### Clue: Friend mean to protect right with standard rent rising (8,7)
### Answer: SPARRING PARTNER 
 ### Explanation: Definition: Friend
 SPARING (economical/mean/in very small quantities) **containing**(to protect) R(abbrev. for "right") **plus**(with) **reversal of**(… rising, in a down clue) [ PAR(a standard level, as in, say, the number of strokes for playing a hole in golf) + RENT ].