the player pool to the point where they could challenge Hong Kong for the Asian qualifying berth in the next sequence of World Cup qualifying.
Young players to watch in UAE rugby
Scroll through the gallery below to find out more about the emerging talent on the UAE rugby scene. Click on the 'i' icon to reveal a short profile of each player.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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.
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
RESULTS
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The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
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
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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.
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More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
Read more about the coronavirus
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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