Coco Talanoa — Sports / Page 11

Known as the “Super Bowl of surfing,” the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational was held for the first time since 2016 in Hawaii over the weekend, as organizers said an estimated 50,000 people were packed on the beach to watch.

This also marked just the 10th time the event has ever been held due to the tournament’s rules which require open-ocean swells to reach a minimum height of 20 feet before it can commence.

The tournament also featured women for the first time ever.

The format saw athletes surfing two rounds of five heats each - each surfer could ride a maximum of four waves in each round.

After eight hours of intense action, the wave of the day award went to native Hawaiian pro surfer Zeke Lau - catch his highlights from the experience in the video above.

Ultimately, Luke Shepardson ended up taking the crown scoring a near-perfect 89.1 out of a possible 90 points, with three waves counting to the final result, and each scored out of 30.

Over the weekend former Samoan NFL player Manti Te'o was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.

His football career included a Heisman Trophy runner-up finish during his senior year at Notre Dame where he won a number of individual awards including the Maxwell Trophy and his journey was recently told in the Netflix 'Untold' series.  

Te'o was enshrined along with 11 year NFL veteran Mike Iupati, a two time All Pro guard and four time Pro Bowler.

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He spoke with NFL journalist Steve Wyche here ahead of the induction weekend - watch the video above and the full interview via NFL Total access here 

Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck is a massive NFL fan and also grew up playing rugby most of his life.

He decides to ruffle a few feathers and breaks down whether he thinks a rugby player could make it in the NFL or not ... 

Former WBO heavyweight world champion Lupesoliai Joseph Parker will fight live on New Zealand free-to-air television for the first time on January 22, with Warner. Bros Discovery ANZ having secured the broadcast rights to screen the kiwi slugger’s fight against local hero ‘One Smack’ Jack Massey in Manchester, on TV Three.

The Samoan fighter will be looking to get himself back into title contention with a win in Manchester.

“I’m going to smash him,” Parker said of his looming bout with Massey, an elite cruiserweight who will be stepping up to heavyweight for the first time.

“He’s got big balls I’ll give him that,” said Parker. “But there are divisions in boxing for a reason. I’m going to be the bigger man. I’m going to fight like the bigger man, back him up and push him back. I’m going to make him think about if he really wants to be in the heavyweight division.”

Parker had the chance to eyeball local hero Massey at an open workout at Manchester’s Trafford Centre Shopping Complex on Wednesday.…more

By Thomas Airey 

Never have the Manu Samoa 7s entered a New Zealand leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series as the top seed until this weekend, the 21st and possibly last ever tournament in Hamilton.

Not even the all-conquering 2010 world champions earned that honour – Stephen Betham’s side stumbled at the quarterfinal stage in South Africa before the Wellington event.

That is the unprecedented level at which current coach Muliagatele Brian Lima has his young team performing.

Not only did they win their first tournament title since May 2016 last month in Cape Town, Samoa haven’t missed the quarterfinals of a World Series leg since he took over.

During the four year reign of legendary coach Sir Gordon Tietjens, the Manu made the top eight 11 times in 34 attempts.

Muliagatele was appointed after Tietjens’ contract expired in August 2020.

He gave Samoa’s local veteran players the chance to prove themselves and make his squad, but right from the start looked to rebuild for future success.…more

Recently FINA President Captain Husain Al-Musallam from Kuwait along with FINA executives and Olympic multi-medalist swimmers Ian Thorpe and Cate Campbell from Australia visited Palau, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands (Rarotonga & Aitutaki) for the first time.

The purpose of the visit was to raise the profile of swimming and look at ways they can help develop swimming as a sport throughout the Pacific region.  Included in this are plans to launch the Swim For All Programme plus help with building facilities in the island nations for training in the sport.  On their visit it was announced Tonga will be getting a new pool next year and the Cook Islands are currently in the development stages for theirs.…more

Almost 3 weeks after Toa Samoa played their Grand Final game against Australia at the Rugby League World Cup in Manchester, UK, the last of the welcome home parades in Australia took place in Brisbane on the 10th of December.  

The week before, Sydney based players had also attended a similar welcome home parade in Mt Druitt  which featured NZ based singers Tree Vaifale and husband Swiss.…more

Samoan NFL player Juju Smith-Schuster takes us behind the scenes with him as he gets ready on a typical game day with his new team the Kansas City Chiefs.

He recently gave the gift of Christmas to more than 50 families at a special event on Monday.  Smith-Schuster and his foundation paid off almost $10,000 in layaways at a Kansas City-area Burlington store.

Read more on the story here 

The Pasifika Aotearoa Collective which was formed last year bringing together rugby league bodies from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, NZ Maori, Samoa, Toeklau and Tonga, have now joined forces with the One New Zealand Warriors in an historic partnership.

On Tuesday 13th December 2022 they officially signed an exclusive alliance aimed at providing a range of football and commercial benefits for both parties in a ceremony at Mt Smart Stadium. 

PAC representatives signed the deal in front of the One New Zealand Warriors NRL squad, trainers, coaching staff and management and were each presented with a Warriors NRL jersey by different players within the squad. 

They were then given a tour of the training facilities by Our New Zealand Warriors CEO Cameron George and watched the NRL squad train.  In his opening address he said it was immensely significant for both the club and the Pasifika Aotearoa Collective.  

“The impact Pasifika and Māori players continue to have on rugby league is phenomenal.…more

By Thomas Airey 

Miracle Fai’ilagi will never forget the date September 19th, the night a phone call changed his life.

“It was so unreal,” the 23-year-old Samoan loose forward from Vailele and Uafato said.

“The Moana Pasifika coach giving me a call, giving me the news that I made the team. I was just so out of words.”

Coach Aaron Mauger had attended the World Rugby Pacific Combine earlier that month, where he said Fai’ilagi was a clear standout.

Speaking from home in Vailele with the family he was nervous to leave behind, Fai’ilagi said signing his two-year contract with Moana was huge:

“Us local players, we hardly get those opportunities.

“This is a blessing for me, and also my family.”

He hopes to follow in the footsteps of uncle Joe Tekori, who retired in June after 37 caps for Manu Samoa and 15 years at the pinnacle of club rugby in France.

“He was one of the people that I looked up to, not only playing but I’ve seen him helping with our family financially,” Fai’ilagi said.…more