A moving hymn performed by members of the Samoan rugby team for terminally ill Springboks legend Joost van der Westhuizen during their 2015 World Cup campaign in England.

Manu Samoa posted on their Facebook page a video of the team singing the hymn "Fa'afetai i le Atua" (Thank you, God, our Creator) sung in Brighton, England.  The video shows the players dressed in blue training gear standing and singing to van der Westhuizen who sits in a wheelchair dressed in a Springboks hoodie. 

Van der Westhuizen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011 and given between two and five years to live.
The hymn is well-known in the Samoan community. The chorus says: "Sing hallelujah, thank you, hallelujah" and the second verse includes the sentence, "Thank you to your son Jesus, who came down from above. The one who is our refuge."

In the Facebook post, Manu Samoa wrote: "Totally humbling experience to meet Springboks legend Joost Van Der Westhuizen in Brighton today.…more

This isn't your typical drumline. This Mater Dei High School football player carries his Samoan heritage with him on the field every week through his family and their music.

Tupua Productions is a Polynesian entertainment company and they share their pacific muscial styling at events like High School Football games which entertain thousands of spectators

-Los Angeles Times

Watch SBW receive his replacement medal! A true role model of international rugby!!!

The New Zealand Aria competition is one of Australasia’s most prestigious singing competitions. The event, in its current format, has been held annually for the past 13 years. Formerly known as the Rotorua Lockwood Aria, the competition offers life-changing opportunities to entrants and has launched the careers of some fine young singers.

The event is the largest competition of its kind in the country, and its fame has spread throughout Australia’s world of opera. The New Zealand Aria attracts aspiring opera stars who pit themselves against some of Australasia’s best young singers. The opportunity this engenders, along with the attractive prize money, contribute to the performer’s further development in this demanding art. Entrants often go on to take part in major productions both in New Zealand and overseas.

The high numbers of contestants who have already been trained overseas and have returned to New Zealand, or conversely have plans toward furthering their development with offshore experience is reflected in every artist with ambition to achieve. The New Zealand Aria grows with each experience.…more

One of the true gentlemen of world rugby, Keven Mealamu is New Zealand’s most-capped Super Rugby player of all time. 

The RWC final between NZ and Australia will be the last game for All Black - Keven Mealamu.

Check out these 12 facts you may or may not have known...

1. He was a standout performer in the All Blacks RWC 2011 success, turning out in six matches in the Tournament and captaining the side against Japan. 

2. Keven has been wearing the black jersey since 1995, when he turned out for New Zealand Under 16. Despite the long career his passion for rugby and the respect with which he is regarded by teammates and opponents remains undimmed.

3. Mealamu took on a new leadership role in 2006, captaining the Blues through a challenging Rebel Sport Super 14 campaign.…more

When the great Richie McCaw plays his final game for New Zealand on Saturday, the debate over his standing in the pantheon of All Blacks greats will intensify. The current All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen, has already put him on a pedestal, but John Hart, coach of the 1987 Rugby World Cup-winning side, had a different answer when asked in 2013 whom he believed was the greatest player ever to pull on the famous black jersey.

"To me, clearly, Michael Jones," Hart said. "Without peer, a man who played all three loose forward positions, and with the skills to play in the midfield. A freak on the field, and a gentleman off it."

Talking to Jones is an unexpected experience: His calm voice and gleeful persona seem at odds with the notorious physicality of his playing days. When he stood in the All Blacks back row, he had the nickname Iceman, partly due to the brutal injuries he sustained but also due to his cold demeanour.

Like McCaw, he never really put fist to face.…more

I'm a dancer from New Zealand who has been selected to back up dance for Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas.

I come from a small town Tokoroa and always dreamt of being a dancer. A passion of mine that started from a very young age and has now become a reality.....

Being from Tokoroa, i was limited to achieving this dream. I had to commute to and from Hamilton and Auckland 3-4x a week for classes and rehearsals as well as maintaining a full time job.

It was physically, mentally and financially challenging but i knew i had to make it work.

In 2012 i auditioned for Parris Goebels The Royal Family. A choreographer and company i knew i had to be apart of to grow as a dancer and achieve my dream.

I was successful and have been apart of the company ever since.

The move to Auckland was the biggest sacrifice i had to make. I always saw Tokoroa as my home. I was comfortable, i had my family and didn't no the outside world.…more

Director: Parris Goebel
Producer: Parris Goebel
Animator: John Hwang 
Production Company: Taktix Films

Tongan Creatives sing Faka'anaua in thanks to Fatai during Fatai LoungeJam2015. Tongan Creative Lavinia Uhila won a lounge jam with Fatai during her lounge jam tour of New Zealand. This was their thank you song at the end of the night - Faka'anaua.

Check out more from The Tongan Creatives on The Coconet TV

Watch Fatai jamming on her 'Lounge Room Tour'