Coco Talanoa — Sports / Page 9

NFL legends and founders of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame were back down under with their Goodwill Mission for the first time since Covid closed borders in 2020.

They've partnered with rugby legends in both the Pacific and New Zealand with the aim of uplifting Pasifika communities and bringing young people into opportunities and education using rugby and football to reach kids and people in our community.

Prior to travelling to New Zealand they visited both American Samoa and Samoa donating Microsoft Surface Pro computers and running football camps with youth there.

We caught up with 4x Superbowl Champion, former NFL player and founder of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame - Seiuli Manase Jesse Sapolu, CEO of Coaching Charities - Kevin Kaplan (he helps run the charity foundations of NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa and Juju Smith-Schuster) along with All Blacks legend La'auli Sir Michael Jones who they've partnered with here in NZ.…more

By Destiny and Penina Momoiseā

In the NRL, every club has at least one Welfare and Education Manager who looks after the wellbeing of the players in their charge and in New Zealand, the NRL funds not only the One NZ Warriors wellbeing officers at a club level but also the New Zealand Rugby League wellbeing team at a national level (Elite Pathways).

Suicides of young men in the rugby league community have underlined the urgency to normalise conversations around mental health and the NRL have recognised that it can be a challenging experience to leave home at a young age, or simply to face the responsibilities of playing the sport they love at a high level.…more

The Ones, Jey and Jimmy Uso joined the one and only Ariel Helwani for a rare and fascinating sit down ahead of The Bloodline Civil War last weekend with Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at the O2 Arena in London for Money in the Bank.

Jey and Jimmy spoke about their historic run, The Bloodline, headlining Wrestlemania, their father (Rikishi) and a whole lot more ... 

Then watch highlights from the match over the weekend below - 

685 to the UK - The Uso's getting love from fans in London ... 

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Never forget the time the Usos and Roman Reigns broke character at the beginning of their feud here 

via RNZ 

Cover image: Michael Boxall and Bill Tuiloma by PHOTOSPORT

The All Whites allege Michael Boxall was abused late in the first half of their game with captain Joe Bell raising the matter with the referee but no action was taken.

The All Whites then refused to take the field in the second half.

New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said several players heard the comment and he endorses the action taken by the team.

"We fully support the action of our players, who agreed collectively this course of action," he said.

"We never want to see a match abandoned but some issues are bigger than football and it is important to make a stand," he said.

"There is no room for racism in football."

The All Whites led 1-nil when the match was abandoned.

"Apparently two players on the pitch they exchanged words... the New Zealand players decided to support their teammate just as our team decided to support our player," Qatar coach Carlos Queiroz told the Sky TV broadcast.…more

Samoan Quarterback Marcus Mariota who plays for the Atlanta Falcons along with Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins, and reigning Super Bowl champion and MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs give you an unprecedented, all access look into the 2022-2023 football season from their huddles to their homes and more.

Each of the Quarterbacks had a year full of significant ups and downs. Mahomes shattered the record for most offensive yards in a single season, and clinched a Super Bowl victory with his Kansas City Chiefs. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Cousins engineered what could be the greatest comeback in the history of the league. Mariota, meanwhile, joined the Atlanta Falcons for a roller-coaster first season.

Quarterback is a first-of-its kind partnership between the NFL and Netflix, offering unprecedented access to three of the league’s top players. The eight-episode series follows quarterbacks who, for the first time ever, are mic’d up for every single game, from the beginning of the 2022 season to its conclusion.…more

By Thomas Airey

"Keep your head down and go through the ball."

The Queensland rain is now bucketing down as hard as it has all game.

Passionate Fijian fans in the crowd are yelling at the top of their lungs.

It’s sensory overload, a real-life Hollywood moment as Manusina first five eighths Cassie Siataga lines up the penalty kick that would clinch Samoa’s first ever Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship title with time up on the clock.

But all she can focus on are those words she so often heard from her kicking coach at Tasman last year, former Māori All Black halfback Billy Guyton, who tragically died just last month.

“Keep your head down and go through the ball.”

“That’s all I was hearing when I was setting up the tee, when I was looking at the posts, thinking of all the little things he said to me, and he believed in me, so I couldn’t doubt myself,” Siataga said.

“It was having the team in my ear, you’ve gotta do it, you can do it.…more

Vanuatu's population is over 327,000. Today, the nation has just one pro footballer 🇻🇺 His name is Brian Kaltak.

This is the story of his unique journey to the A-Leagues, his own personal cheer squad and how he's become a 'living legend'. And it's guaranteed to make you smile.

By Thomas Airey

Manusina head coach Mata’afa Ramsey Tomokino thinks his team’s historic Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship win can be a game-changing moment for Samoan women’s rugby.

Last Sunday at Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia, Manusina defeated the Fijiana 19-18, ending Fiji’s dominant run in the competition.

The win qualified Samoa for the second tier of World Rugby’s new WXV competition to be played in South Africa at the end of the year.

Tomokino said he couldn’t be prouder of his players and the magnitude of their achievement is yet to fully sink in.

“I just think it’s massive for the girls, how many of them would have gone to South Africa in their lifetime?” he pondered.

Manusina will be joined in WXV 2 by the Springbok Women, Japan, Scotland, Italy or Spain and the lowest ranked team in July’s Pacific Four Series featuring Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and USA.

Tomokino emphasised the importance of more test matches, particularly against opposition from around the world, for the continued growth of his team.…more

By Thomas Law 

“There’s only three common denominators in this country. One is God. Two is Tok Pisin, the language we all speak. Three is rugby league.” So powers the opening voiceover to the Power Meri documentary.

The prominence of rugby league is not in doubt – famously it is the only sovereign nation in the world in which it is the national sport (the only other country to share this accolade is the Cook Islands).

As London Broncos and international prop Wellington Albert puts it, “Every little boy and girl will play around, with a Coca-Cola bottle as a rugby ball sometimes, playing on the backyard or on any field available. We grow up playing rugby league, and that’s where we started falling in love with the greatest game of all.”

His teammate for club and country, Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Waine, echoed that sentiment, particularly the pride fans have for the national team. “When PNG is playing against other nations, the backing in our country, everybody gets behind it and supports it.…more