The former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll will be keen to taste victory in his last appearance against England, a former British & Irish Lions teammate warned the host side ahead of their Six Nations clash at Twickenham on Saturday.
Graham Rowntree, the England forwards coach, said: “Beating us will mean everything to him. What a player. He’s a thoroughly professional player; as a man, he’s exceptional.”
O’Driscoll will be making his 13th appearance against England.
Rowntree was part of the Lions management team that dropped O’Driscoll for the climactic final Test against Australia last July.
Rowntree said: “I remember the day when he was left out of the team. That afternoon he was sat down with the guys going through things on the computer, helping them and coaching them. That speaks volumes about the man.”
O’Driscoll will equal the world record set by the former Australia scrum-half George Gregan of 139 caps when he faces England.
England are making their first appearance of the year at Twickenham following two games on the road, having lost narrowly to France in Paris and routing Scotland at Murrayfield.
Meanwhile, the Scotland coach Scott Johnson admits that not even a victory over Italy on Saturday will cure the side’s problems.
The Scots have suffered painful thumpings to Ireland and England as their Six Nations campaign got off to the worst possible start. Their meeting with the likewise winless Italians at the Stadio Olimpico could settle who finishes last in the competition.
The beleaguered Johnson said that not even a morale-boosting triumph in the Eternal City will guarantee that his side have turned the corner.
“There is no doubt, we would take a win,” he said. “It would be good for the guys, but it won’t be the end of all our ills, either. I keep talking about it – we want consistency in this team.
“That’s one of my issues with Scottish rugby. We seem to settle for these little peaks and then the troughs.”
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
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- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
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- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
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Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
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Rating: 3/5
The specs
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
