Rugby

Samoa Rugby Union's head coach Ieremia is in Fiji for the 2016 World Rugby Pacific Challenge as the manager of the Samoa A team.

Talking about the general standard of rugby on display by the three island nations in the tournament, the once feared backline utility feels improvements are being made.

"The game is actually moving towards suiting Pacific Islanders. The openness and making sure of the ball skills of island forwards is very critical now," he told the Fiji Times.

The “Tongan Thor” as he is commonly known, but Taniela Tupou by birth certificate, the Kiwi schoolboy internet sensation who was poached by Queensland despite being eyed by the All Blacks, made his debut Sydney appearance and certainly made an impression.

There is uncertainty over whether the upgrading of the stadium will be completed in time, the Prime Minister, ‘Akilisi Pohiva told the Tongan parliament this week.

Initially, the upgrading of Teufaiva Stadium was the responsibility of the 2019 Pacific Games Organizing Committee, but a recent shift in the responsibility for the development of facilities for the Pacific Games has seen the Prime Minister and government directly involved, and the upgrading of Teufaiva Stadium is now their responsibility.

The tournament will be played at the ANZ Stadium in Suva, with match days on 8, 12 and 17 March with the final on 21 March.

Four teams will take part in the round-robin competition. Hosts Fiji Warriors will be joined by their island neighbours Tonga A and Samoa A along with Junior Japan.  

World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "The Pacific Challenge is a key developmental tournament, which creates a quality competition pathway for our high performance investment unions.

A former Tongan rugby captain has called on Pacific Island rugby unions to refuse to release their players to New Zealand clubs until the clubs can prove they have a full support plan in place.

Inoke Afeaki was commenting on revelations that some clubs and agents are bending immigration rules to find jobs for Pacific players to keep them in the country longer.

The Daily Telegraph reports the National Rugby League club has met with Williams' agent Khoder Nasser in the past week and will attempt to lure the headline grabbing All Black midfielder back to Bondi Junction with a lifetime contract.

Roosters boss Nick Politis wants Williams wearing a tri-colours jersey as soon as this year — and he's prepared to offer him a multi-million-dollar lifetime contract to make it happen.

‘Amanaki Mafi, 25, married Azusa Arita, 27, after flying in from Japan.

Arita’s parents, Tetsuya and Kanako Arita, accompanied them and ‘Amanaki’s parents, Uilini and Tevita Puli Mafi, travelled from Tonga for the ceremony.

Mafi told Kaniva News he was happy to be in New Zealand with his wife.

An event that used to be sold out in as little as half an hour is now struggling sell tickets.

The obvious question is why have the ticket sales slumped?

The wowsers have ruined things for the majority and the organisers have strangled the event so tight that it is struggling to breathe and may end up being killed off.

In other matches former Wallaby George Smith's Wasps sealed their last eight place with the English club recording a crushing 51-10 home victory over Irish side Leinster.

English club Wasps looked like they had beaten the defending champions when Guy Thompson scored in the corner, but Toulon replied with an injury-time try to Wallabies wing Drew Mitchell for a vital 15-11 win.

Running off a perfectly timed pass from Nonu, Mitchell hit the gas and sped away for the crucial try, and the win that takes Toulon to the top of Pool 5.