George Smith, who captained Australia in the 33-6 loss of their final Tri Nations match against New Zealand, paid a heavy price when he was dropped for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks in Tokyo.
The demotion of the 100-Test veteran to the bench, was one of five changes in the Wallabies starting side that was announced yesterday.
James O'Connor, the teenage full-back, was also axed after an unimpressive show against the All Blacks at Wellington, allowing Adam Ashley-Cooper to revert to his usual position and make room for Ryan Cross in the centre.
The wingers Digby Ioane and Peter Hynes joined the 15 in straight swaps for Drew Mitchell and Lachie Turner.
"Returning Adam to full-back helps with the balance of the side," the Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said.
"It is not a slight on the performance of O'Connor at all.
"He's already had a big year, which it must be remembered has been his first at this level. We're wary of over exposing James and will be looking to manage his
involvements through this tour."
Stirling Mortlock, who missed most of the Tri Nations with an injured leg, and Smith, who was deputising for him as captain in their last game, were both overlooked for leadership roles but were selected for the tour in Japan before consecutive Tests against England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The forward Rocky Elsom will captain Australia. The new vice- captain Berrick Barmes is expected to switch to No 10 with Matt Giteau at inside centre.
The Wallabies managed just one win in six games in the Tri Nations and Barnes admitted they had deserved all the criticism directed their way and targeted the Tokyo game to right all wrongs. "So it's crucial for us to have a good result here," he said.
"It will also send a message to the teams we are playing in the grand slam leg of the tour that we are fair dinkum.
"Probably right now they are looking at us thinking they can knock us off, and that we are the easiest of the three southern hemisphere teams to beat.
"What we have talked about the last three weeks is winning back some respect, not just in our part of the world, but also up north. This is a big stepping stone for us."
Meanwhile, Luke McAlister is the only player unavailable for New Zealand for the match after suffering an ankle injury.
The coach Graham Henry indicated the team, which he will name today, will be similar to the one that handed Wallabies a 33-6 defeat last month. "It will be a strong side on Saturday and similar to the side that played in Wellington," Henry said.
"Everyone's available apart from Luke McAlister probably. He's still got that ankle injury. If we really pushed him he could be available but there's no point."
15-Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14-Peter Hynes, 13-Ryan Cross, 12-Berrick Barnes, 11-Digby Ioane, 10-Matt Giteau, 9-Will Genia, 8-Wycliff Palu, 7-David Pocock, 6-Rocky Elsom (captain), 5-Mark Chisholm, 4-James Horwill, 3-Ben Alexander, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Benn Robinson
Replacements: 16-Stephen Moore, 17-Matt Dunning, 18-Dean Mumm, 19-George Smith, 20-Luke Burgess, 21-Drew Mitchell, 22-James O'Connor
* Agencies
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
More on animal trafficking
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
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3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
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Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
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Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
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