Pasifika Sipoti – Weekend Results

Fiji Airways underperforms but is praised

Former Fiji Flyers player Vaisalai Serevi said the team put in a good performance in their match against the Barbarians in London on Sunday morning despite losing 45-32.

The team arrived in London on Friday, trained on Saturday and played on Sunday.

They only have one European player available after France, while the home club did not release the Fijian player named in the initial list.

“I am so proud of all my flying Fijian brothers,” Serevi said in a message to the players.

“You arrived on Thursday, had team activities on Friday and played on Saturday. We had a great game and it wasn’t until the last 10 minutes that the travel got to you.

“If you ask a Tier 1 team to do that, they won’t do it, and only we can do it through Christ who gives us strength.”

Serevi, now the newly appointed coach of the Indian sevens team, said the fact that the players on the list were not released was disappointing but the players of the Fiji Drua team had withstood the test.

Fiji Flyers captain Meli Drenaragi said he was happy with the result despite losing the match at Twickenham Stadium.

“Looking back at the progress we’ve made, looking back at every obstacle we’ve faced, and standing up today, I want to thank my brothers for their tenacity and the courage they showed in the game, they did a great job,” said Drenaraj after the game.

“We travelled a long way to be here on Thursday night and our presence today showed what I and the boys have been training for and how we have been playing. I salute the boys for the way they have been playing.”

He said the team’s performance would likely have been better if they had spent more time together in London.

Fijian winger Epeli Momo scored a hat trick, but the team still lost in the end.

Derenalagi finished sixth for his impressive performance.

The match was the farewell match for former All Blacks captain Sam Whitelock.

American AP Association The 35-year-old striker, who has won two World Cup titles with New Zealand, was greeted with loud applause from all corners of the stadium in southwest London as he left the pitch towards the end of the match, the report said.

Whitelock performed well at lock alongside England international David Ribbans against a surging Fiji side.

Former England winger Jonny May scored twice for the Barbarians, with other goals coming from Lachlan Boshier (twice), Chay Phehaki, Zach Mercer and New Zealand international Lester Fegaanuku.

Boshier opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Fiji fought back with extended attacks and Momo.

They scored twice before May scored a try and Fega Anuku equalised at half-time.

The two wingers crossed again before Momo scored a hat trick to get Fiji back into the game.

A touchdown and a penalty by Kem Vallettini gave Fiji the lead late in the game, but the Barbarians scored two more points late in the game to win the game.

Other Barbarians players include Gold Coast-born Jack Cornelsen, the son of Kangaroos player Greg Cornelsen in the 1970s and 1980s who represented Japan internationally, and former Kangaroos prop Scott Sio.

The star-studded Baa-Baas team, coached by former Wallabies mentor Robbie Deans, were chased hard by Fiji, with contributions from Momo’s three touchdowns, Kemueli Valentini’s 10 points and five-eighth Caleb Muntz’s seven points.

The Fiji Flyers are currently preparing for a single test match against Georgia on July 5 before they face the All Blacks in San Diego on July 20.

Blues Pacific Islanders lead the way

The Blues broke a 21-year Super Rugby title drought, beating the Chiefs 41-10 at a packed Eden Park on Saturday to claim the title that had eluded them since 2003.

It was the first time in the 28-year history of the two New Zealand teams that they met in a final and the Blues dominated, with the Pacific Islander players playing an integral role in their team’s victory.

The team is led by captain Patrick Tuipulotu, who is of Samoan descent, and other players also have Samoan connections, including brothers Akira and Rieko Ioane, Mark Tele’a, Caleb Clarke, AJ Lam and Angua Ta’avao.

Their Tongan heritage players are Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Joshua Fusitu’a and Taufa Funaki.

Number eight, Hoskins Sotutu, is a Fijian player.

Clarke scored a hat trick in the game, while Lin also contributed a try of his own.

Sotutu faced off against Chiefs opposite Wallace Sititi and recorded an impressive win.

The Chiefs also have a number of players of Tongan descent, including Jimmy Tupou, Tupou Vaa’i, Samipeni Finau, Sititi, Emoni Narawa and Quinn Tupaea.

Heavy rain in Auckland made the ball slippery throughout.

But factory workers showed up in large numbers despite the rain and cold, and the tickets were sold out.

Captain Patrick Tuipulotu set the example for the Blues, time and again he led the Chiefs forward and advanced metres with the ball in hand.

He impressed in his return from injury four weeks earlier than originally planned and received a standing ovation from the home fans when he was substituted and named man of the match.

“It was unreal to see the players on the bench in the last two minutes of the game, I can’t describe the feeling, I was so happy,” Tuiplotu said after the game.

“It’s been a long time coming and we’re really proud of the work our team put in to get this win.

“It’s important for this team, a lot of them are young, and we want to add to the tradition of Blues rugby. I think we can be proud to have done that.”

The Chiefs defended valiantly, but on a joyless night, they were overwhelmed by the opposing team’s strength.

Chiefs captain Lick Jacobson said after the game that they were outplayed by a strong Blues team.

“It was a tough game tonight. First of all, thanks to the Blues — you guys are having a great season. You guys stepped up from the start tonight and made it hard for us to continue,” Jacobson said.

“It’s really a shame we couldn’t get it done tonight.”

Vanuatu beach volleyball players miss out

The Vanuatu women’s beach volleyball team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

The team lost 0-2 to New Zealand in the final of the Intercontinental Cup Olympic qualifiers in Ningbo, China at the weekend.

New Zealand won both sets 21-17 and 21-17.

The Vanuatu Beach Volleyball team said it will return to Australia where the players are based as seasonal workers and continue preparations for other international tournaments.

The players who made it to the quarter-finals were Sherysyn Toko, Majabelle Lawac, Linline Matauatu, Loti Joe and Luduine Tebeim (reserve).

The team is coached by Shanon Zunker and staffed by Myles Burfield.

Fiji Rugby Championship

Nadroga became Fiji’s new Skippers Cup champions after defeating Suva 22-17 in Saturday’s final.

The Captain’s Cup is the top men’s rugby competition organised by the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU).

Suva are the defending champions.

The FRU said Nadroga’s side pushed forward with unyielding determination in the final minutes of the match.

Quick passes, breakaways and last-second tries secured their victory.

Nadroga head coach Aka Latuwa said it was a tough game.

“It was a very tough game today and the result might not have been what we wanted, but we are thankful to have gotten the win,” said the former Nadroga and Fijian winger.

“After losing to Naitasiri in the Firablaze final, we prepared more because we didn’t want to miss out on this win. It was a life-or-death moment and there was so much passion in today’s game. As a result, the boys showed how much they love Nadroga and the game of rugby.”

The league’s under-20 team also won the championship, defeating Naitasiri 43-36.

In the ANZ MARAMA Cup, Suva retained their title by defeating Namosi 31-29 in the final.