Latest news with #VuvaleBowl
9 News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- 9 News
PM leads charm offensive as Wallabies clash with Fiji
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here They are neighbours, friends and in many cases family, but now the Pacific Islands are being seen as vital in the struggle for power in our region. With China's influence growing, Australia is pushing back, turning Wallabies into ambassadors. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was the guest of honour in Newcastle as part of a charm offensive aimed at a pivotal player in the Pacific power struggle. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was the guest of honour in Newcastle as part of a charm offensive aimed at a pivotal player in the Pacific power struggle. (AP) With China investing billions into infrastructure projects across the Pacific Islands, Australia and our allies – unable to compete financially –have turned to sport as part of a bigger-picture approach. Fijian workers on a specialty Pacific visa class were in the stands. "We provide a lot of support for rugby in the Pacific – it's an important way of connecting up with a lot of young people," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia ahead of the International Test match between the Wallabies and Fiji. (Getty) "That essentially is about family. We are all part of the Pacific family - we have an important responsibility." Rugby union is the code of choice for Fiji, with the new NRL team vital for Papua New Guinea, our nearest neighbour. The contest for hearts and minds in the Pacific has been made harder with the Trump administration cuts to American financial aid in the region. "We are managing, and in three years hopefully things will change," Rabuka said. Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan said "Obviously China are an important trading partner for us". Harry Wilson of the Wallabies is presented the Vuvale Bowl by Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia and Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji during the International Test match between Australia Wallabies and Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on July 06, 2025 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by) (Getty) "We have issues with China - we have things we need to talk about their leadership as well," he told Sky's Agenda. The prime ministers jointly presented the Vuvale bowl to the winning Wallabies today. Trust and cooperation in uncertain times is a much bigger prize. Politics Fiji Australia Pacific China news national Politicians CONTACT US Property News: The suburbs where workers on $300,000 can't afford a house.
Perth Now
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Albanese hosts Fijian PM at Wallabies test in Newcastle
Anthony Albanese focused on diplomacy at home on Sunday, hosting Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Newcastle for a Wallabies Test match against Fiji. Australia edged out Fiji 21-18 in front of a lively crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium. Before kick-off, the two leaders shook hands with players, stood for national anthems, and shared a laugh as winter sunshine beamed down on the east coast. It marked a timely display of soft diplomacy amid growing calls to strengthen Pacific ties against the backdrop of regional uncertainty and Vanuatu's rejection of a key strategic pact last week. The match appearance had followed Mr Rabuka's National Press Club address in Canberra. In the speech, he ruled out hosting any Chinese military base and called for Australia to sign a formal treaty with Fiji to strengthen co-operation between the two countries. Harry Wilson of the Wallabies is presented the Vuvale Bowl by Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia and Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji. (Photo by) Credit: Matt King / Getty Images Rugby has long served as a diplomatic bridge in the region, with the federal government previously investing to support the rugby league's development across the Pacific. Amid escalating geopolitical sports rivalry, however, Samoan and Tongan rugby union officials turned to China this week for investment to counter Australia's $600 million rugby league expansion in the region. Since his re-election on May 3, Mr Albanese has maintained a strong global focus, holding bilateral meetings in Indonesia and Singapore, and engaging with world leaders on the sidelines of the Pope's inauguration in Rome and the G7 summit in Canada. Mr Albanese is set to travel to China next weekend for a meeting with President Xi Jinping, in what will be the latest test of his government's diplomatic balancing act in the region.
The Advertiser
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Wallabies warned Test against Fiji is a danger game
Fiji have warned the Wallabies of the danger of treating their Test match as a warm-up for the upcoming British and Irish Lions series as the Pacific islanders look to make history in Newcastle. After wrecking Australia's World Cup campaign two years ago in France with their first win over the Wallabies in 69 years, Fiji have set their sights on going back-to-back for the first time. The teams will compete for the Vuvale Bowl, with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Test front-rower, to present the trophy. Skipper Tevita Ikanivere says his side is up for the challenge and will take advantage if the Wallabies have an eye on the Lions, whom they face in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19. "No Fiji team has gone two in a row to beat the Wallabies yet and we're looking to be the first," said Ikanivere, who is the Drua hooker in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. "If they don't have their eyes both on us tomorrow, then I think they're in danger. "I know everybody there is hungry to try and beat us, to get us back, and we are too so it's going to be a great battle." Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson wasn't part of that World Cup debacle but said they had watched plenty of vision of the last meeting between the countries to know the threat Fiji posed. He said his team wouldn't be holding anything back for the Lions. "We're going out there to win," the No.8 said. "The last time we versed Fiji two years ago we had a tough loss there and it's such a massive battle. "Obviously we've been keeping our eyes on the Lions, watching the Super clubs verse them, but for us a Test match against Fiji, it doesn't get much bigger than that so we'll be throwing everything at them to make sure we go out there and get the result." The Queensland forward, who will lead the team out for the eighth time, said a win was more important than a perfect performance as they looked to build some momentum. A loss would severely rock their confidence ahead of the massive challenge of taking on the Lions in three Tests. "It's massively important so we're going out there we want to win," the 25-year-old said. "It's going to be such a tough Test match and we come out of a win it would be a really good start to our season. "Winning becomes a habit and I felt last year we had a lot of growth as a team and we put ourselves in a pretty good position by the end of the year and for us, we really want to expand from there and just keep putting out performances we're proud of." The Wallabies will be without two key forwards with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini both battling calf injuries. Flanker Valetini will rejoin the camp in Brisbane next Friday when the Wallabies squad for the Lions is unveiled while France-based lock Skelton has remained with the team. Skelton was Wallabies captain at the World Cup but missed the Fiji match, coincidentally with a calf injury. Wilson said he had been a great mentor for the players during their two-week build-up. "Will's been awesome and he's such an integral part of our group, and he's obviously a bit older now and he really mentors a lot of the young players in the team and is just a calming influence. "Obviously it's heartbreaking for him to miss this match, but no doubt he'll be ready to go in a few weeks." Fiji have warned the Wallabies of the danger of treating their Test match as a warm-up for the upcoming British and Irish Lions series as the Pacific islanders look to make history in Newcastle. After wrecking Australia's World Cup campaign two years ago in France with their first win over the Wallabies in 69 years, Fiji have set their sights on going back-to-back for the first time. The teams will compete for the Vuvale Bowl, with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Test front-rower, to present the trophy. Skipper Tevita Ikanivere says his side is up for the challenge and will take advantage if the Wallabies have an eye on the Lions, whom they face in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19. "No Fiji team has gone two in a row to beat the Wallabies yet and we're looking to be the first," said Ikanivere, who is the Drua hooker in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. "If they don't have their eyes both on us tomorrow, then I think they're in danger. "I know everybody there is hungry to try and beat us, to get us back, and we are too so it's going to be a great battle." Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson wasn't part of that World Cup debacle but said they had watched plenty of vision of the last meeting between the countries to know the threat Fiji posed. He said his team wouldn't be holding anything back for the Lions. "We're going out there to win," the No.8 said. "The last time we versed Fiji two years ago we had a tough loss there and it's such a massive battle. "Obviously we've been keeping our eyes on the Lions, watching the Super clubs verse them, but for us a Test match against Fiji, it doesn't get much bigger than that so we'll be throwing everything at them to make sure we go out there and get the result." The Queensland forward, who will lead the team out for the eighth time, said a win was more important than a perfect performance as they looked to build some momentum. A loss would severely rock their confidence ahead of the massive challenge of taking on the Lions in three Tests. "It's massively important so we're going out there we want to win," the 25-year-old said. "It's going to be such a tough Test match and we come out of a win it would be a really good start to our season. "Winning becomes a habit and I felt last year we had a lot of growth as a team and we put ourselves in a pretty good position by the end of the year and for us, we really want to expand from there and just keep putting out performances we're proud of." The Wallabies will be without two key forwards with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini both battling calf injuries. Flanker Valetini will rejoin the camp in Brisbane next Friday when the Wallabies squad for the Lions is unveiled while France-based lock Skelton has remained with the team. Skelton was Wallabies captain at the World Cup but missed the Fiji match, coincidentally with a calf injury. Wilson said he had been a great mentor for the players during their two-week build-up. "Will's been awesome and he's such an integral part of our group, and he's obviously a bit older now and he really mentors a lot of the young players in the team and is just a calming influence. "Obviously it's heartbreaking for him to miss this match, but no doubt he'll be ready to go in a few weeks." Fiji have warned the Wallabies of the danger of treating their Test match as a warm-up for the upcoming British and Irish Lions series as the Pacific islanders look to make history in Newcastle. After wrecking Australia's World Cup campaign two years ago in France with their first win over the Wallabies in 69 years, Fiji have set their sights on going back-to-back for the first time. The teams will compete for the Vuvale Bowl, with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Test front-rower, to present the trophy. Skipper Tevita Ikanivere says his side is up for the challenge and will take advantage if the Wallabies have an eye on the Lions, whom they face in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19. "No Fiji team has gone two in a row to beat the Wallabies yet and we're looking to be the first," said Ikanivere, who is the Drua hooker in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. "If they don't have their eyes both on us tomorrow, then I think they're in danger. "I know everybody there is hungry to try and beat us, to get us back, and we are too so it's going to be a great battle." Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson wasn't part of that World Cup debacle but said they had watched plenty of vision of the last meeting between the countries to know the threat Fiji posed. He said his team wouldn't be holding anything back for the Lions. "We're going out there to win," the No.8 said. "The last time we versed Fiji two years ago we had a tough loss there and it's such a massive battle. "Obviously we've been keeping our eyes on the Lions, watching the Super clubs verse them, but for us a Test match against Fiji, it doesn't get much bigger than that so we'll be throwing everything at them to make sure we go out there and get the result." The Queensland forward, who will lead the team out for the eighth time, said a win was more important than a perfect performance as they looked to build some momentum. A loss would severely rock their confidence ahead of the massive challenge of taking on the Lions in three Tests. "It's massively important so we're going out there we want to win," the 25-year-old said. "It's going to be such a tough Test match and we come out of a win it would be a really good start to our season. "Winning becomes a habit and I felt last year we had a lot of growth as a team and we put ourselves in a pretty good position by the end of the year and for us, we really want to expand from there and just keep putting out performances we're proud of." The Wallabies will be without two key forwards with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini both battling calf injuries. Flanker Valetini will rejoin the camp in Brisbane next Friday when the Wallabies squad for the Lions is unveiled while France-based lock Skelton has remained with the team. Skelton was Wallabies captain at the World Cup but missed the Fiji match, coincidentally with a calf injury. Wilson said he had been a great mentor for the players during their two-week build-up. "Will's been awesome and he's such an integral part of our group, and he's obviously a bit older now and he really mentors a lot of the young players in the team and is just a calming influence. "Obviously it's heartbreaking for him to miss this match, but no doubt he'll be ready to go in a few weeks."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wallabies warned Test against Fiji is a danger game
Fiji have warned the Wallabies of the danger of treating their Test match as a warm-up for the upcoming British and Irish Lions series as the Pacific islanders look to make history in Newcastle. After wrecking Australia's World Cup campaign two years ago in France with their first win over the Wallabies in 69 years, Fiji have set their sights on going back-to-back for the first time. The teams will compete for the Vuvale Bowl, with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Test front-rower, to present the trophy. Skipper Tevita Ikanivere says his side is up for the challenge and will take advantage if the Wallabies have an eye on the Lions, whom they face in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19. "No Fiji team has gone two in a row to beat the Wallabies yet and we're looking to be the first," said Ikanivere, who is the Drua hooker in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. "If they don't have their eyes both on us tomorrow, then I think they're in danger. "I know everybody there is hungry to try and beat us, to get us back, and we are too so it's going to be a great battle." Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson wasn't part of that World Cup debacle but said they had watched plenty of vision of the last meeting between the countries to know the threat Fiji posed. He said his team wouldn't be holding anything back for the Lions. "We're going out there to win," the No.8 said. "The last time we versed Fiji two years ago we had a tough loss there and it's such a massive battle. "Obviously we've been keeping our eyes on the Lions, watching the Super clubs verse them, but for us a Test match against Fiji, it doesn't get much bigger than that so we'll be throwing everything at them to make sure we go out there and get the result." The Queensland forward, who will lead the team out for the eighth time, said a win was more important than a perfect performance as they looked to build some momentum. A loss would severely rock their confidence ahead of the massive challenge of taking on the Lions in three Tests. "It's massively important so we're going out there we want to win," the 25-year-old said. "It's going to be such a tough Test match and we come out of a win it would be a really good start to our season. "Winning becomes a habit and I felt last year we had a lot of growth as a team and we put ourselves in a pretty good position by the end of the year and for us, we really want to expand from there and just keep putting out performances we're proud of." The Wallabies will be without two key forwards with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini both battling calf injuries. Flanker Valetini will rejoin the camp in Brisbane next Friday when the Wallabies squad for the Lions is unveiled while France-based lock Skelton has remained with the team. Skelton was Wallabies captain at the World Cup but missed the Fiji match, coincidentally with a calf injury. Wilson said he had been a great mentor for the players during their two-week build-up. "Will's been awesome and he's such an integral part of our group, and he's obviously a bit older now and he really mentors a lot of the young players in the team and is just a calming influence. "Obviously it's heartbreaking for him to miss this match, but no doubt he'll be ready to go in a few weeks."
Perth Now
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Wallabies warned Test against Fiji is a danger game
Fiji have warned the Wallabies of the danger of treating their Test match as a warm-up for the upcoming British and Irish Lions series as the Pacific islanders look to make history in Newcastle. After wrecking Australia's World Cup campaign two years ago in France with their first win over the Wallabies in 69 years, Fiji have set their sights on going back-to-back for the first time. The teams will compete for the Vuvale Bowl, with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka, a former Test front-rower, to present the trophy. Skipper Tevita Ikanivere says his side is up for the challenge and will take advantage if the Wallabies have an eye on the Lions, whom they face in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19. "No Fiji team has gone two in a row to beat the Wallabies yet and we're looking to be the first," said Ikanivere, who is the Drua hooker in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. "If they don't have their eyes both on us tomorrow, then I think they're in danger. "I know everybody there is hungry to try and beat us, to get us back, and we are too so it's going to be a great battle." Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson wasn't part of that World Cup debacle but said they had watched plenty of vision of the last meeting between the countries to know the threat Fiji posed. He said his team wouldn't be holding anything back for the Lions. "We're going out there to win," the No.8 said. "The last time we versed Fiji two years ago we had a tough loss there and it's such a massive battle. "Obviously we've been keeping our eyes on the Lions, watching the Super clubs verse them, but for us a Test match against Fiji, it doesn't get much bigger than that so we'll be throwing everything at them to make sure we go out there and get the result." The Queensland forward, who will lead the team out for the eighth time, said a win was more important than a perfect performance as they looked to build some momentum. A loss would severely rock their confidence ahead of the massive challenge of taking on the Lions in three Tests. "It's massively important so we're going out there we want to win," the 25-year-old said. "It's going to be such a tough Test match and we come out of a win it would be a really good start to our season. "Winning becomes a habit and I felt last year we had a lot of growth as a team and we put ourselves in a pretty good position by the end of the year and for us, we really want to expand from there and just keep putting out performances we're proud of." The Wallabies will be without two key forwards with Will Skelton and Rob Valetini both battling calf injuries. Flanker Valetini will rejoin the camp in Brisbane next Friday when the Wallabies squad for the Lions is unveiled while France-based lock Skelton has remained with the team. Skelton was Wallabies captain at the World Cup but missed the Fiji match, coincidentally with a calf injury. Wilson said he had been a great mentor for the players during their two-week build-up. "Will's been awesome and he's such an integral part of our group, and he's obviously a bit older now and he really mentors a lot of the young players in the team and is just a calming influence. "Obviously it's heartbreaking for him to miss this match, but no doubt he'll be ready to go in a few weeks."
