rugby league

  The Fijian side relocated to Australia six months ago to compete in the Ron Massey Cup, after last year's competition was cancelled because of Covid-19.

The Silktails managed six wins, six losses and one draw in 13 matches before the competition was suspended at the start of July, with their last hitout a 26-16 win over Blacktown Workers on 24 June.

The Warriors entered the contest needing a win to keep their finals ambitions on life support, only for the ruthless Rabbitohs to pull the plug with an 11-try rout of the injury-decimated Kiwi side.

Now placed 14th on the ladder and three wins outside the top eight with six games left, Brown admits a finals berth is now out of their reach.

"I think that [the finals] is starting to look beyond us now, if we are being truthful," Brown says.

Son of former All Black Marty Berry, Rocco made the surprise move to the Warriors after starring in First XV rugby for St. Patrick's Silverstream College in 2019.

Having made his NRL debut this season, the 19-year-old has already impressed the Warriors management enough to earn a contract extension through to 2024.

"I've grown up being a Warriors fan and to have my future here sorted it's something I can't wait for," Berry said.

Dragons fullback Matt Dufty had touched down from an Adam Clune grubber with 20 minutes to go, and St George Illawarra looked on track to claim their fifth straight win.

But Tuivasa-Sheck beat Jack Bird and Tariq Sims to put his team in front with 15 minutes to play.

Warriors five-eighth Kodi Nikorima added a penalty goal shortly afterwards, capping a faultess kicking performance which included three conversions.

The 29-year-old is currently playing rugby for the Red Hurricanes in Japan, but his contract with New Zealand Rugby is due to expire at the end of this year.

The Roosters have injuries at hooker and Perenara is seen as a potential No 9 option should he switch codes.

Robinson got Sonny Bill Williams back to the Roosters midway through last season, six years after the dual international had left league to chase another rugby World Cup with the All Blacks.

The home side played much of the game with only one healthy interchange player after Joe Tapine (ankle), Ryan James and Sebastian Kris (both head injury assessments) were ruled out.

And they still found some energy to try to steal the victory when Jordan Rapana was stretching out for the corner with only seconds left on the clock. Tuivasa-Sheck's reach was that little bit longer, knocking the ball from the winger's grasp.

The Warriors have had mixed results this NRL season with the team burdened by the huge sacrifice of relocating to Australia and the shock mid-season axing of coach Stephen Kearney in June, while four players returned home after the NRL failed to get exemptions for their families to join them in New South Wales.

But Faumuinā believes some disappointing results might reflect a mismatch in values.

"Looking at the last 25 years, there's enough evidence to say yes they don't [understand the culture]," he said.

The kingdom captured the attention of the sporting world in 2017 when they upset New Zealand in pool play and went within a whisker of reaching the grand final.

The draw for the 2021 World Cup was released on Tuesday with Tonga to play their opening two matches against Papua New Guinea and Wales in St Helens before rounding out pool play against the Cook Islands in Middlesborough.

"I think we're in a tough little pool actually," acknowledged head coach Kristian Woolf, who's been in the top job since 2014.

The Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) was expelled by the IRL membership in March.

The governing body confirmed last week it had received an expression of interest from Tonga Ma'a Tonga Rugby League (TMTRL) to be the new recognised member of the international federation.

An Implementation Committee appointed by the IRL is currently working with TMTRL to prepare an application for new membership from Tonga and hopes to hold an inaugural AGM in the next couple of weeks.

The 32-year-old is back in Brisbane after wrapping up his debut season with the Kintetsu Liners in Japan’s second-tier Top Challenge League in January.

Cooper still has another eight months until he is due to return to Japan for playing duties, and is contemplating asking Kintestu for permission to explore a short-term NRL deal before the June 30 transfer deadline.