Latest news with #SevuReece
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Pasifika Sipoti in brief for 20 June
Photo: RNZ Two Fiji-born wingers will be on opposite sides in Saturday's Super Rugby Pacific final. Chiefs player Emoni Narawa will line up against Sevu Reece of the Crusaders in what is expected to be also a final All Blacks trial run for the duo. Both are in contention for All Blacks inclusion, with impressive performances so far this season. Narawa scored two tries against the Brumbies in their semi-final clash last weekend, while Reece is the competition's top try-scorer with 66 tries. Public ticket allocations for the final were exhausted within minutes of going on sale on Tuesday. A number of players with Pasifika heritage were on opposing sides in Wednesday's State of Origin II in Perth, which the Queensland Maroons won 26-24. Queensland's win means the series with be decided in the third game in three weeks. Samoa heritage player Valentine Holmes was a star for the Maroons, with a perfect night off the tee, kicking four conversions and a penalty goal. The Blues had a number of players with Samoan lineage, which included winger Brian To'o, who scored a hat trick, foward Payne Haas and Jarome Luai. PNG Hunters head coach Paul Aiton says they can not afford 'silly errors' when they meet the Brisbane Tigers in the Hostplus Cup round 14 match in Brisbane on Sunday. The Post-Courier reports Aiton saying he does not want to see the same mistakes that have cost them two recent matches happening again against the Tigers. He says while the team's forward pack and bench rotation have performed well, they've struggled to consistently finish sets and close out games. But despite the challenges and a significant number of debutants this season, Aiton remains confident, believing consistent execution will lead to positive results for the team. Papua New Guinea's women's Twenty20 cricket team has beaten the Australian indigenous team for the first time, at a cricket invitational in Port Moresby. Chasing 112 runs to win, the Lewas reached the target with one ball to spare and two wickets in hand, finishing on 113 for 8. They also top the table with two days of matches to play, based on net run rate. In Thursday's other game, Vanuatu beat Samoa by nine runs. On Friday, PNG is taking on Vanuatu and Samoa plays the Australian indigenous team. Tonga's sports minister Sinai Tu'itahi says funds will be secured for the hosting of the 2031 Pacific Games. Talanoa 'o Tonga reported both Tu'itahi and Prime Minister Dr 'Aisake Eke "agree to host the 2031 Pacific Games in Tonga" and have detailed funding plans that will be presented in Parliament soon. Tu'itahi said the sports levy fee, initially set up for the hosting of the 2019 Pacific Games which Tonga later backed out of, will be diverted towards preparation for the 2031 Games. She also confirmed that two unnamed foreign countries have offered support, with the government already stating it will need around US$26 million to fund its six‑year Games roadmap. Flanker Miracle Failagi has extended his Super Rugby Pacific contract with Moana Pasifika. The franchise said the 25-year-old has become an important figure for the team. Head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga said Failagi is a huge part of the Moana Pasifika movement. Failagi formed a strong loose trio partnership with departing captain Ardie Savea and Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa this year and ranked among the top tacklers and ball carriers in the competition. The head of Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) Keziah Lewis has resigned. Cook Islands News reported the committee has confirmed the resignation. Committee president, Luisa Peters, said Lewis had successfully steered the organization through two leadership changes and introduced new ideas which aimed to benefit athletes and the sporting community. Lewis' resignation will be effective from 10 July.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Pasifika Sipoti in brief for 16 June
Photo: PHOTOSPORT Former All Blacks Pita Gus Sowakula will join the Flying Fijians squad after the two early tests against the Wallabies and Scotland next month. Head coach Mick Byrne said the France-based loose forward will be eligible to play for Fiji from 6 July, the day Fiji meets the Wallabies in Sydney. reported Byrne saying that Sowakula wants to be involved with Fiji heading into the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The PacificAus Sports Cricket Invitational is underway in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. PNG played first up but were beaten by the Australian indigenous team by eight wickets. PNG had scored 108 for 6 from their 20 overs. Sunday's second match, between Samoa and Vanuatu, was abandoned due to rain. On Monday, Samoa is up against the Australian indigenous team while PNG faces Vanuatu. The PNG Hunters suffered a narrow 18-16 defeat to the Sunshine Coast Falcons on Sunday in round 13 of the 2025 Hostplus Cup in Port Moresby. The Post Courier reported the game was a tightly contested match and the Hunters fought hard but couldn't overcome an early deficit. The Falcons Falcons led 16-12 lead into the break. The Hunters remain in eighth spot with six wins from 12 games so far. Two former students from the famous Queen Victoria School in Fiji will be on opposite sides of the field in Saturday's Super Rugby Pacific final. Crusaders Sevu Reece and the Chiefs' Emoni Narawa both went through the Tailevu-based school that has dominated Fiji's secondary schools' first XV rugby competition, known as the Deans Trophy. Both were in action for their teams during the semi-finals. Narawa scored twice in the Chiefs' 37-17 win over the Brumbies, while Reece played a strong game to help the Crusaders beat the Blues 21-14. Palau's national men's baseball team have won the 2025 Taiwan-Palau Baseball Exchange Tournament, an important stepping stone towards their Pacific Mini Games campaign. The Island Times reports the Palau team won all their six matches. Palau Major League and Palau Baseball Federation Chairman, Mlib Tmetuchl, says the event gave their players much-needed game time before they host the Games from 29 June. The ambassador from the Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassy in Koror, Jessica Lee, says the Palau team recently returned from more than a month of training in Taiwan. She says they are gold medal prospects at the upcoming Pacific Mini Games. Weightlifting Fiji has finalised their nine-member team to the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau. The Fiji Sun newspaper reports head coach Henry Elder has named his team to challenge for medals at the event, which officially opens on 29 June. The Pacific's number one lifter in the men's 88 kilogram category, Nehemiah Elder, is in the team and is a top prospect for medals. In May, he won three gold medals at the 2025 IWF World Youth Championships in Lima, Peru, in the men's 89kg youth division. Others in the team include 2023 Pacific Games gold medallist Taniela Rainibogi.
Scoop
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Social Media Spat: Blues And Moana Beef Online After Play-Off Spots Are Set
Analysis - It's fair to say that the while the final regular season round was primed to throw a cat amongst the pigeons, it ended up being more a showcase of ruthlessness. Friday night saw the Chiefs have no mercy, the Blues gave their most complete performance of the year to set up their play-off chance, which was confirmed by a now scarily impressive Hurricanes side. All of this came at the expense of the Highlanders' pride, the Waratahs' hopes and both of those plus some social media credibility for Moana Pasifika. Crusaders get the calls It's worth pointing out up front the Crusaders were fortunate in their they certainly put in enough tough defence to deserve their 33-31 win over the Brumbies. But plenty of scrutiny has come in following the officiating crew missing a pretty clear knock on from Sevu Reece in the lead up to George Bell's match winning try. It says a lot about rugby's issues that since the ref got it wrong, the TMO was right in the end for not referring back to it after Bell's try since the ball had been in touch since. It also isn't a great look that the entire refereeing crew were New Zealanders, despite the game taking place in Canberra. Blues and Moana beef online While the Blues' performance in their 46-6 win over the Waratahs was about as close as they've come to last year's campaign, the reward they get is a trip down the road to face the Chiefs. It's pretty easy to think the Blues have simply put off their holidays for a week, given that no team outside the regular season-ending top four has ever won any iteration of Super Rugby. But it's also worth remembering the last time they played in Hamilton, because that was the closest by far anyone's come to beating the Chiefs at home this season. However, the fact that Rieko Ioane scored a hat trick meant that we didn't have to wait long for him to jump on Instagram, where he shared a post noting that he's now equal first on the Blues all time try scoring list. On it was the not so subtle message that he's 'Heard the noise…Whatcha sayin?'. Just to make it even more spicy, the Blues closed out their online beef with Moana Pasifika (for now) by getting a last and no doubt very satisfying laugh. However, that didn't stop Moana captain Ardie Savea throwing a bit of passive-aggressive shade back at them, which drew a number of responses from Blues players and All Black teammates. Did Moana climax too early Moana's win over the Blues a fortnight ago was hailed as the performance of the season, given its historic nature and Ardie Savea's superhuman effort on the field from start to finish. But the virtual tickertape parade was jumping the gun a bit - in the two games since, they've conceded 149 points, were bounced from the play-offs by a Hurricanes team hell bent on revenge and suffered the aforementioned social media butthurt. Did Moana dine out a bit much on their success and suffer a bit? It certainly appears so, while neither team wanted to admit it up front, there was some serious feeling in the Blues fixture on and off the field. Perhaps Moana felt like the point they needed to prove this year was achieved that night. If so, then that's a pretty harsh lesson they've just learned because the losses to the Chiefs and Hurricanes rank among the worst in a short history that includes plenty of hidings. Hurricane warning Their inclement form in the first half of the season has meant that the Canes have flown under the radar a bit, but now nothing can hide the fact that they've won their last five games in a row. That's more than anyone else and while they have to travel to face the Brumbies in Canberra next weekend, they won there four weeks ago. Don't say it too loud but it's all starting to feel quite similar to 2016, when an unheralded group under a second year coach managed to overcome a rough start to the year to go on and win the whole thing.
RNZ News
30-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific: Late try seals second place finish for Crusaders
The Crusaders' George Bell scores the winner against the Brumbies, on Friday night. Photo: Mark Evans/ActionPress A late try to Crusaders replacement hooker George Bell has secured a 33-31 win over the Brumbies in Canberra. The result means the Crusaders finish second in the overall Super Rugby Pacific standings going into next weekend's play-offs, while the Brumbies finish third. The home side struck almost straight away, with Feao Fotuaika rumbling over after the Brumbies had pinched the opening kick-off. The lead didn't last long though, only five minutes later Christian Lio-Willie hit back with a barge over of his own. A Rivez Reihana penalty and Ethan Blackadder try pushed the lead out, but the Brumbies stayed in touch with a lovely try to Len Ikitau. Rivez Reihana then hit back for the Crusaders, before Sevu Reece knocked over a rare drop goal before the break. In hindsight, while Reece's decision to take three points was the ultimate difference at the end, it was a bit rash as the Crusaders were 30 metres out and the chances of winning a penalty and subsequent attacking lineout were high. Reihana added another penalty after the break, before Rhys van Nek and Andy Muirhead scored tries for the Brumbies within six minutes of each other, to make the score 28-all. It set up a pulsating last quarter, with the Brumbies dominating possession only to be denied time and again by some staunch Crusaders defence. After successfully defending an attacking lineout, the visitors found themselves offside and Noah Lolesio sent the penalty goal over to give the Brumbies the lead for the first time in the game. However, it didn't last long. The Brumbies were penalised a few minutes after the restart and the Crusaders opted to go for the win with a lineout only five metres out. When the drive stalled, Bell peeled off the back to a defenceless blindside, crashing over for the winning try. Reihana's kick drifted wide, which meant that the Crusaders had to withstand a furious late charge by the Brumbies. Wing Corey Toole almost slipped through the defence to score the winner, but was hauled down short of the line and lost the ball forward. Both sides will now keep an eye on tomorrow's games as all three have permutations for next week. They will play either the Hurricanes or Reds, however just who faces who won't be known until Saturday night. If the Hurricanes can beat Moana Pasifika, they will head to Canberra. However if the Hurricanes lose and the Reds can beat the Drua, the Reds will face the Brumbies and the Hurricanes head to Christchurch to play the Crusaders. Read how the game unfolded here :
RNZ News
30-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific live updates: Brumbies v Crusaders
Sevu Reece palms off Andy Muirhead during the Super Rugby Pacific match between ACT Brumbies v Crusaders, GIO Stadium Canberra. Photo: Ben Appleton/ActionPress It's a shootout for either top spot or second place in Canberra, as both these sides look to give themselves the best advantage before the play-offs begin next weekend. Kick-off is at 9:35pm NZT.
