A strong England does not necessarily equal a strong British & Irish Lions. Look at 2005, the last time the Lions went down to New Zealand, as they will do next summer.
They were world champions back then. Their vaunted svengali Sir Clive Woodward was in charge. And it was an utter shambles, as they were summarily dispatched by the Dan Carter-inspired All Blacks.
Now, all of a sudden – and for the first time since then – England are a team to believe in again.
Are the portents better for the 2017 Lions because of it? The emergence of Maro Itoje, the maturing of Owen Farrell, and the redemption of Chris Robshaw and James Haskell suggests they must be.
But perhaps that misses the point of England’s 3-0 win over Australia this month, which was given its gloss with Saturday’s 44-40 win in Sydney.
More British & Irish Lions
• Five players who could make their British & Irish Lions debuts in New Zealand next summer
The clean sweep, at the end of a gruelling domestic campaign and following a glorious Six Nations grand slam, deserves to stand alone as an enduring achievement. The first time the Wallabies had been on the end of such a hiding at home in 45 years, indeed.
If the tour does provide story pointers towards anything, though, it is the promising future England can look forward to, rather than the immediate one for the Lions.
Some said Eddie Jones had accepted a hospital pass when he took over Stuart Lancaster’s broken side, after a desperate home World Cup.
He is far too savvy for that. England could not get any lower when he arrived as coach, so there was little to lose. And he was about to profit from the spoils of a prolific age-group system than had seen England serial winners of the Under-20 World Cup.
Jones has yet to taste defeat since taking charge. Forget about the Lions. The 2019 World Cup cannot come soon enough.
pradley@thenational.ae
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Brief scoreline:
Wolves 3
Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2
Arsenal 1
Papastathopoulos 80'
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
BABYLON
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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Poacher
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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