Sport and Leisure

SPASIFIK Sport & Leisure Issue 27 is again packed with more sports, fitness, healthy eating, cars, homes and travel features.
After missing last year’s Rugby World Cup and being in and out of favour since his All Black debut in 2003, MA’A NONU is back in black and established himself back in the midfield. The dreadlocked star talks to SPASIFIK editor PETER REES about the transformation he has made on and off the field.
New Zealand’s World Champion shot putter VALERIE VILI is the only real Pacific hope of a gold medal at the upcoming Beijing Olympics on August 8-24 as we profile Samoan kayaker RUDOLPH BERKING and Tongan shot putter ANA POUHILA about putting it all on the line in the colours of their beloved islands in our exclusive OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN.
In fitness, SARAH COWLEY shows you how to lead a more active lifestyle by stepping up to the 10,000 Step Challenge. And to keep your energy levels up and bodies warm, SERU MAR cooks up a lamb curry and other traditional Fijian dishes without the excess that you will love.
Buckle up as we take you away from the cold and gloom, to sunny, warm Hawai’i where LOUISA TE’I introduces you to American Samoan car enthusiast Seti Mataio and his HAMO’ HUMMER.
In homes, we take you inside Samoan Esther Malcolm and her husband John’s BAY OF PLENTY HOME at the seaside town of Ohope, where nature and leisurely living is at their doorstep.
In travel, SPASIFIK publishers INNES and ANNE LOGAN travel to Samoa to sample the sights, sounds and tastes that the proud island nation has to offer.
We then fly north to the other side of the Pacific as we take you to the underwater kingdom of PALAU, the crown jewel of Micronesia which has one of the world’s best diving spots, as captured by photojournalist DANKA LEDGERWOOD.

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September 6th 2008
SPORT
Fiji downs Samoa in Oceania U19 opener

Samoa’s under-19 team at the Oceania U19 Rugby Champs rued three missed penalties in front of goal that gifted hosts Fiji a narrow 16-14 win yesterday.
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September 5th 2008
Wellington, Christchurch gets Rugby World Cup 2011 boost

Manukau, Hamilton and North Shore has been overlooked for the knock out Rugby World Cup 2011 matches as Wellington and Christchurch were given hosting rights for all four quarterfinals.
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September 4th 2008
Samoa rugby’s worst hiding, but AB’s helped by pedantic ref

There was no question Manu Samoa was headed for its worst hiding in their rugby history, but Australian referee Stu Dickinson’s shameful performance in New Plymouth last night ensured the All Blacks reached the century mark.
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September 2nd 2008
So’oialo to captain All Blacks against Samoa

Rodney So'oialo will captain the All Blacks in his 50th test against the country of his birth in New Plymouth on Wednesday.
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September 2nd 2008
Cook Islander Samoan to make NRL history

Brisbane Broncos and Kangaroos star Karmichael Hunt, of Cook Islands and Samoan descent, will this Friday become the youngest player to reach 100 games in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL).
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September 1st 2008
Warrior greats get winning sendoff

League greats Ruben Wiki, Wairangi Koopu and Logan Swann got the home sendoff they wanted with an emphatic 42-14 win over the Panthers, which now put the playoffs just one win away for the Warriors.
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September 1st 2008
Wallabies suffer worst defeat, AB’s await Brisbane backlash

The Wallabies suffered their worst ever test rugby defeat at the hands of South Africa in Johannesburg and now have their backs against the wall with the All Blacks waiting to pounce in the finale on 13 September.
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September 1st 2008
Island power propels St Helens to Challenge Cup title

Former Warrior and Kiwi winger Francis Meli scored a crucial try in St Helens 28-16 Challenge Cup final victory over Hull at Wembley Stadium over the weekend.
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August 28th 2008
Manu Samoa “B” to take on All Blacks

The last time Manu Samoa played the All Blacks in 2001, the men in black won easily 50-6. Seven years on, they are back to even the score in New Plymouth next Wednesday, but it looks ominous for the hard hitters from the Pacific.
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August 27th 2008
Coup leader in line to manage Pacific Islanders

Sitiveni Rabuka, the army commander who became Fiji's prime minister after leading a coup in 1987, could be the manager of the Pacific Islanders rugby team on its tour to Europe in November.
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August 26th 2008
Street Beat: the best of the Beijing Olympics

MELE TU’UHOLOAKI is back with another Street Beat, this time asking what was the highlight of the Beijing Olympics and who was the stand out athlete.
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25th August 2008
Do-or-die now for Warriors

The Warriors dug themselves an even deeper hole after their 34-6 loss to the Dragons in Wollongong. Now with their backs against the wall, the Panthers are coming to Auckland intent on ending their season.
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25th August 2008
OLYMPICS
Sorry Phelps, but Bolt is the man

The fastest man on land versus the fastest man in the water. Superfish or Lightning Bolt? PETER REES pondered this debate during the Beijing Olympics as he looks back at 16 memorable days.
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August 22nd 2008
Sonny Bill will be a star in union: Ex-Wallaby coach

Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones took just one game before reaching the conclusion that Sonny Bill Williams could be the best ever league convert to rugby union.
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August 21st 2008
Samoa names team for Oceania U19

The Samoa under 19 rugby team to participate at the FORU (Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions) U19 Tournament in Fiji from 3-12th September has been named.
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August 19th 2008
OLMYPICS UPDATE
Joy and pain in Beijing

It was a weekend of incredible highs and painful lows for athletes of Pacific ancestry at the Beijing Olympics. However, Valerie Vili’s gold medal in the shot put was celebrated by both Kiwis and islanders alike worldwide.
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August 18th 2008
Manu Samoa next on All Black Menu

The All Blacks have seized control of the Tri-Nations after dismantling South Africa 19-0 in Cape Town. The grand finale will be the crunch Bledisloe Cup match against the Wallabies in Brisbane, but not before a date with Manu Samoa in New Plymouth on 3 September.
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August 18th 2008
OLYMPICS UPDATE
Guam's 215kg giant heaviest in Olympic history

The Pacific islands may not win a medal at the Beijing Olympics, but they’ve already claimed a first, the heaviest athlete at the games, in fact the heaviest in Olympic history. Meet Guam wrestler, Ricardo Blas Junior.
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August 18th 2008
Maori Mountain Warrior takes on ‘Troublemaker’

The Maori Mountain Warrior Shane Cameron has named a tough opponent for his next fight in September.
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August 13th 2008
Manukau lobbies to host more 2011 Rugby World Cup games

New Zealand’s most Pacific populous city is set to benefit economically if the region is named as the hub of the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
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August 13th 2008
OLYMPICS UPDATE
Medal hopeful Minginfel misses bronze, placed 4th

The Pacific islands’ best hope for a medal at the Beijing Olympics missed out on bronze by the tiniest of margins in weightlifting competition yesterday.
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August 13th 2008
Forbes, Mai nominated for Sevens player of the year

The captains of the New Zealand and Samoa Sevens teams have been nominated for this year’s IRB World Sevens player of the year award.
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August 12th 2008
OLYMPICS: Bad start for Pacific as Samoan boxer hospitalised

Pacific athletes were on display over the weekend after a rousing opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics. But it wasn’t a good start for athletes from the Pacific islands.
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August 11th 2008
Warriors keep alive playoff hopes

A fantastic, albeit edgy 16-12 win over the Broncos at Mt Smart over the weekend eased a rocky road for the Warriors to the NRL playoffs with four rounds remaining. Warriors fan MELE TU’UHOLOAKI looks at what lies ahead.
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August 11th 2008
Purcell sister act in Beijing

Samoan basketball sisters, Charmian and Natalie, are one of five sets of Kiwi siblings competing at the Olympics in Beijing.
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August 8th 2008
With or without Sonny Bill we’re moving forward: Kiwis coach

Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney is crossing his fingers runaway league star Sonny Bill Williams will be available for the World Cup. But speaking exclusively to SPASIFIKmag.com, he says it won’t be the end of the world.
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August 7th 2008
SANZAR meets with Pacific unions in Apia

The Samoan and Fijian Rugby Unions today completed their consultations with SANZAR.
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August 5th 2008
Silver Ferns, Australia squads named; Gilsenan retires

After helping the NSW Swifts to a 65-56 win over the Magic in the inaugural ANZ Champs final, Fiji-Rotuman star Selina Gilsenan retires as New Zealand and Australia name their squads for the upcoming international series with England.
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August 4th 2008
Kapa o Pango spurs All Blacks

With their backs against the wall, the All Blacks again drew strength from adversity, putting on an emphatic display in their Bledisloe Cup return match in Auckland and thumping the Wallabies 39-10.
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August 4th 2008
Olympic debuts for Tuvalu, Marshall Islands

Following Kiribati’s lead in 2004, the arrival of Tuvalu and Marshall Islands into the ‘bird’s nest’ for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics this weekend is bound to draw huge cheers. MELE TU’UHOLOAKI finds out why.
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August 4th 2008
Aussies, Samoa triumph at Oceania 7s

It was a miserable weekend for New Zealand rugby as the Wallabies thrashed the All Blacks in Sydney 34-19, then over in Apia, the world champion NZ Blackferns were upset in the women’s final of the Oceania Sevens.
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July 28th 2008
Betham biography pulls no punches

Former NZ Warriors skipper and Kiwi rugby league international Monty Betham reveals how he feared his father, a champion boxer of the same name in Samoa and New Zealand in the 1970s, who regularly used to beat him. All is revealed in Monty Betham Junior’s biography Baring My Soul, written by John Matheson, sports editor of the Sunday News.
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July 28th 2008
Shock as Sonny Bill Williams leaves league for union

Canterbury Bulldogs and Kiwi rugby league star Sonny Bill Williams has walked out of his contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs and headed to France to seal a $NZD 3 million contract with the Toulon club coached by former All Blacks captain and fellow Samoan Tana Umaga.
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July 28th 2008
George could play international netball for Samoa

Former Silver Fern player Temepara George has the added advantage of being able to play for two countries if she decides to play at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
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July 18th 2008
Leota scores Beijing trip of a lifetime

Wellington-born Renee Leota will be the first Pacific athlete on show at next month’s Beijing Olympics when she lines up for the Football Ferns. PETER REES speaks with the Samoan teenager exclusively to SPASIFIKmag.com.
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July 17th 2008
Tongan NFL great KO’s baseball strongman Canseco

In his prime, Jose Canseco was a colossal figure major league baseball. But the giant Cuban was cut down to size by a much smaller, yet harder hitting Tongan former NFL player during a celebrity boxing match.
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July 16th 2008
Draw for Oceania rugby 7s qualifiers released

The draw has been made for the Oceania regional qualifier for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 to be held in Apia, Samoa from 25-26 July.
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July 15th 2008
Waikato Magic face do-or-die in Hamilton

After a heartbreaking one point semi-final loss to the Sydney Swifts on Sunday, the Waikato Magic get one more chance to make the July 28 ANZ Champs grand final. But Mo’onia Gerrard and her Adelaide Thunderbirds stand in the way.
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July 15th 2008
Samoan swimmer bags gold at World Junior Champs

July 14th 2008
Boks end All Black 30 game home winning streak

After beating the Irish, English and a good start to their Tri Nations campaign, the All Blacks have had their home winning streak ended by the Boks in Dunedin. But is it all doom and gloom again? PETER REES gauges the after match reaction.
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July 14th 2008
Kaino’s six-month driving ban


American Samoa born All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino has been banned from driving for six months and fined.
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9th July 2008
ANZ Champs top four finalists found

The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic is the only New Zealand team to qualify for the ANZ Championship finals which start this weekend, with the Swifts, Thunderbirds and Vixens also vying for the inaugural title.
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July 9th 2008
Arreola poses big threat to Tua hopes

Chris Arreola stands in the way, of what many believe is David Tua’s last hope of winning an elusive world title. But the undefeated American heavyweight won’t be an easy opponent.
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July 9th 2008
Wiki’s 300 a milestone for Pacific league

Sonny Bill Williams may be the most popular rugby league player of Pacific ancestry in the world, but he’s got a long way until he matches Ruben Wiki’s accomplishments, writes PETER REES.
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July 9th 2008
Captain So’oialo joins Collins, Umaga

Rodney So’oialo becomes the third All Black test captain of Pacific origin, and only the second born in the Pacific islands when he leads the team out against the Springboks in Wellington this Saturday.
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July 9th 2008
NZ Maori crowned Pacific Nations Cup champions

The IRB Pacific Nations Cup remains in New Zealand for another year after the Maori side’s come from behind win over Australia A, while Manu Samoa finished third after surviving a Japanese scare and the Tongans stunned Fiji .
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Maori and Pacific peoples love their sports, whether they are playing or watching. And the new SPASIFIKmag.com Sport & Leisure section captures that passion perfectly with a feast of content to satisfy even the most ardent fan. We provide in-depth and exclusive interviews, profiles and features with athletes and teams making the headlines. But we go even further, delving into the personalities and their cultural heritages, going beneath the headlines, and investigating right at the source to get the real stories behind the faces.

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