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.
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NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Ian Foster's book reveals All Blacks coaching challenges
Sir Graham Henry in 2007. Hard to believe now after the World Cup triumph of 2011. But when Henry was reappointed after his All Blacks were eliminated at the 2007 Cup in a quarter-final, the reaction here gave new meaning to the word fury. On radio, Murray Deaker called the team chokers and demanded Henry quit. Laurie Mains, coach of the 1995 World Cup All Blacks, said: 'I am still amazed that Graham Henry has not resigned. It's quite unbelievable.' Undefeated All Black captain Buck Shelford said, 'Ego is starting to control the affairs of Graham Henry. The World Cup was a disaster. It's time to move on. We need a change.' No wonder that in speeches after the 2011 Cup victory Henry might not have been altogether joking when he said if the All Blacks hadn't eventually won the cup, he would have moved to Brazil. In his recent book, Ian Foster has talked about the clashes he had with NZ Rugby top brass including chief executive Mark Robinson (inset). Photosport / New Zealand Herald composite The worst after the event? John Hart in 1999. After losing a semifinal to France at Twickenham, 43-31, the reaction in New Zealand was violent. Hart's face filled the front page of New Zealand Rugby Monthly with the word 'GUILTY' in burning red capital letters across his throat. Jeff Wilson, a player in '99, would say: 'Few criminals have been vilified as much as we were, and, in particular, as much as John Hart was.' What about poor treatment by the NZRU? How Wayne Smith was treated in 2000 was hands down the shabbiest... until Foster's experiences. In 2000, the NZRU refused to allow Smith to have his Crusaders' forward coach Peter Sloane in his management group. Then they misconstrued Smith's feeling that the coaching position should be contestable after his first two years, and allowed a man now universally recognised as one of the world's great coaches, to slip away. How does Foster's treatment compare to Smith's? Having had time to mull over Leading From The Front, which is often startlingly frank, Foster probably had an even rawer deal. A lack of trust? He reached a point where he asked to speak directly to New Zealand Rugby chairwoman Dame Patsy Reddy because he didn't have a lot of faith that NZR chief executive Mark Robinson and head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum would present his views to her accurately. How bad did it become? The team's mental skills expert, Gilbert Enoka says Foster was the toughest of all the coaches he worked with in 23 years with the All Blacks. He needed to be. What Foster dealt with, Enoka describes as brutal. 'We never felt supported by the chief executive and whenever he could he put the boot into us.' Myths legends and lies The British and Irish Lions opened their Australian tour with a 54-7 victory over the Western Force in Perth. What was most noteworthy was that 46,000 people watched the game. The Lions have a fan base to dream of. Non-violent, enthusiastic, and rich enough to travel to the other side of the world to see a game that was always going to be one sided. And it wouldn't be a Lions' tour without the completely false idea being touted that the 1971 Lions played exciting attacking rugby when they became the only Lions to beat the All Blacks in a series. A story by Gavin Mairs, the rugby correspondent of England's Daily Telegraph, on great figures in Lions' history said: 'Importantly, the style that the Lions played in 1971 not only changed the perception of British and Irish rugby, but also changed the way New Zealand played the game.' I reported on the '71 tour, and while the Lions played some thrilling rugby in provincial games, in the four test matches the played a style so dour it wouldn't have looked out of place in the 1950s. Lions flyhalf Barry John was a star on the 1971 tour of New Zealand. Photo / NZ Herald Four years ago – wanting to check my memories of '71 – I grimly sat through the full 80-minute video of the last test at Eden Park, a 14-14 draw. In the first half, although gifted Lions first-five Barry John did pass eight times, while kicking seven times, the ball did not make it once to the Lions wings. Mike Gibson or fellow centre, captain John Dawes, did the kicking if John didn't. In the second half, John got the ball nine times. He kicked every single time. That's nine kicks, zero passes. As they say in the classics, inspirational attacking rugby my butt. Vote with soul I sincerely hope the impassioned words of Manu Samoa international Paul Williams are echoing when the Auckland City Council make the final decision on the future of Western Springs, a call that has the potential to devastate the operations of the Ponsonby Rugby Club. 'Organisations can talk about inclusivity,' Williams told the Herald. 'They have all sorts of fancy words about what makes a club or organisation successful, Ponsonby have lived it.' Former international rugby player Paul Williams (left) has issued an emotional plea for backing on a proposal to keep one of New Zealand's most historic rugby clubs situated at Auckland's Western Springs Stadium. Photo / David Latu After 150 years in existence – and the production of a record 48 All Blacks – rugby has been well served by Ponsonby. But having had an association with the club since 1973, I'd suggest their greatest triumph has been giving, as they are this year, 1000 playing members, from kids to golden oldies a warm, positive environment. Hopefully, that attitude will continue to be embraced at Western Springs. Phil Gifford is a Contributing Sports Writer for NZME. He is one of the most-respected voices in New Zealand sports journalism.
Newsroom
2 hours ago
- Newsroom
A shot at medicine leads to a shot in the Black Sticks
Early in the new year, Nina Murphy made a snap decision that would change the course of her life – in more ways than one. The teenager had a sudden change of heart, ditching her plans to go to university in Brisbane, and choosing to cross the Tasman to Dunedin to pursue her dream to study medicine. Within six months, the promising hockey player – who'd been training in an Australian future squad with an eye to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics – shocked even herself by landing in the Black Sticks. Although the 19-year-old was born and raised on Australia's east coast, her allegiance has always been clear. With two Kiwi parents, Murphy was a self-declared New Zealander from the start, so pulling on the black dress to play the United States in North Carolina this week won't feel strange. 'As a little kid – and I was quite a cocky little kid – I'd always tell people 'I want to play for the Black Sticks',' she says. 'I think it may have been out of spite. I was the only daughter [of four] born in Australia, and maybe I wanted to show them I was actually the true New Zealander. If we went to an All Blacks-Wallabies game, I'd always go for the All Blacks. 'There's a photo of me at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, when the Kookaburras were playing the Black Sticks men in the final – I was head-to-toe in black and white. Whenever I come to New Zealand, I always feel so at home. 'So you can see I'm super stoked to be playing for New Zealand – and I don't think it's going to be weird at all.' Murphy, an attacking midfielder, is the only debutant in the Black Sticks (ranked 10th in the world), who'll play five matches against the world No.14 Americans, at the start of their road to next year's World Cup. She caught the eye of Black Sticks coach Phil Burrows with her stand-out performance at the Junior Hockey League in Auckland in April, playing for the Alpiners, and named MVP of the U21 tournament. Nina Murphy playing for Queensland U18s. Photo: supplied She was sitting her exams in her health sciences first year course, when she got the call from Burrows. 'He said, 'You're coming to the USA',' she recalls. 'I was focusing on so many things at once, it was crazy. 'The main thing he wanted to stress to me is that I deserve to be there. He probably thought I'd be like, 'This is a bit sudden, do I deserve to be here? Is this a rushed decision?' But he definitely made me feel like he was picking me on my talent, after seeing me play in the Junior Hockey League.' And Burrows has made it clear Murphy won't be just warming the bench in Charlotte over the next 12 days. 'Nina brings explosive speed, sharp technical skill, and a fearless attacking mindset – she's set to make a serious impact in her debut,' he says. Those talents had already put her on the radar for future international honours in Australia. It's just the Black Sticks beat them to it. Murphy started playing hockey at six, at the Casuarina club on the north coast of New South Wales. She and some school mates at Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School were trying to figure out what sport to play. Where it all began: Nina Murphy's first season of hockey at the NSW Casuarina club. Photo: supplied 'One mum suggested we should get into netball, then another mum said, 'Nah, let's do hockey',' Murphy says. 'It was a bit of a hockey school, although the sport wasn't really that popular where we lived. In senior school, I was one of the only kids in my grade who played hockey. A lot of the girls in our school team didn't want to play sport, but they just had to choose one. 'I played other sports – a bit of rugby, football and touch. But hockey always seemed to work a little better for me.' After her family moved to the Gold Coast, Murphy played her way right through the Queensland age groups – as well as in indoor hockey. Last year she was selected by former Black Sticks coach Mark Hager for Australia's National Future Squad, looking ahead to the next generation of Hockeyroos for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. 'It was awesome to get that acknowledgement. It meant training with the Queensland Academy of Sport up in Brisbane, which was so good for my hockey,' Murphy says. 'But it was an hour-and-a-half drive to Brisbane four days a week, sometimes after school. 'So when I got to New Zealand, the hockey here just got me excited for it all over again. The change has been good. 'Everything else was so new to me – going to uni, living in a hall, in a different country. But the one thing that was constant was hockey, and I could rely on it and just enjoy it.' Murphy is proud of her Māori whakapapa – her iwi Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, her hapū Te Whānau a Taupara. In 2023 she played in the NZ Māori hockey tournament for Tairāwhiti Wāhine Hinehakirirangi. 'That tournament really helped me become more immersed [in Māoritanga]. I was worried I'd feel like an outsider, but it was such a great experience. I'll definitely play it again this year.' Nina Murphy can now spend more time with her Kiwi grandmother, Dot Finnigan. Photo: Chris Hancock It was during a visit to whānau, and her marae, Takipu, inland from Gisborne, last summer that she decided to move to New Zealand. She had planned to go to Brisbane to study physiotherapy or radiography, and play hockey, this year. 'I had it all sorted, with a place to live with a few of my school mates,' she says. 'But when I came over here, family were asking what my plan was, and I realised I wasn't that passionate about it. On the last day of an amazing holiday, my cousin's boyfriend was talking about his awesome experience studying medicine at Otago. I hadn't thought about that option, but suddenly – in a 20-second period – my whole life changed. 'It was like a huge door opened for me. I didn't get much sleep that night, I was applying for Health Sci and starting my application for halls in Dunedin.' It made sense for Murphy – whose parents, Reta and Paul ('childhood sweethearts'), both studied at Otago. 'They loved the Dunedin lifestyle, so that helped reassure me,' Murphy says. 'I've heard some crazy stories about how competitive health science at Otago is, people burn each other's notes, or set alarms in people's buildings so they wake up the night before an exam. I'm very grateful I've had no experiences like that.' She hopes to study medicine next year. She's playing club hockey for the Kings United club in Dunedin, and says the experience has been different. 'I can't put a word on why it's different, but it just is – and not in a bad way. The people are all really friendly here,' she says. 'When I went to play in the Junior Hockey League and I knew no one, I didn't feel like a stranger.' Murphy is likely to play for another New Zealand team this year, selected in the squad working towards the Junior World Cup in Chile in December. 'It's always been a goal of mine to play at the Junior World Cup, so hopefully I'll be lucky enough to go,' she says. Has she allowed herself to look ahead to next year's World Cup, or future Olympics? 'This is all just so new for me, I feel like I want to own my place first,' she says. 'I really want to play the best I can to make sure Phil knows he made the right choice, before I think about the Olympics. My goal was to make the Junior World Cup… so maybe my goals might need a little adjusting.' The Black Sticks are using this series – three practice matches and two tests starting on Thursday – to build up to the Oceania Cup against Australia in September, where the winners earn a direct route to next year's World Cup, split between Belgium and the Netherlands.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Rugby: Pollock relishing 'big occasions' after eye-catching performance in Lions opener
Henry Pollock (left) congratulates Lions teammate Dan Sheehan after scoring a try during their win over the Western Force in Perth. Photo: Photosport British & Irish Lions forward Henry Pollock said he is relishing the competition for places in Andy Farrell's line-up after a stand-out performance in the 54-7 win over the Western Force in Perth kicked off the squad's six-week Australian tour. The 20-year-old number eight, making his first Lions start, put on a lively showing in front of a big crowd at Perth Stadium, setting up one try before earning field position for another as well as picking up a yellow card in the first half. "I love the big occasions," said Pollock, who is the youngest member of the Lions squad. "What a great group and I just wanted to be here." Pollock was included in the travelling party despite playing just once for England. The Northampton Saints forward scored a pair of tries on his debut against Wales in the Six Nations in March. He was prominent from the start against the Force, and it was his line-break in the 15th minute that set up Welsh scrumhalf Tomos Williams to give the Lions a lead that Farrell's side would not relinquish. Pollock was sin-binned in the 39th minute and then put the Lions in the perfect position to score through Joe McCarthy in the 53rd minute when he chased down his own chip behind the Force defence. "It was a fun game and we all really enjoyed it," said Pollock. "It's an amazing group and environment to be part of - we're the four best nations, the best players in the northern hemisphere. "I'm honoured to be here ... this kind of campaign and this kind of group is only together for a short amount of time and we're trying to write history. "So we're just trying to get as close as we can together. "There's loads of boys fighting for positions and that's what you want." Pollock's lack of experience saw his inclusion in the squad questioned in some quarters, but Farrell is confident the Englishman will continue to improve as the tour progresses. "He is certainly a point of difference," said Farrell. "He is learning all the time." -Reuters
