2 Fijians for Manawatu vs Auckland

Manawatu lost their early lead to Auckland in their second ITM cup encounter to come out second best by 21-18. Tomasi Cama scored a try after setting up a break for halfback Stirzaker. Missing Aaron Cruden and Aaron Smith the Turbos lost the game in the second half due to their scrummaging issues, after loosing their better second rowers.

Tomasi Cama played an excellent game with that try but was replaced by fellow Fijian Newton Tudreu in the last quarter. Newton may feature more for Turbos as Cama leaves for International Sevens duties.

Video of Fijian Manawatu highlights below.

Osbourne try as Canterbury dominate Taranaki

Canterbury dominated Taranaki with a 30 - 6 victory  at the AMI stadium
in Christchurch. Fijian Patrick Osbourne was a threat the game and score Canterbury's first try after 23 minutes of play.

Watch the try and highlights here:

Taniela Koroi scores on debut for Lions

Wellington walloped the Steemers 55 - 16 to start off their season with an enormous win. Fijian tighthead prop Taniela Koroi scoring a second half try after coming off the bench. Featuring some big names as All Black Victor Vitor, TJ Perenara and Jeremy Thrush the Lions showed their class with that emphatic win.

Watch the games higlights below.

Pacific Island Players Association to protect rugby players

Former Manu Samoan captain Mahonri Schwalger may have paid for voicing his views after the IRB World cup in 2011. He was dropped last year from the Manu Samoa team despite playing top Super 14 rugby in New Zealand. As a result in 2012, he joined former Fijian Captain Deacon Manu and Tongan Hale T-Pole in forming the Pacific Island players association to protect PI players interests

This from Radio New Zealand International this week.

The rugby community in Samoa, Fiji and Tonga say the formation of a Pacific Island Players Association is an important step forward for players in the professional age.
The association was formulated last year and launched a few months ago, although it’s hoped to be fully up and running in time for the November test window.
Vinnie Wylie spoke to those responsible for getting the initiative off the ground.
The Pacific Island Players Association was the brainchild of Fiji international Deacon Manu, Tonga’s Hale T-Pole and former Samoa captain Mahonri Schwalger. Manu has spent the past seven years playing in Wales and says the idea has been floating around for a while, it just needed someone to take the lead.

For the Full Interview on Radio New Zealand International Click here

22 Fijians feature in NZ Provincial Championship

The New Zealand Provincial Championship begins this week and features 22 Fijians. There are more Fijians playing in the minor unions but there's 22 in the major unions. The notable additions are 22 year old Taniela Koroi at tighthead prop and Naulia Dawai a loosie for Southland Stags.

We will keep you updated on stats for these players every week - the NPC kicks off this week. It's divided into two pools the ITM Cup Premiership and ITM Cup Championship.

PS: Patrick Osbourner - Winger - Canterbury
       Api Naikatini - Loose forward - Wellington are missing from the list

Maleli's Glenmark win North Canterbury Divsion 1

Maleli Bula a former Fijian Rugby Sevens player has helped his Glenmark Rugby Team win the North Canterbury Division 1 Final over favorites Oxford. The final was played Oxford Oval and so Oxford had the home advantage.

It was a closely fought final and the final score 23 - 19 reflecting that. Maleli Bula was a recruit of Rugby-Career.com starting off atSouthland and then moving north to Canterbury.

Congratulations champs.

Te Anau wins Southland Division 1

Te Anau have won a deserved 21-10 win over Bluff in the Division One club final.

Fijian fullback Napolioni Serulele kicked a 50m penalty goal for Te Anau to open scoring 30 minutes into the game.

Lock Niumaia Bari scored a vital try out wide to give the locals an 8-3 advantage going into break.

Bluff forwards pushed the Greens scrum and were rewarded with a penalty try. Te Anau replied with another try and Napolioni was on target with the conversion adding to his three penalties. 

It was hard fought final but held on to close the season winning the Shield. Congratulations Te Anau.

Both Fijian players were recruited by Rugby-Career.com

Vuicakau in Magpies for ITM

Don't be surprised if Havelock North winger Mikey Vuicakau is a bolter when the Hawke's Bay Magpies ITM Cup squad is announced this afternoon.

The 25-year-old Fijian flyer who boasts a smile bigger than the one Penikolo Latu sported when called into the Magpies towards the end of last year's ITM Cup, has had an impressive pre-season campaign with the Magpies. He scored two tries in last week's win against Taranaki and his enthusiasm levels at squad trainings to date have been first class.

A 2011 Wairarapa Bush representative, Vuicakau, arrived in the Bay last year with the aim of playing Sevens for Havelock North and Hawke's Bay.

"It would be good to make the Magpies at some stage too," Vuicakau said at the time.

With eight tries for Havelock North this season before being called out of club rugby for Magpies training squad commitments Vuicakau's intention to add to his seven first class fixtures for Wairarapa Bush with the Magpies was obvious. A nationally ranked decathlete in Fiji before moving to New Zealand in 2011, Vuicakau, is capable of turning on razzle dazzle similar to what Fiji Sevens legend Waisale Serevi did when he was in his prime a decade or so ago.

"Serevi was my hero ... he coached me back home in Sevens," Vuicakau replied last year when quizzed on the comparison between himself and Serevi.

 (0riginal article From Hawkes Bay Today by Warren Buckland)

Rupeni Caucau - 'You've got the softest hands'

Rupeni Caucau was today interviewed by Hayley Holt from the 'Crowd Goes Wild' sports show on Prime.

Watch this video to the end - 'You've got the softest hands' - So funny.

Jone Macilai and Caucau in Northland Taniwha

Jone Macilai was named in the Northland Taniwha squad for 2013 alongside fellow Fijian Rupeni Caucaunibuca. The fast and nippy Red Rock winger caught the eyes of  Northland scouts at the coral Coast Sevens in Fiji late 2012.

He joined the Awanui Rugby Club in Sub-Northland Division of Mangonui along with Rupeni Caucau. Their club winning the final in that competition.

For Rupeni however, Awanui has been a bootcamp doing wonders for him.

Club coach Glen Subritzky puts it simply,

"He's no rock star with us. He gets told to do the same stuff as everyone, and if he doesn't do it then he's told to leave. This is a muscly Rupeni, he'll break tackles rather than go around players. This time around he has a totally different body shape, huge shoulders, he was never this big. When he left the Blues he was 104kg and now he's at 108."

We wish them both all the best in the ITM competition.

Kunavore for Toulouse

Nasoni Kunavore has signed up for a 2 year contract with Toulouse

 Rugby Club in France. The 19 year old is the younger brother of Maleli Kunavore who passed away earlier this year. He was a member of the Fiji under 20 team to the recent Junior World Cup.

The lad from Nadroga will be attached to the Touluse Rugby Academy and joins other successful Fijians plying their trade in France. The Nadroga Rugby Union has been successful in establishing a relationship with France Clubs to the benefit of their players.

Taniela Koroi Captains Tawa to Jubilee maiden

MY 

Tawa RFC has won it's first Jubilee cup beating the Oriental Rongotai Club in the final of the Wellington Rugby Club competition last weekend.

Tawa is captained by Taniela Koroi and features three Fijians. Taniela remembers joining the club and how the grounds were empty on game days. In stark contrast  the finals had a good crowd of local supporters cheering on to stop a spirited Ories effort.

The Fijian prop also featured for the Wellington XV  against Manawatu and has been called up for Lions duties against the All Blacks this weekend. The ITM Lions first choice front row are currently recovering from Super XV injuries and so Taniela my feature in their first ITM game against Counties Manukau on August 15.

We wish him all the best this season.

Ratu Naulia Dawai makes it into Southland Stags

3 years ago Naulia Dawai moved to New Zealand not knowing where the town he was going to would be. Jekope Maiono from Rugby-Career.com had recruited him to play in Southland rugby competition for Midlands. The deep South as they call it is often covered in snow and that's what he found himself in.

Despite the hardship Dawai has worked hard in the three years. Being away from his family is the hardest and he flies back to them in the off season. In 2012 he returned early to play for Southland in the Sevens competition and impressed Southland Coach David Henderson. But Henderson wanted Dawai to move from hooker to flanker after seeing him at the New Zealand Sevens in Queenstown.

"After the sevens, we thought he was a guy with special talents, that could run with the ball," Henderson said. "He seemed to have something different. He could step into contact and through contact, he's quite powerful. We encouraged him to go into loose forward and he's done enough to warrant selection, so we are pretty happy with where he's at, but he's still got a long way to go."

This year he was finally selected to play for the Stags alongside other Fijian mates Nemia Kenatale and Tuapati Talemaitoga.

"I've learnt a lot, just how to train and what to eat. Focussing on skills like my passing and tackling technique, running lines. I've learnt heaps." 

Congratulations Naulia Dawai.