April 11th 2018
SPORT
She has a name: Feagaiga Stowers wins Gold for Samoa
Feagaiga Stowers joins a handful of other Pacific peers in winning medals for their respective countries, having securing Gold. LAUMATA LAUANO weighs in on why the reporting of Stowers' win being born only from Kiwi weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s withdrawal is problematic.
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November 30th 2017
SPORT
Tongan Darlings of the RLWC 2017
As the Tongan league team are welcomed home in the Kingdom to be invested with an award of the Royal Orders by King Tupou VI, there’s no denying that Tonga came to the World Cup and conquered, even if they didn’t walk away with the cup. MATA LAUANO reflects on the team's highs and lows
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November 6th 2017
SPORT
Tongan league team takes win and fans take to South Auckland streets
Despite a jovial stadium crowd following a fair game, where Samoans and Tongans supported their respective teams beautifully in Hamilton, there were 29 arrests in South Auckland as Tongan fans attacked each other.
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October 31st 2017
SPORT
RLWC2017: How the Pacific are faring
As Mate Ma'a Tonga fans flood the streets of Otahuhu and the arrival gates of the Auckland International Airport, let’s look at how the Rugby League World Cup #RLWC2017 tournament is going so far, and where our #Pacific teams are placed.
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October 6th 2017
SPORT
The National Sport of Tuvalu - Te Ano
With the help of our friends at Te Papa and Tagata Pasifika let’s look at how to play Te Ano, the national game of Tuvalu. A bit like volleyball Te Ano is played with a harder, tougher, ball that could blacken your eye if you’re not careful.
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August 28th 2017
SPORT
Black Ferns claim fifth world cup title- watch the match highlights
In a thrilling Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 final the Black Ferns triumphed over England 41-32 at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast to claim their fifth world cup title - watch the highlights below!
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July 12th 2017
Sports
Humpday highlights: Pacific Nations Cup Rounds 1 and 2
Check out the highlights from Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2017 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup below as Fiji qualifies for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Samoa and Tonga still in competition for second Oceania qualifying spot.
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February 17th 2017
Sports
Tongan Skier eyeing the 2018 Winter Olympics fails to finish
Less than a year away from the Winter Olympics in South Korea Tongan-English Kasete Naufahu Skeen, who transformed his life completely in a bid to represent Tonga in Alpine Skiing, was unable to achieve a result on his debut at the Alpine World Ski Champs in St Moritz.
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July 20th 2016
Rugby League
League takes centre stadium in Hawaii with Ohana Cup and Rugby League Festival
Hawaii, an island that’s traditionally been entrenched in American Football, will host a two-day Rugby League Festival where teams will play for the Ohana Cup at Aloha Stadium in August.
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July 8th 2016
Rugby
Canterbury rugby player suspended for racist slur to Fijian opponent
The Human Rights Commission welcomes Canterbury Rugby Football Union’s move to penalise a Canterbury rugby for 40 weeks after making racist remarks to a Fijian player on the opposing team.
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July 7th 2016
Football
Standout Samoan New Zealand footballer Bill Tuiloma
In an article for Vice Sports (in partnership with NIKEiD and photographed by Ben Clement) Bill Tuiloma talks to Vice about life as the first New Zealander playing top division French football and making an international reputation as a hard working player.
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June 7th 2016
Wrestling
Peter Maivia posthumously inducted into Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson paid tribute to his late grandfather, via his Instagram, with a picture of Maivia and a tribute to the man who helped put Samoa on the map and was recently inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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May 13th 2016
Sevens Rugby
Manu Samoa Sevens take up Running Man Challenge…in Paris
In the video uploaded to their official facebook page, various members of the Manu Samoa Sevens squad are seen doing the running man (the new move, not the original) around Paris, from around their hotel to on the field.
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March 24th 2016
Opinion
Head-On
The impact of contact sports on the brain will have a growing long-term impact on the lives of those who participate, many of who are of Polynesian descent. INNES LOGAN reflects on his own experience of getting smashed and wonders how today’s top players will fear in the future as their codes become harder and faster.
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January 27th 2016
Boxing
David Tua - Almost Was
Boxing trainer Kevin Barry says David Tua lacked the dedication his current fighter Joseph Parker has to win the world heavyweight title. SPASIFIK publisher INNES LOGAN believes his lack of height and reach and coming from a small island in the Pacific didn’t help either.
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November 18th 2015
Rugby
All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu dies aged 40
All Blacks legend and rugby’s first global superstar Jonah Lomu has died, aged 40. The giant Tongan, who was born and raised in South Auckland, featured regularly in SPASIFIK magazine, most recently in 2013 when an updated edition of Jonah – My Story was published featuring his ongoing battle to stay alive.
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November 5th 2015
Rugby
Jerome Kaino, My Story
Jerome Kaino, star of the All Blacks’ triumphant double Rugby World Cup campaign, is rare among the many Samoans to have worn the silver fern in that he was born in American Samoa. But his time in the US territory was brief as his parents soon decided New Zealand was the place of opportunity. In an exclusive extract from his biography Jerome Kaino, My Story he details his journey and how living on the southside of the world’s largest Polynesian city shaped his future in the chapter South Auckland.
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November 4th 2015
Rugby
Jerome Up Front
Jerome Kaino was the All Blacks’ leading performer when they won the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup. Following the release of his autobiography he speaks to INNES LOGAN about their prospects defending the title, Samoa, Fats, school rugby and new Blues coach Tana Umaga
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