Coco Talanoa — Sports / Page 40

 Fiji defeated Tonga in Nuku’alofa 2017 to qualify for the RWC 2019.

The Kingdom of Tonga have never been short on world class athletes - they've competed on the international stage in Boxing, the NFL, Rugby League, AFL, Rugby Union, Taekwondo, netball and now a small group of young swimmers are making waves internationally.

This year alone, they've competed in the Apolima Strait swim (Upolu to Savai'i) in Samoa in April where they not only won but were the youngest team, the Fiji Long Course Nationals in June, the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, FINA World Championships in Budapest (Andrew Emberson) and four of the swimmers have just recently returned from the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan ... and they're not done.

The team have set their sights set on the Fiji Short Course nationals at the end of this month, the Victorian age championships in Melbourne, Australia in December and the Anthony Mosse classic in New Zealand at the beginning of 2018.…more

Wrestlers all have their signature moves and Tama Tonga is no exception.

Check out his top 10 moves he brings to the wrestling ring at New Japan Pro Wrestling including the Stinger Splash, Dropkick & Whiplash .....

Check out highlights of Vaea Fifitas incredible performance in his test starting debut against Argentina.

NFL legends & Polynesian Football Hall of Famers Jesse Sapolu, Matt Tanuvasa & Jack Thompson were in Auckland to check out the local talent and to introduce American football as an option to the Pacific Island & Polynesian kids in New Zealand.

Seta Tamanivalu, Joni Macilai & Manasa Mataele go back to their homeland of Fiji for the Crusaders Super Rugby match against the Chiefs.

The Ultimate Waterman is a New Zealand based global surfing event to find the world’s best all-round waterman across multiple surfing disciplines.

The world’s finest watermen will come together in New Zealand in 2016 to compete in eight different surfing disciplines over nine days. 

The eight disciplines will include:
• Shortboard surfing
• Longboard surfing
• Stand Up Paddle (SUP) surfing
• Stand Up Paddle (SUP) endurance (16km race)
• Big Wave Paddle in surfing
• Waka-Ama endurance (16km race)
• Prone Paddleboard race (technical short course through waves)
• Underwater strength run and swim race (25m underwater run and 25m swim)

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Director: Olly Coddington

We're keepin it fresh with our Pasifika boys in the NRL Pacific Leadership camp.

The NRL run a Pacific Leadership camp and bring in 2 or 3 players from each club who've been identified by their clubs as guys with leadership potential.  

The aim is to challenge and upskill them to enable them to help our Pacific communities a bit more.

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CREDITS:

Directors:  Shimpal Lelisi & Danny Aumua

Camera Operators:  Danny Aumua & Penina Momoiseā

Sound Operator:  Marty Cox 

Producer:  Lisa Taouma

Thank you 

Nigel Vagana, NRL Australia, NRL Welfare & Education, Pasifika Film Fest & University of New South Wales 

Fight night for a great cause! 

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Director:  Crystal Earley 

Camera Operators:  Lizie Koroivulaono & Darryl Laumua 

Sound Operator:  David Green 

The South Pacific Volleyball challenge went down at the Otara Rec - see who was holding it down at the games.