France rugby union national team centre Mathieu Bastareaud takes part in weight-lifting session. Patrick Kovarik / AFP
France rugby union national team centre Mathieu Bastareaud takes part in weight-lifting session. Patrick Kovarik / AFP

'Quiet force' Mathieu Bastareaud to captain France against Wales in Six Nations



"Quiet force" Mathieu Bastareaud will captain France in their final Six Nations match against Wales on Saturday after Guilhem Guirado was ruled out with a knee injury.

The barnstorming Toulon centre has revelled in French colours since his recall to the national team after a ban and again links up with Geoffrey Doumayrou in midfield.

Guirado's place at hooker is taken by Adrien Pelissie, who will make his debut run-on after four caps as a replacement.

Two other changes by coach Jacques Brunel see Cedate Gomes Sa take the place of Rabah Slimani at tighthead prop, while Gael Fickou starts on the right wing, Benjamin Fall moving to fullback in place of injured Hugo Bonneval, who failed a head injury assessment.

"Guilhem can't play, it would have been too risky," said Brunel of the hooker who was injured in the nail-biting 22-16 victory over England last weekend.

Turning to the 44-time capped Bastareaud, who has been captaining Toulon this season, Brunel said: "For some time he has a sort of serenity which can influence the team.

"He's like a quiet force. We know the weight he can have on the pitch, with or without the ball."

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Don Armand ready to play wherever needed as England face injury crisis ahead of Ireland clash

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In the front row, it will also be a first start for Gomes Sa, who replaces Slimani, who gave away three costly penalties against England by collapsing the scrum.

"I wouldn't say that didn't count, but it's not linked to that," Brunel said.

"We had a debrief with the referees' head [Joel Dume] because we didn't agree with two penalties awarded against Rabah.

"We put too much focus on Rabah Slimani and didn't take into account the positioning of the English and notably the pressure they exerted at the bind, something our captain [Guirado] pointed out at the time."

Fickou sees his energetic cameo role against England pay off with a start, albeit slightly out of position.

"We kept the same set-up in the backline," Brunel said. "Fickou is not in his usual position [of centre] but he pleased us a lot against England."

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Jawan
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Monster Hunter: World

Capcom

PlayStation 4, Xbox One

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The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

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LA LIGA FIXTURES

Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)

Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

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South Africa World Cup squad

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.

Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.

If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.

Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.

Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”