Pasifika Sipoti in brief for 28 July
Photo:
Photosport
Former Wallaby Issak Fines-Leleiwasa is joining the Fijian Drua for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Fines-Leleiwasa has featured for the Western Force in the past three years and had declared his intentions to play for Fiji, with his three-year international stand-down period coming to an end in October 2026.
The 29-year-old made his Wallabies debut against France in 2023.
He is eligible to play for Fiji through his Fijian-born father.
The first eight teams to compete in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Professional League, due to kick off in January 2026, will be announced next month.
OFC said its club licensing committee will review the assessments and recommend the successful applicants to the OFC executive committee for their decision.
There are 13 clubs in the running, with four out of New Zealand, two each from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Australia, plus one club each from Solomon Islands, Tahiti, and Vanuatu.
OFC professional league manager Stuart Larman said the the clubs have all worked hard to meet the requirements of the club licensing regulations.
Tonga National Rugby League is seeking a new women's coach for the Pacific Championships.
The person will take care of Tonga in their Pacific Cup fixtures against Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea, in October and November.
Applications close on 1 August.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Storm assistant coach Ryan Hinchcliffe will join Toa Samoa's head coach Ben Gardiner as an assistant for the men's Pacific Cup.
Toa Samoa will meet Tonga and New Zealand in the competition.
Fiji's under-20 men's rugby team will be part of the expanded World Rugby Under-20 Championship in 2026, scheduled to be hosted by Georgia.
World Rugby announced the prestigious age-grade tournament has been expanded from the current 12 teams to 16 next year.
Fiji, as the Oceania champion, will join hosts Georgia as well as USA, Japan and Uruguay at the event.
World Rugby's Nigel Cass said the expansion is a significant step forward in the mission to enhance global competitiveness and provide more young players with the opportunity to shine on the international stage.
The Vanuatu Judo Federation says they need government to invest in judo development, especially securing proper training facilities.
VJF Vice President Nazario said a lot more success would be achieved with proper judo facilities or dojo.
Vanuatu Daily Post
reported the Vanuatu judo team, who trained without proper facilities, returned from the Pacific Mini Games in Palau with two gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
Nazario said a lot of young athletes are taking up judo and a proper training facility is needed to better prepare judokas for upcoming tournaments.
Fiji is to host two major futsal tournaments later this year.
Oceania Football said the OFC Futsal Men's Cup will be held in Suva in September - after the tournament was moved from Solomon Islands.
The OFC said the decision was made with member associations, considering the logistics of hosting the competition in Honiara.
Fiji will also host the Futsal Men's Champions League, in late November, in Suva.
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