Afleveringen
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 50 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Monday morning 27 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In Rugby: So the Fijian Drua were smashed 3-33 by the Highlanders in Dunedin yesterday, cementing their reputation as a one trick pony and a blight on Mick Byrne’s reputation.
Entering the final round of Super Rugby Pacific this weekend, the ladder has the same Top 4 – Hurricanes, Blues, Chiefs and Brumbies, followed by 5th Reds on 36 points, Highlanders on 28, Rebels 26 and Fijian Drua on 21 points.
The Force & Crusaders on 19 and Moana Pasifika on 18 points are all in with a chance of catching the Drua.
In rugby league: A new era for the NSW Blues, with Michael Maguire dropping incumbent Captain James Tedesco and naming six debutants in his 19-man squad ahead of ORIGIN 01.
The Sydney Roosters fullback, who has 22 State of Origins to his name, was overlooked with 2022 Clive Churchill Medalist Dylan Edwards set to make his Blues debut, and the reliable Jake Trbojevic named as the new NSW Blues Captain.
The NSW Blues Squad: 1. Dylan Edwards (Panthers), 2. Brian To’o (Panthers), 3. Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs), 4. Joseph Sua’ali’i (Sydney Roosters), 5. Zac Lomax (St George Dragons), 6. Jarome Luai (Panthers), 7. Nicholas Hynes (Cronulla Sharks), 8. Jake Trbojevic (c) (Manly Sea Eagles), 9. Reece Robson (Cowboys), 10. Payne Haas (Broncos), 11. Liam Martin (Panthers), 12. Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters), 13. Cameron McInnes (Cronulla Sharks), 14. Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
15. Haumole Olakau’atu (Manly Sea Eagles), 16. Spencer Leniu (Sydney Roosters), 17. Hudson Young (Raiders), 18. Matt Burton (Bulldogs), 19. Luke Keary (Sydney Roosters) and 20. Mitchell Barnett (NZ Warriors).
In Football: Leeds United face a desperate 'fire sale' after failing to secure promotion back into the Premier League following their 1-0 loss to Southampton in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium early this morning, becoming the only team in English football history to lose four play-off finals having lost their previous three in 1987, 2006 and 2008.
In SportsBiz: Rafael Nadal has won US$27Million in prizemoney at the French Open since his first appearance in 2005.
Nadal already has a statue at the French Open, has won 14 singles titles there and lost only three times.
The Spanish tennis legend is playing for the final time at Roland-Garros this year.
In Super netball: The Melbourne Vixens sensationally ended West Coast Fever’s hot run, ruining their six game winning streak in a fierce 76-65 top of the table clash.
The Giants climbed off the bottom of the Super Netball ladder, leading from start to finish to defeat expansion team the Melbourne Mavericks 59-66 at John Cain Arena.
It was just the second win of the season for the Giants and continued the Mavericks’ winless run on their home court.
Sunshine Coast Lightning have continued their stunning return to form, notching up consecutive Super Netball wins, this time by 11 points against the Queensland Firebirds.
After recovering from a slow start the Lighting weren’t headed for the rest of the game, which they won 76-65 to claim their 11th straight Queensland Derby.
And the Adelaide Thunderbirds created history, keeping the NSW Swifts to Super Netball’s lowest ever score in a 33-58 drubbing on Saturday night.
Finally, only in Monaco with the F1 Grand prix today: The Monte Carlo harbour is famously referred to as the “billionaires playground” with most yachts parked in the harbour owned by multi-billionaires.
The luxury and extravagance of the principality rises significantly during F1 Monaco race week: At least one party package to have access to a luxury yacht parked in the harbour for the full week will set you back US$2.6Million.
And the winner was – Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari, followed by the Aussie Oscar Piastri in a McLaren and Carlos Sainz for Ferrari.
Does Ferrari really need Sir Lewis?
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 49 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Sunday morning 26 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In Rugby: Moana Pasifika you beauty!
Our PI Bros delivered a shock upset, tripping up the NSW Waratahs 12-27 in Auckland yesterday.
This was followed by the Crusaders bossing the Blues 27-29 down south for All Blacks spots, and the Reds crossing for nine tries to hammer the Force 13-59.
So today – it’s Moana Pasifika taking on the Highlanders in Dunedin at 2.05pm.
In rugby league: BOOM The Panthers delivered a Shark Park masterclass, downing Cronulla 42 zip after a horror injury blow to superstar halfback Nicho Hynes, who left the field for a HIA in the first half never to return.
Hynes remained sidelined due to calf tightness, with Sharks medicos opting to put him on ice due to the ballooning score line which was Penrith’s biggest ever win in the Shire.
In Football: In one of the biggest upsets in English football, Manchester United has beaten Manchester City 1-2 at Wembley early this morning to snatch the FA Cup!
But will it be enough to save under-pressure Man U Manager Eric10?
In SportsBiz: It is estimated that the principality of Monaco pays US$20Million annually to host Formula One’s most iconic race, which will run this weekend as defending champion Max Verstappen vies for his sixth win this season.
That fee is lower than what any other grand prix host shells out, and F1 owner Liberty Media is seeking additional funds from Monaco as negotiations to extend its contract beyond 2025 continue, according to Bloomberg.
While 200,000 Formula One fans typically visit Monaco during race weekend, its full-time population is less than 40,000.
In the WNBA: Finally, the Indiana Fever beat the Los Angeles Sparks 73-78 last night, to snap a season-opening five-game skid in front of a record Sparks crowd of 19,103 in LA.
And Caitlin Clark scored 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for her first WNBA double-double, after missing her first seven 3-point attempts, but finally made one with 2:27 remaining in the game, triggering an explosion of cheers and applause.
Go Caitlin Go!
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 48 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Saturday morning 25 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In Rugby: As we tipped it, the Brumbies thrashed the Melbourne Rebels 17-53 last night. It’s up to the Fijian Drua now to take their game to the Highlanders in Dunedin tomorrow afternoon and cement their place in Super Rugby Pacific’s Top 8.
Meanwhile, World Rugby is delighted to announce the 25 inspiring female leaders from around the world that will participate in the “Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme” 2024 and 2025, driving visibility of female leaders from within the rugby family and helping to accelerate the development of the women and girls’ game, on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
The 25 scholars on the programme will be granted access to the best learning programmes from the Capgemini University.
They will also be eligible to apply for an additional discretionary grant of up to £5000 to help aid their development and learning.
The five scholarship winners from the Pacific are:
Harriet Kate Tuara (Cook Islands)
Matilda K. Tigilai (Papua New Guinea)
Lailanie Burnes (Fiji)
Pauline-Jean Henrietta Luyten (New Zealand)
Fiona Brady (Australia)
In rugby league: Manly Sea Eagles season is back on track after a 26-20 win over the Storm at 4 Pines Park in a shock upset last night.
Manly led 26-14 with nine minutes left after Reuben Garrick knocked over a penalty goal, but had to survive a frenetic Storm comeback.
Melbourne scored to make it 26-20 and then had three straight sets on the Sea Eagles line, but the home side held their nerve to record a deserved win.
In Football: Barcelona has fired Spanish Head Coach Xavi Hernandez.
He will leave his role after Sunday's final game of the season.
"FC Barcelona wishes to thank Xavi for his work as Coach, as well as for his inimitable career as a player and as team Captain, and wishes him every future success in the world," the Club said.
Xavi's Barcelona on 82 points, with a game against Seville to go, will finish second in their LaLiga campaign, already won by rivals Real Madrid, with 94 points in 37 matches won the domestic title in previous weeks.
Besides LaLiga, this season Barcelona failed in the UEFA Champions League, Spain's Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
In SportsBiz: The WTA entered into a five-year partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) that will see the PIF become the first-ever title sponsor of the WTA Rankings system - now the PIF ATP Rankings, and sponsorship across a bevy of events, such as joint ATP/WTA Masters tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid and Beijing’s WTA 1000 tournament and ATP 500 tournaments.
The World Tennis Association is slated to host its year-end finals in Riyadh for the next three seasons in a move that, in 2024, will see the event offer a record US$15.25Million in prize money, up from US$9M in 2023.
In combat sports: Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Oleksandr Usyk will appear in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's new movie.
The film, ‘The Smashing Machine’ is based on the life of Mark Kerr and will star Johnson as the lead role.
Usyk will play MMA legend Igor Vovchanchyn. This will be Usyk's first time acting in a movie and was announced just days after he defeated Tyson Fury.
No release date for the film has been revealed yet.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 47 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Friday morning 24 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In Rugby: There will be more to play for than ever before in the history of the international rugby 7s Series starting 31 May in Madrid.
World Rugby’s new winner takes all-Grand Final format, featuring only the Top 8 Men’s and Women’s teams, will crown the first ever SVNS Champions.
Meanwhile the promotion-relegation Play Off competition will see the next best eight men’s and women’s teams playing for their future HSBC SVNS place, especially Samoa.
In rugby league: New Zealand Warriors star, Addin Fonua-Blake has been stood down by the Club following a ‘breach of club standards’, the team announced yesterday.
According to the NZ Warriors, the gun prop left the dressing room following the team’s Magic Round victory over Penrith in Brisbane, missing the team song and coach Andrew Webster’s post-game speech.
Full disclosure, AFB is also related to my wife, so no further comment.
In Football: The English Premier League season ended with a record performance from Manchester City becoming the first Club to win the title four years in a row.
That first-place finish comes with a nice bonus this year, too. Man City can expect to receive roughly US$79Million from the EPL’s system of merit payments.
Man City, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi–based City Football Group, is one of a growing number of Clubs owned by Americans and owners of US-based sports franchises including:
· 2nd: Arsenal, Stan Kroenke (Rams, Nuggets, Avalanche, Mammoth)
· 3rd: Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group (Red Sox, Penguins)
· 4th: Aston Villa, Wes Edens (former Bucks co-owner)
· 6th: Chelsea, Todd Boehly (investments in Dodgers, Sparks, Lakers)
· 8th: Manchester United, Glazer family (Buccaneers)
· 10th: Crystal Palace, John Textor (multiclub portfolio Eagle Football Holdings)
· 12th: Bournemouth, Bill Foley (Golden Knights)
· 13th: Fulham, Shad Khan (Jaguars)
· 19th: Burnley, New York–based ALK Capital
In SportsBiz: The Rugby World Cup 2023 hosted in France last year generated €1.8 billion of spend and a net gain for the host country of €871 million according to an impact study commissioned by the French Ministry of Sport.
An in-depth analysis of Rugby World Cup’s hosting benefits to boost the host nation’s economy also shows:
425,000 international visitors (72 per cent from Europe) staying 10 days on average in France and spending €170 a day
39 per cent of the total tourist spend benefitted local communities outside of the RWC2023 host cities
Estimated public funding of €70M for security, stadiums and fanzones covered by €84M in tax revenue collected from RWC 2023
A 12 per cent increase of registered rugby players in France between February 2023 and February 2024
In combat sports: Ryan Garcia's B-sample returned an adverse finding for the banned substance Ostarine, according to a Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory report viewed by ESPN.
The A-sample, which was collected the day before and the day of his upset win over Devin Haney last month, returned an adverse finding for Ostarine on May 1.
Ostarine aids performance by helping athletes build muscle mass and enhance their rate of fat loss, as well as to increase stamina and recovery, and has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list since 2008.
"I don't know where the adverse finding came from," Garcia told ESPN on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"Honestly, bro, I don't. I was taking Ashwagandha, D-3, Omega-3, just normal shit.
“I don't know what the F#@* Ostarine is. ... I have seriously no idea.
“I hate cheating. All I can say is legal team, help me figure this out."
Darin Chavez, part of Garcia's legal team, told ESPN a formal hearing with the New York State Athletic Commission will be set to "absolve Garcia of any wrongdoing."
"Ryan voluntarily had his hair sample shipped to Dr. Pascal Kintz, the foremost expert in toxicology and hair-sample analysis," Chavez said. "The results of Ryan's hair sample came back negative."
In the WNBA: Caitlin Clark has landed a partnership with Wilson, which has supplied the official ball of the WNBA since 2021.
The deal includes a signature basketball collection, making the Indiana Fever rookie, the first since Michael Jordan to be given such an honor.
A total of 18,343 people packed Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena for a chance to see Clark, setting a franchise record for the highest attendance in Storm history, where courtside seats to watch the Indiana Fever's number 22 up close cost over US$10,000.
In five games in the WNBA, Clark has sold out every arena where she has played, but Indiana fever lost again and so far this season they are 0 from 5 games.
So, when will Caitlin Clark fever die down?
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 46 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Thursday morning 23 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In Rugby: The Queensland Rugby Union has signed George Blake, who can play prop or hooker, through to the end of 2026.
Blake came off the bench to score a try at hooker for the Reds in their 28-19 loss to the Fijian Drua in Suva last Saturday.
“I’m excited for the future. It’s a good challenge to have to play both prop and hooker and nail your skills,” Blake said.
“I’m still young and learning the tricks of the front-row. It’s good to be doing that off the older boys at the Reds in Super Rugby Pacific this season.
George Blake is 110Kg, 1.84M born in the Cook Islands and made his Queensland Reds debut in 2023 versus the Western Force. So far he has 9 caps for the Reds.
Full disclosure – he is my wife’s nephew so I have little . . er I am delighted to feature this story!
In rugby league: After weeks of speculation that a deal had already been verbally agreed, South Sydney has rubber stamped master coach Wayne Bennett returning as Head Coach next year, on a three-year contract worth a reported A$3.6Million, after his contract with the Dolphins expires at the end of this season.
In Football: Liverpool confirmed yesterday that Dutchman and Feyenoord Coach Arne Slot will be their new Manager, 24 hours after Jurgen Klopp’s emotional farewell at Anfield.
Slot, 45 will take up the position of Manager on 01 June, widely reported in the British media to be a three-year deal, subject to a work permit.
Liverpool reportedly agreed a compensation deal worth £9.4Million.
In SportsBiz: Since the May 14 start of the season, the WNBA has seen:
· A new single-game ticket revenue record as the New York Liberty generated more than US$2Million from their win over the Indiana Fever at Barclays Center
· An average attendance of 8730 up 32% from the league’s full-season average in 2023 of 6615
· An ESPN viewership record for the WNBA with an average draw of 2.1 million for the Fever–Connecticut Sun game on 15 May
In combat sports: "I think that ship has sailed," Dustin Poirier said in response to a question from ESPN regarding a fourth fight with Conor McGregor. "All I want is the UFC Lightweight title."
McGregor returns to action for the first time since breaking his leg against Poirier three years ago against Michael Chandler at UFC303, while Poirier returns to the Octagon in UFC302 on 01 June to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight title.
In the NBA: “Be a horse,” Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James’ advice to Caitlin Clark - “Put your blinders on. Go to work. Show up to work. Punch yo clock in. Prepare yourself. Work on your game. Work on your craft. Kinda keep your mouth shut and just learn from the vets.”
Yo Caitlin, be a horse!
And that’s a whip, I mean a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 45 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Tuesday morning 21 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In combat sports: Nobody believes Tyson Fury’s wild claims that he won the fight, especially when you look at the way Usyk had him in BIG trouble in the 9th round.
In Rugby: China Women formerly coached by Osea Kolinisau and now coached by Rocky Ali and Uruguay Men were crowned World Rugby HSBC 7s Challenger 2024 Champions, and so qualifying for HSBC SVNS promotion-relegation competition in Madrid on 31 May-2 June against the big boys and girls.
Argentina, Belgium and Poland join China in the Women’s HSBC SVNS play-off, while Uruguay, Chile, Kenya and Germany qualify for the Men’s competition.
Tonga Men were thrashed 42-14 by Hong Kong in their quarterfinal, while Papua New Guinea Men disappeared somewhere.
In rugby league: BREAKING NEWS: The Parramatta Eels have sacked Head Coach Brad Arthur after their horror 16-48 loss to a depleted Storm side in Magic Round, but the call was actually made weeks ago and players didn’t even know when it became public yesterday afternoon.
The Eels Board attempted to sign Wayne Bennett as a replacement a few weeks ago, but failed to convince Bennett NOT to rejoin South Sydney.
In Football: Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool’s fans as the “superpower of world football” after his final match as Manager ended in a 2-0 win at home to Wolves on an emotional day at Anfield on Sunday.
The German led the Club to Champions League glory in 2019 — the sixth time they had been crowned European champions.
The following season he secured his place as a Liverpool great by winning their first Premier League title for 30 years, the 19th time they had been crowned English champions.
He also lifted the FA Cup and won two League Cups in his spell.
Liverpool won the League Cup final against Chelsea in February but crashed out of the FA Cup against Manchester United and the Europa League against Atalanta.
Their Premier League title bid also faded quickly, but by finishing third Liverpool have qualified for next season’s Champions League.
In SportsBiz: A wild and chaotic PGA Championship on and off the course, ended with a dramatic finish Sunday evening as American standout and PGA Tour loyalist Xander Schauffele birdied the final hole to beat LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke.
Schauffele takes home US$3.3Million for his first major championship title at Valhalla Golf Club, bringing his total earnings so far in 2024 to just under US$11M.
That puts him in second place on the PGA Tour this year, behind only Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who has made more than US$19M on the course.
Scheffler finished tied for eighth at the PGA Championship—a solid result considering he nearly missed his second round tee time Friday morning after being arrested following an incident just outside the golf course.
In the NBA: The Minnesota Timberwolves have completed the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history, overcoming a 20-point deficit to stun the Denver Nuggets 90-98 and sending the defending champions packing.
Minnesota trailed 58-38 early in the third quarter, with Denver seemingly on track to book its place in the Western Conference Finals.
Bye bye Donic.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 44 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Monday morning 20 May 2024.
Happy Birthday Ann!
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In combat sports: Oleksandr Usyk will only be able to call himself undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion for a couple more weeks.
Despite winning “the fight of the century” against Tyson Fury via split decision in Saudi Arabia yesterday, and claiming the Gypsy King’s WBC title, which the Ukranian Warrior added to his WBA, IBF and WBO belts – the first time one man has done so in over 25 years, his status will only last a matter of two weeks.
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael has reported that both Fury and Usyk’s contracts recognised that they must vacate the IBF title ahead of overdue mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic’s bout with Daniel Dubois on 01 June.
In Rugby: While the Top 4 – Blues, Hurricanes, Brumbies and Chiefs are locked in for the Super Rugby Pacific play-off finals, there is still some wiggle room in the make-up of positions 5 – 8 where the Reds, Highlanders, Force, Drua and Rebels are all in the running.
Our world famous tips for the last two rounds of Super Rugby Pacific 2024:
· The Reds should beat the Force and the Tahs in their remaining two games for fifth
· The Rebels will find it very tough against the Brumbies and the Drua to hang on to sixth
· The Highlanders should be good enough to stay in the Top 8 with games against the Drua at home and the Hurricanes away
· The Force are on a roll, but have two tough games in the Reds away and the Brumbies in Perth
· The Fijian Drua will be lucky to beat the Highlanders in Dunedin, but are good enough to smash the Rebels in Lautoka
So our tip for 5th are the Reds, 6th Highlanders, the Fijian Drua in 7th and the Rebels to finish 8th.
In rugby league: Results from the last day of NRL Magic Round at Suncorp yesterday: The New Zealand Warriors 22-20 Penrith Panthers, the Melbourne Storm 48-16 Parramatta Eels and in the last game of magic round - Wests Tigers fell to the Dolphins 24-12.
In Super Netball: Giants star Jamie-Lee Price has become the first player sent-off under Super Netball’s new no-warning suspension rules in her side’s 76-52 loss to the NSW Swifts yesterday.
The Giants co-captain lasted just eight minutes before being sent from the court for dangerous play, leaving her team a woman down for two minutes.
Super Netball’s newest team, the Melbourne Mavericks nabbed their second win of the season - sinking the Queensland Firebirds 62-69.
The star of the show and match MVP was experienced Jamaican, Shimona Jok who finished with 52 goals from 57 shots.
And finally, Liz Watson led her new team, Sunshine Coast Lightning, to a bittersweet 64-57 win over her former side, the Melbourne Vixens.
In Football: Manchester City became the first team to claim four-consecutive Premier League titles with a 3-1 win over West Ham on the final day of the EPL.
Premier League player of the season, Phil Foden scored an early brace – including a stunning strike just 78 seconds in – before Rodri sealed City’s historic win in the second half.
The relentless City machine, led by mastermind Pep G, withstood any nerves to seal a sixth title in seven seasons.
In SportsBiz: “Brisbane is the home of Magic Round, and I’m very pleased that we will be back here until 2027.
It’s just reward for the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council who had the foresight to partner with us on this initiative,” Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys AM.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 43 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Sunday morning 19 May 2024.
Happy birthday Amete!
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In combat sports: Oleksandr Usyk has beaten Tyson Fury by split decision: 115-112, 113-114, 114-113 to hand the Gypsy King his first loss and become the new undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
A ninth round knockdown was crucial for Usyk, although Fury protested the decision afterwards, declaring he won the fight.
“I believe I won that fight,” he said.
“He won a few rounds but I won more of them.... his country’s at war so people are siding with the country at war.
“Make no mistake I won that fight and I’ll be back in October.
Samoan-Australian fighter Jai Opetaia won the vacant IBF World Cruiserweight title following a bloody 12-round bout with Mairis Briedis.
Opetaia reclaimed the title, which was stripped from him last year, with a unanimous decision 117-111, 116-112, 116-112.
In Super Rugby Pacific games yesterday: The Fijian Drua posted a solid 28-19 win against the Reds with Captain Tex Ikanivere scoring a double and Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula nailing a penalty in extra time for the bonus point.
Their remaining games are against the Highlanders away in Dunedin and the Rebels back in Lautoka on Saturday 01 June.
In other results yesterday: The Brumbies 31-24 Crusaders, Blues 47-13 Highlanders and the Force 27-7 Waratahs.
In rugby league: “They absolutely are the real deal,” Corey Parker said on Fox League after the clash, while Roosters captain James Tedesco said “they proved why they are top of the table”.
You bet, the Cronulla Sharks cemented their spot atop the NRL ladder after out-blasting the Sydney Roosters 30-38 in a brilliant display of attacking football from both sides.
It was billed as the blockbuster of Magic Round, and delivered in spades as the NRL’s
two top-scoring attacking teams went toe-for-toe in a game that lived up to all the hype!
Meanwhile, doubles from Tom Dearden and semi-retired former Souths star Braidon Burns - promoted from Queensland Cup to replace Kyle Feldt, sealed the Cowboys 28-22 win over the Rabbitohs in a thriller at Suncorp, despite a late sin-binning setting up a crazy finish.
Our tips for NRL Magic Round today sees the New Zealand Warriors to wafer the Penrith Panthers, the Melbourne Storm to pavlova the Parramatta Eels and in the last game of magic round - Wests Tigers to drambuie the Dolphins.
In Football: Brazil will host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 after they were selected over a joint entry from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Brazil’s status in the hosting race grew last month after the US and Mexico withdrew their combined bid to focus on the 2031 tournament.
In SportsBiz: Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark helped bring in record ticket revenue for the New York Liberty in her first game in the Big Apple yesterday.
The Liberty had more than US$2Million in ticket revenue for the game at the Barclays Center, a WNBA record, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk about the team's revenue.
The game was sold out, with 17,735 fans in attendance, and tickets were hot on the secondary market.
Selling out arenas is nothing new for Clark. Her first three games with the Fever have been huge for attendance and TV ratings.
The Connecticut Sun sold out their home opener for the first time in 20 years. More than 17,000 fans turned out for the Fever's home opener against the Liberty on Thursday night.
Clark had one of the best games of her young pro career on Saturday, finishing with 22 points, including 15 in the first half, although the Fever lost 91-80.
She also understands her importance to the game, spending 10 minutes after warming up signing autographs for dozens of fans, including many young girls who waited patiently for the rookie.
“I thought the atmosphere was incredible," Clark said. “Definitely a lot of young girls here today — that was a lot of fun to see. It's fun to play in New York for the first time and play in front of this environment.”
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 42 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Saturday morning 18 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In two close Super Rugby Pacific games yesterday: The Hurricanes 32-24 Moana Pasifika and the Chiefs 26-23 Rebels.
It’s a fine looking day in Suva for the Fijian Drua vs the Reds at 2.05PM.
With one of the best Referees in the world in Angus Gardner officiating, it should be a cracker!
Apart from all the local rugby nuts, fans have flown in from Brisbane and Tonga – that’s right from the Kingdom, to support Reds 16 off the bench, George Blake.
In rugby league: “No, not at all,” ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys answered when asked if Papua New Guinea was locked in as the next NRL expansion team.
He also revealed the NRL is against basing a Papua New Guinea team in Australia, ahead of their meeting with the Australian Government yesterday, to discuss expansion.
While PNG are the firm favourites to be given the NRL’s 18th licence, V’landys stressed there’s still a few boxes to be ticked.
The first game of Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium between the Raiders and the Bulldogs finished four tries apiece, but the Raiders’ 100 per cent conversion rate proved to be the difference for a 24-20 win.
Later, the Broncos beat the Sea Eagles 12-13 with Jock Madden icing the game-winning field goal and Payne Haas scaring Blues selectors in a thriller at Suncorp last night.
Haas limped off with what looked like a serious ankle injury in the second half, but amazingly returned to finish the game.
Today we tip the Titans to timtam the Knights, the Sharks to shortbread the Sydney Roosters and Souths to cameo the Cowboys.
In Football: Leeds powered into the Championship playoff final as a three-goal first half blitz inspired their 4-0 rout of Norwich yesterday morning.
Leeds will face Southampton or West Bromwich Albion in the final at Wembley on 26 May.
The Championship playoff final is widely known as the most valuable game in sport, given the winning team can earn an estimated £265Million in additional revenue from TV deals, sponsorship and other income.
In SportsBiz: Both vehicle and pedestrian traffic around Dodger Stadium was jammed Thursday as fans eagerly sought a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead, the first of the superstar given away by the Dodgers since the Japanese star’s record-setting US$700Million contract signed in the offseason.
Only the first 40,000 fans were slated to receive the bobblehead, while the game against the Reds ultimately drew an attendance of 53,527, generating long lines of fans hours before the stadium gates opened.
Within that giveaway were 1,700 special versions of the bobblehead with Ohtani in a road gray uniform, and that limited edition is already fetching bids of more than US$1,600 on eBay.
In combat sports: All eyes are on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia tomorrow – for the unification of all the World Heavyweight Boxing titles, and where earlier in the week Tyson Fury said, “I do it for the dough. I fight for the prize, whether it be gold bars, gold coins, cash, cars – however you want to pay me. As long as I can make a drink on it, deal done.”
So, not for the legacy then?
“I’m not too concerned about what people are going to be saying in 100 years,” Fury told journalists. “The dust from our bones won’t exist in 100 years, never mind what they say about a boxing match in 100 years.”
All the Ukranian Warrior had to say was, “You never see a fat wolf in the forest.”
Finally, only in America: The world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler, was arrested yesterday in an unbelievable scene outside Valhalla, where he was due to start the second round of the PGA Championship.
According to ESPN, Scheffler tried to drive on a median strip around a police officer, for about 15M toward the entrance of the golf course before stopping.
The police officer then screamed at Scheffler to get out of the car, and when the golfer did, he was shoved against the vehicle and arrested with the police officer saying to an ESPN reporter: “Right now he’s going to jail, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it”.
Scheffler has since been charged with second degree assault of a police officer, reckless driving, third degree criminal mischief, and disregarding traffic signals from a police officer conducting traffic.
The world No.1 and reigning Masters champion, was the hot favourite to win the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy put a tough week behind him as he took a share of fifth at five-under with Scheffler and others, which started less than 48 hours after his divorce filing from wife Erica became public.
“It was pretty scrappy for the most part,” he said. “Some good up-and-downs.”
Not sure if McLlroy was talking about the golf, his marriage or his divorce!
So, entering the second round of action at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, American Xander Schauffele set a course record 62 yesterday morning.
He’s at 9-under with a three-shot lead over my cousin Tony Finau on -6 with and a couple of other guys.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 41 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Friday morning 17 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: The Fijian Drua XV vs the Reds tomorrow at 2.05PM in Suva: 15 I Droasese, 14 S Ravutaumada, 13 I Masi, 12 Waqa Nalaga, 11 E Momo, 10 I Armstrong-Ravula, 9 S Kuruvoli, 8 E Canakaivata, 7 K Salawa, 6 E Waqa, 5 I Nasilasila, 4 M Vocevoce, 3 M Doge, 2 T Ikanivere, 1 J Koroiduadua.
Replacements: 16 M Dolokoto, 17 E Tuqiri, 18 S Tawake, 19 TA Cirikidaveta, 20 V Miramira, 21 P Matawalu, 22 K Valetini, 23 T Rakuro.
The Reds main boys are: 14 Suliasi Vunivalu, 12 Hunter Paisami, 10 Lawson Creighton, 9 Tate McDemortt, 1 Peni Ravai and 16 George Blake, 18 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 19 Seru Uru and 22 James O’Connor – remember hom?
The Referee is one of the best in the world in Angus Gardner.
Let’s get ready to R U M B L E.
Also in rugby this weekend - the next best 12 Men’s teams competing in the third and final round of the World Rugby HSBC 7s Challenger 2024 are in Munich, Germany.
The top four teams will secure a place in the new HSBC SVNS promotion and relegation play-off in Madrid on 31 May-2 June
Uruguay men lead the standings after first two rounds with Kenya, Germany and Hong Kong all in the chase.
Looks like Tonga and Papua New Guinea Men just went along for the ride.
In rugby league: Our tips for NRL Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium this weekend: The Raiders to Kremo Canterbury Bulldogs, the Broncos to biscotti Manly. On Saturday the Titans to timtam the Knights, the Sharks to shortbread the Sydney Roosters and Souths to cameo the Cowboys.
Our tips for NRL Magic Round on Sunday sees the New Zealand Warriors to wafer the Penrith Panthers, the Melbourne Storm to pavlova the Parramatta Eels and in the last game of magic round - Wests Tigers to drambuie the Dolphins.
In Football: Manchester United kept alive their hopes of salvaging a dismal season by qualifying for Europe thanks to a 3-2 win against Newcastle.
Erik10’s side are battling to secure a seventh place finish in the Premier League, which could secure a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League.
United can also qualify for the Europa League if they win the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
That’s an almighty BIG if.
In SportsBiz: The PGA Championship tees off this morning at Valhalla Golf Club, with fans in Louisville making this a historic tournament financially.
The PGA of America says that this is the highest ticket-revenue-generating edition of the event’s history, with sellout crowds expected to draw 200,000 spectators over the next four days.
Finally in combat sports: All eyes are on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia now that the final media session is over, with the weigh-in of both fighters about 20 hours away and of course the main event – to unify all the World Heavyweight Boxing titles.
So who will it be – the Gypsy King or the Ukranian Warrior? Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk?
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 40 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Thursday morning 16 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: The Reds landed in Fiji yesterday for their much anticipated clash against the bruised and battered Fijian Drua in Suva at 2PM on Saturday. Mick Byrne’s boys must win to save their season and to bolster his reputation heading into the Flying Fijians July tests.
In rugby league BREAKING NEWS: The South Sydney Rabbitohs have reportedly got their man, after agreeing a A$3Million three-year deal to bring Wayne Bennett back to Redfern.
The Sydney Morning Herald, who first reported the news, further claims Rabbitohs powerbrokers i.e. The Gladiator Russell Crowe will meet with the 74-year-old after Magic Round in Brisbane this weekend, to seal the deal.
In other BREAKING NEWS: David Fifita has turned his back on the Sydney Roosters four-year deal worth A$850,0000 a year from 2025, instead re-signing with the Gold Coast Titans in a stunning backflip to remain on the Gold Coast until the end of 2026.
In Football: Tottenham Hotspur had a slim chance to make the Top 4 of the Premier League and so qualify for the UEFA Champions League, but it is slipping through their fingers after they lost to Manchester City 2-0 yesterday, leaving Man City to beat West Ham to win the Premier League title.
In SportsBiz: Caitlin Clark played her first regular-season game in the WNBA and the Indiana Fever rookie has had a bigger and growing impact on the league than expected.
There have been sellouts, teams moving their games against Clark to bigger arenas, and a drastic increase in broadcast coverage for Indiana both nationally and locally.
It doesn’t look like Clark’s effect will slow down any time this season, at least.
She’s the favorite to win Rookie of the Year by a mile, has the third-best WNBA MVP betting odds behind A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, and has the Fever as a top-five team to win the championship, according to most sportsbooks.
That alone is notable because Indiana finished with a 13–27 mark in 2023—last place in the Eastern Conference.
And we haven’t even mentioned ticket prices on the secondary market IF you can get your hands on them!
Finally in combat sports: The lightest Gypsy King seen in years indicates to boxing experts that Tyson Fury will use his height and reach to try and outbox the Ukranian Warrior Oleksandr Usyk over 12 rounds.
Meanwhile, the main supporting bout sees Aussie Samoan Cruiserweight Champion Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) battling Mairis Briedis (28-2, 20 KOs) in a rematch for the vacant IBF World title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 39 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Wednesday morning 15 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: England stars Billy and Mako Vunipola will leave Saracens at the end of 2024.
Prop Mako joined Saracens academy in 2011 and No. 8 Billy joined from Wasps in 2013. Together they won five Premiership titles and three European crowns at Saracens – Billy in 194 games and Mako in 229.
Could we see these Tongan tough guys down under in 2025?
Perhaps a swansong in Super Rugby with Moana Pasifika?
In rugby league NRL Magic Round all games at Suncorp Stadium: On Friday it’s the Canberra Raiders vs Canterbury Bulldogs @ 6pm followed by the Manly Sea Eagles vs Brisbane Broncos @ 8pm.
On Saturday the Gold Coast Titans vs Newcastle Knights @ 3pm, Cronulla Sharks vs Sydney Roosters @ 5.30pm and South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys @ 7.45pm.
Finally, on Sunday sees the New Zealand Warriors vs Penrith Panthers @ 1.50pm, Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels @ 4.05pm and the last game of magic round - Wests Tigers vs Dolphins @ 6.25pm at Suncorp Stadium.
In Football: Tottenham Hotspur has a slim chance to make the Top 4 of the Premier League and so qualify for the UEFA Champions League, but must beat Manchester City this morning, for whom defeat will hand Arsenal the advantage in the Premier League title race.
In SportsBiz: Last month, ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA draft averaged 2.45 million viewers—the largest TV audience for any WNBA telecast since 2000.
Meanwhile, demand for more broadcasts of preseason games has taken the league by surprise and led to some highly viewed illegal game streams.
And finally in combat sports: It’s all on - Tyson Fury’s father John was seen with blood gushing from his forehead on Monday after a video showed him butting a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s camp in the build-up to Saturday’s undisputed world heavyweight clash in Riyadh.
Thankfully the incident was quickly broken up by security.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 38 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Tuesday morning 14 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: The Super Rugby Pacific ladder after 12 Rounds sees the Blues tops on 45 points. The Fijian Drua sit in 8th spot with their three remaining games against the Reds 5 in Suva on Saturday night, Highlanders 7 away in Dunedin and the Rebels 6 in Lautoka. Can the Fijian Drua hang on for a quarterfinal?
RANK TEAM P W D L BP PD PTS
1 BLUES 11 10 0 1 5 209 45
2 HURRICANES 11 9 0 2 7 161 43
3 BRUMBIES 11 9 0 2 3 51 39
4 CHIEFS 11 8 0 3 6 189 38
5 REDS 11 6 0 5 7 66 31
6 REBELS 11 5 0 6 5 -87 25
7 HIGHLANDERS 11 5 0 6 3 -72 23
8 DRUA 11 4 0 7 1 -96 17
9 FORCE 11 3 0 8 3 -101 15
10 MOANA PASIFIKA 11 3 0 8 2 -194 14
11 CRUSADERS 11 2 0 9 6 -34 14
12 WARATAHS 11 2 0 9 4 -92 12
In rugby league: Almost every team has been hit with injury woes after a week of carnage across the NRL.
Eels superstar Mitchell Moses is “touch and go” to return in Magic Round and stamp his case to be picked in the halves for the Blues.
The Manly Sea Eagles are facing a huge backline headache after Tom Trbojevic and Jason Saab both went down in Round 10.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have a halves crisis.
In Football: After the record–breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup down under in 2023, the A-League's stats for women’s football in Australia since then, shows great growth:
· 11,000 fans at the season opener - the biggest attendance ever.
· A 600% increase in Club membership.
· Average attendance doubling to 2200.
· More than 300,000 fans attending across the season – the highest-attended women’s sports league in Australian history.
In SportsBiz: Formula 1 Group recorded revenues of US$553Million in the first quarter of 2024.
In results released by Liberty Media ahead of its Q1 investor call, the company’s revenues jumped 45 per cent from the same period last year.
And finally in combat sports: “That’s the heavyweight division, it only takes one punch,” Tevita Pangai Junior said on Saturday night – his boxing career on the ropes after the former NRL star was knocked out in the first round by Kenny Niko who had lost all three of his only professional fights before Saturday.
It is a devastating blow for the former NSW State of Origin enforcer, who was this week given the cold shoulder by the Melbourne Storm.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 37 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Monday morning 13 May 2024.
Happy Girimitiya Day in Fiji!
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: All of a sudden, Mick Byrne and his Fijian Drua stars have taken a dive after two losses in a row on the road.
They went from their best game of the year last weekend against the Brumbies to not even turning up in Perth on Saturday.
Where to now boys – your destiny is in your own hands.
In rugby league: The Panthers have confirmed that superstar Nathan Cleary will miss eight weeks with a hamstring tear.
Cleary suffered the injury in the final minutes of the first half at BlueBet Stadium on Friday night.
The eight-week recovery puts Cleary in line to return for their clash with the Broncos on Friday 05 July, before the NRL pauses for the third and final State of Origin clash.
In Football: Manchester City closed in on a fourth consecutive Premier League title after thrashing Fulham 4-0 on Saturday.
City were two points clear at the top of the table until second-placed Arsenal beat Man U one nil at Old Trafford earlier today.
In SportsBiz: The Kentucky Derby 2024 was a massive hit: A Churchill Downs attendance of 156,710 people up 4.2% from a year ago and the highest total since 2018.
An average audience of 16.7 million on NBC Sports platforms, peaking at 20.1m, the most ever for an NBC Sports presentation of the race.
And finally in combat sports: Vasiliy Lomachenko outclassed George Kambosos Jr. on his way to the IBF World Lightweight title after a clinical 11th-round finish in the main event at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Earlier, Faiga ‘Django’ Opelu lost via TKO in Round 10 to Joe Goodall.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 36 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Sunday morning 12 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: The Fijian Drua 2024 season came crashing down in Perth last night.
The Western Force came out firing, scoring in the first minute of play and never let up, scoring five more tries with all six converted, plus two penalties and scoring the last try, for a handy haul of 23 points on the night for Ben Donaldson.
The Fijian Drua could only manage a penalty and one converted second half try to Ravutaumada in their 10-48 humiliation.
In other games: The Brumbies 29-21 NSW Waratahs, the Highlanders 32-29 Crusaders with Sevu Reece scoring a double and the Blues too good for the Hurricanes 27-31 at Eden Park.
In rugby league: Cronulla sure know how to spoil a contract-extension party - ending the Storm’s 14-game winning streak at AAMI Park after a thrilling 25-18 win to take a stronghold of top spot on the NRL ladder.
Even with Latrell Mitchell at Fullback for the Rabbitohs, St George Illawarra continued South Sydney’s season from hell with a 28-14 win at Kogarah Oval last night.
And Newcastle secured their third win on the trot without skipper Kalyn Ponga, toppling the Tigers 14-20 in sunny Tamworth.
In Super Netball: The scores were locked at 71 points apiece, but the Sunshine Coast Lightning were initially awarded a one point win as players shook hands and the Lightning packed their bags and left shortly after the umpires.
The Giants stayed warm at courtside prepared to play on, insisting that the scores were level, and the game should go into extra-time.
After a recount and some 50 minutes after the game initially finished, the umpires and the Lightning returned and extra time play resumed.
And the Giants’ Matisse Letherbarrow was the hero of the hour, sinking three supershots, for a controversial 86-80 victory.
Meanwhile, an old-fashioned spray from Melbourne Mavericks’ Coach Tracey Neville wasn’t enough to save her side from the equal lowest score recorded in Super Netball history, with the Adelaide Thunderbirds taking out the game 59-37.
In Football: “I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”
And with that, Kylian Mbappe confirmed the worst kept secret in football - that he will leave French Champions Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, bringing an end to his association with his hometown team, which began when he signed from Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros.
In the WNBA: Caitlin Clark played her first home game for the Indiana Fever 83-80 Atlanta Dream in their second and final preseason game before the WNBA season begins next week.
The former Iowa superstar scored 12 points during her 32 minutes on the court in front of 13,000 fans - nearly double the best Fever gate last season in which Indiana averaged a tick over 4,000 fans per game.
In SportsBiz: The starting price for the auction of the restaurant napkin that first committed Lionel Messi to play for Barcelona when he was 13 years old is US$370,000.
While out to dinner with Messi and his father, Barcelona sporting director Carles Rexach asked the waiter for a piece of paper but was instead handed a napkin, on which he formally agreed to sign the rising soccer talent.
British auction house Bonhams is selling the napkin, which currently has a bid of US$275,000.
Open for another week, Bonhams expects bids to reach over US$600,000.
In combat sports: US promoter Lou Di Bella sums it up best: “All that bullshit doesn’t matter. Everyone is jockeying. It’s all just chess.”
“The only thing that really matters is when they clear the ring, somebody rings that bell and there’s only two mothers in there with the ref.”
Get ready for Lomachenko versus Kambosos later today.
Finally, only in America: The Mavericks’ All-NBA star Luka Doncic froze when his press conference was interrupted by sex noises after Game 2 of the Mavericks-Thunder second-round playoff series.
He stopped talking and became wide-eyed during the unexpected moment which sounded like a high-pitched female voice moaning in ecstasy.
Doncic, 25, then hung his head and covered his face with his hand while laughing.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 35 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Saturday morning 11 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: After their best game of the season last weekend against the Brumbies, all the rugby experts in Australia and New Zealand are tipping the Fijian Drua to run over the Western Force in Perth tonight.
But like the Drua at home in Lautoka, the Force are a tough nut to crack at home on the other side of the world.
Head Coach Mick Byrne has made just two changes to his match-day 23 as the Drua search for their first ever win in Perth.
In the starting XV: 1 Haereiti Hetet, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 3 Mesake Doge, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 5 Isoa Nasilasila, 6 Vilive Miramira, 7 Kitione Salawa and Captain Meli Derenalagi at Number 8.
At 9 Peni Matawalu, 10 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 11 Taniela Rakuro, 12 Michael Naitokani, 13 Iosefo Masi, 14 Selestino Ravutaumada and 15 Ilaisa Droasese.
On the bench: 16 Zuriel Togaitama, 17 Emosi Tuqiri, 18 Samu Tawake, 19 Leone Rotuisolia, 20 Motikiai Murray. Simi Kuruvoli 21 is back up halfback, 22 Kemu Valetini and 23 Epeli Momo.
In rugby league: While Penrith secured a 16-10 win over a Bulldogs pack littered with former Panthers at BlueBet Stadium last night, Ivan Cleary limped off nursing a hamstring, in a big blow for his Club and also the NSW Blues.
Penrith could be without their gun No.7 for an extended period.
In Football: Manchester City has struck a deal with the Philadelphia Union and their 14-year-old talent, Cavan Sullivan, such that, the player joins them in the Premier League as a professional when he reaches 18 years of age.
In SportsBiz: The average TV viewership for the F1 Miami Grand Prix last Sunday at 3.1 million viewers represents Formula One’s largest US TV audience on record, eclipsing the 2.6m for its debut in 2022, and beating last year’s metric by 48%.
There had been some questions about viewership going into the weekend, but not only did the Miami GP further establish itself as a fixture on the overall F1 calendar, but it also reached a whole new level of exposure.
Finally in combat sports: Ukranian megastar Vasiliy Lomachenko in Australia to fight George Kambosos this weekend, has beaten over 400 fighters on his way to becoming one of the greatest fighters of this and any era.
Remember, he needed only three professional fights to win a world title – the first of three, all in different weight categories.
And this after Lomachenko had already won two Olympic golds, and who, at his peak, was compared to Muhammad Ali no less.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 34 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Friday morning 10 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: Finally, after over a century of English-led northern hemisphere infatuation with forward play, World Rugby has made some rule changes to speed up the game and make it more attractive to watch:
· It will no longer be possible to choose a scrum from a free-kick. Free-kicks must either be tapped or kicked to encourage more ball in flow.
· The ball must be played after the maul has been stopped once, not twice.
· Play on at a lineout if the ball has not been thrown in straight but only if the lineout is uncontested.
In rugby league BREAKING NEWS: The Sydney Roosters have won the David Fifita sweepstakes, with the damaging Tongan backrower set to join the Tricolours on a four-year deal from 2025.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Fifita’s deal with the Roosters will be worth A$3.3Million over four years.
In Football: Kylian Mbappe’s time at his hometown club Paris Saint-Germain is limping to a sad conclusion in the wake of their shock UEFA Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
The French superstar is expected to finally join Real Madrid this off-season. Real beat Bayern Munich 1-2 in their semifinal.
In SportsBiz: TKO the umbrella company of UFC and WWE earned US$629Million in revenue in the first quarter, beating Wall Street estimates by $20M, according to Zacks Equity Research.
The company suffered a net loss of US$249.5M in the quarter, as well as decreases in cash flow, largely due to taking a US$335M charge related to settling the UFC fighter antitrust lawsuit, which was viewed as a favorable outcome for UFC.
TKO’s stock is up more than 22% this year at US$98.27 yesterday.
Finally in combat sports: As he gears up for his much-anticipated clash with Oleksandr Usyk on 18 May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury has uploaded an eye-catching photo of himself in training, showing off his ripped physique.
At stake are all the World Heavyweight Boxing titles, which would make the winner, the premier heavyweight of the century.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 33 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Thursday morning 09 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: England back-row Billy Vunipola was arrested in Mallorca, Spain, on Sunday for resisting arrest and has been fined €240 for the incident.
In a statement shared by his club Saracens, Vunipola denied reports that he had acted violently to cause the arrest, though Spanish police claimed he slapped an officer.
"I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand," his statement read.
"Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else.
"I was charged with resisting arrest and, following an 'express trial,' I have paid a fine of €240. The Spanish police investigation is now closed and I am flying back to the UK today."
But, according to a report in a Spanish newspaper, Vunipola was tasered twice by police after threatening customers and security personnel and removing his shirt in a bar named Epic in Palma early on Sunday.
The report added that the 31-year-old was handcuffed by the police and taken to a hospital in Palma, where he was sedated, before being taken to court on Sunday afternoon.
"In the early hours of yesterday morning, at 4.30am, the National Police proceeded to arrest a 31-year-old foreign man, for a crime of disobedience and attacking a police officer," a spokesperson for the National Police in Mallorca said.
Saracens had earlier issued their own statement saying they would deal with the incident "internally."
Vunipola has made 75 appearances for England, most recently featuring in the narrow Rugby World Cup semifinal defeat to South Africa in October.
He played for Saracens against Bath in their 15-12 win on Friday.
In rugby league: Wayne Bennett believes a Club based in Perth should be next in line for an NRL expansion licence.
“They have had a lot of NRL and Origin games over there.
“There are a lot of Australians, English people and New Zealanders who know about rugby league.
“It is a huge area of income. They have got some of the biggest companies in Australia in Perth and Western Australia. It all makes sense, and they have got great facilities.”
In Football: Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Paul Izzo was the hero as his side progressed to the next round of the A-League finals series after he saved three penalties in a penalty shootout and drilled one home himself as the Victory won it 3-2 over Melbourne City at AAMI Park last weekend.
In combat sports: “The calls for Naoya Inoue to fight outside of Japan are ridiculous,” legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum said on Saturday in Yokohama.
Arum’s company, Top Rank, helped promote Monday’s fight. “He is the biggest attraction in boxing in Japan by far, and Japan has become the center for boxing in the lighter weight divisions.
“So in my view, it would be foolhardy for Inoue to leave Japan and to fight outside of Japan. For what?”
Finally, in SportsBiz: Disney CEO Bob Iger said Tuesday with the release of the company’s latest earnings report that subscriptions for ESPN+ retreated for the second straight quarter and third time in four quarters, and now stand at 24.8 million.
ESPN+ also posted a US$65Million operating loss for the quarter.
As a result, Disney shares fell 10%, rolling back a chunk of a broader gain of more than 28% so far this year.
In other developments at Disney, Iger said he was “confident” of completing a long-term rights renewal with the NBA, saying “This is a sports product with growth ahead of it, with great demographics. We feel really good about the potential package that we will end up with, basically enabling ESPN to continue to shine in the television sports business.”
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 32 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Wednesday morning 08 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: The Top 8 for the SVNS 7s League Grand Finals in Madrid at the end of May:
Pool A Women sees New Zealand, USA, Canada and Great Britain.Pool B Women includes Australia, France, Fiji and Ireland.Pool A Men sees Argentina, Australia, France and Great BritainPool B Men includes Ireland, New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa.
In rugby league: The Rabbitohs have named two debutants in their new-look outfit that includes the returning Latrell Mitchell who has served his suspension.
Dion Teaupa makes his NRL debut at halfback, while mid-season recruit Gehamat Shibasaki will make his debut on the Wing.
Kevin Walters has solved his halves headache by naming one-game rookie halfback, Joshua Rogers to take over from Adam Reynolds, playing alongside Ezra Mam.
Meanwhile, Brad Arthur has called upon one of the Eels rising stars - Blaize Talagi to replace the injured Clint Gutherson.
In Football: Manchester United Manager Erik Ten Hag has vowed to ‘keep fighting’ despite his side staring down the barrel of a worst-ever Premier League finish after a 4-0 thumping by Crystal Palace.
United has now lost 13 games in the league this season, their most ever in the Premier League era, and their 81 goals conceded across all competitions – so far – is the worst since 1976.
In combat sports: George Kambosos Jr boldly declared Vasiliy Lomachenko no longer “has that dog inside of him” as the two prepare to throw down for the vacant IBF Lightweight World title on Sunday at the RAC Arena in Perth.
It will be Kambosos Jr’s first fight since a contentious victory over England’s Maxi Hughes in which he took home the IBO world title.
Finally, in SportsBiz: What a finish to the 2024 Kentucky Derby!
Mystik Dan, an 18–1 long shot going into the race, won in what was the Kentucky Derby’s first three-horse photo finish since 1947.
Marking a significant contrast from a 2023 event that was marred by seven horse deaths leading up to the race and several more thereafter - ultimately leading to a suspension of operations at Churchill Downs for more than three months and an extended investigation.
This year’s event was a massive hit in person, on television, and on betting platforms:
A Churchill Downs attendance of 156,710, up 4.2% from a year ago and the highest total since 2018.An average audience of 16.7 million on NBC Sports platforms, peaking at 20.1m, the most ever for an NBC Sports presentation of the Kentucky Derby.A record US$320.5Million bets on the Kentucky Derby, up 11% from last year.
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji -
Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 31 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Tuesday morning 07 May 2024.
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
In rugby union: So what happened to the Fiji Men’s 7s team at the Singapore 7s?
At least they made it into the Top 8 for the SVNS 7s League Grand Finals in Madrid at the end of May. Unlike Samoa who slipped into the promotion-relegation competition in Madrid and risk falling out of the top 7s series altogether.
In rugby league: Tongans on the move! David Fifita’s future on the Gold Coast is up in the air with three Clubs now linked to the Titans superstar offering A$850,000 a year.
Fellow Tongan enforcer, Tevita Pangai Junior is in talks with Craig Bellamy at the Storm as he eyes a return to the NRL.
Meanwhile, Cooper Cronk believes South Sydney should pay Wayne Bennett whatever he wants to leave the Dolphins “Right now.”
“They’ve suffered heavy losses the last three weeks and this can’t continue for the rest of the season.”
In SportsBiz: There are worrying signs that the global F1 racing series has hit some speed bumps in the United States.
Last year on ESPN the F1 season on US television, generated an average of 1.1 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, an 8% drop from the 2022 average of 1.2 million.
F1 Racing also suffered a dramatic decline in social media mentions and growth last year, according to the London-based social intelligence group Buzz Radar, who report F1 was down 70% in the first five months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, with new followers down 46% and social reach down 64%.
At this early stage of the 2024 season, viewership on ESPN in the US is trending downward again from last year: Averaging only 728,000 viewers.
The season-opening races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Australian Grand Prix all suffered lower viewers.
On a positive note, the Japanese and the Chinese Grand Prix races recorded huge spikes.
An explanation for the overall dip in US TV viewership this year, could be that a couple of the early season F1 races were broadcast live overnight in the US, or on Saturdays instead of Sundays, according to ESPN.
Then there’s the Max Verstappen factor.
In Football: Central Coast Mariners have become just the second A-League team to win an Asian Club Competition after beating Lebanese team Al-Ahed 1-0 in the AFC Cup final.
An 84th-minute goal in Muscat, Oman yesterday morning secured the Mariners the victory, as well as A$2.3Million in prizemoney.
They also clinched the A-League premiership last week.
Finally, in combat sports: Japan’s Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue suffered his first ever knockdown in the opening round against Mexico’s Luiz Nery.
Defending the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO Super Bantamweight World titles, “The Monster” bounced back with a second-round knockdown of Nery and soon took over with his brutal punches resulting in another knockdown in the fifth, and then the KO in the sixth round at the sold-out, 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome.
Sayonara Nery!
And that’s a wrap!
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
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