Latest news with #ToutaiKefu
ABC News
an hour ago
- Sport
- ABC News
First Nations and Pasifika XV's historic night representing culture and heritage
Players from across Australia and the Pacific gave the British and Irish Lions a scare last night in a fierce and tight-fought match, but for a team that came together only a week ago, it was about more than just the score. The historic First Nations and Pasifika XV included cultures from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands and Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as Australia and the Torres Strait. Tuesday night's match proved to be physical and challenging for both sides, with the Lions scraping by unbeaten 24-19 in their Australian tour. Tongan flanker Charlie Gamble said he knew there were critics out there who doubted the team's ability to deliver. "There were lots of questions, and I think we proved our worth," he said after the match. Head coach Toutai Kefu said he was "unbelievably proud" of the result, and that it was key for the team to walk away with a performance they were proud of. "We talked before the game, all week actually, about a performance that you could be proud of when you walked away and looked back ... we never actually talked about the result. "It was just the performance that we were proud of. "That's what we talked about, and I thought they delivered on that tonight." Could a team like First Nations & Pasifika become tradition? ( Supplied: Rugby Australia ) Connection and culture Captain Kurtley Beale, a Darug man, reflected on a really "special week for everyone involved" in his post-match press conference. "To be able to represent your family name, your culture — it's a really special experience and to be able to come together in a short amount of time and share stories about where you come from," he said. "We all kind of found that we all came from similar backgrounds and I think that was a really powerful moment and it allowed us to connect, and I think that kind of showed in the performance tonight." From a traditional Ava ceremony to sharing a big island feed, the First Nations & Pasifika XV immersed themselves in each other's cultures. A traditional Ava ceremony took place on the eve of their match. ( ABC Pacific: Seni Iasona ) Gamble shared a similar experience to Beale, seeing similarities in upbringing and cultures. "It's such a special thing for our culture and [to] represent our families," he told ABC Pacific. "I was saying all the different journeys and the way we've grown up, it's actually funny, it's all very similar, we've all gone through the same struggles, everything our parents have done to put us in a good position in life. "To be able to pay them back like this and represent our cultures and families is pretty cool." Samoan lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who played in the AUNZ match last week, said knowing who the team represented and why was at the "forefront of our mind throughout the whole week". "[I'm] just proud to represent my family," he said. "We're standing on the shoulders of giants in terms of our ancestors and our families that have managed to get us here today. "The thing about our cultures… and this is the Indigenous and the Pasifika, we value family comes first, tribe comes first or the village, so we find connecting very easy for us. So, we build on that and reinforce that." Kefu and Beale both believe team's like the First Nations & Pasifika XV are important for the next generation ( ABC Pacific: Seni Iasona ) Kefu and Beale both believe teams like the First Nations & Pasifika XV are important for the next generation of young Pasifika and First Nations kids to have a pathway. "I think this jersey; this emblem represents them," Beale said. "To be able to bring talent through and create pathways for those kids is what it's all about, and it's something as a squad that we're very proud to be able to do that and represent them at this level."
The 42
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The 42
LIVE: First Nations & Pasifika XV v British & Irish Lions, Australia tour 2025
About your hosts The First Nations & Pasifika side, meanwhile, is a fairly hastily-arranged team composed of First Nations peoples, i.e. those who hail from the Samoan, Fijian, Tongan, Māori, and Cook Island cultures which contribute to the rugby union community across Australia. They were chosen as the Lions' final warm-up opponents due to the collapse last year of Super Rugby's Melbourne Rebels, who had been due to fill this slot in their home city. Today will be the invitational side's first ever game. The First Nations' head coach is Tongan-Australian great Toutai Kefu, who won a World Cup in 1999 and starred in the Wallabies' first ever series win over the Lions in 2001. Kefu's assistant coach is All Blacks legend Tana Umaga, whom you might recall played a key role in the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand… Toutai Kefu in action against Ireland in 2002. INPHO INPHO Tana Umaga (R) renewing acquaintances with Brian O'Driscoll for an advertising campaign in 2018. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Telegraph
Toutai Kefu interview: I struggle with reduced sentences for teenagers who stabbed me
Toutai Kefu tries to rely upon his Christian belief in the power of forgiveness, but the head coach of the First Nations and Pasifika team has found turning the other cheek a challenging process in recent weeks. On the night of August 16, 2021, Kefu was fast asleep when two teenagers broke into his Brisbane home bearing knives and machetes. What followed was like a scene from a horror film. In the ensuing struggle, Kefu was stabbed multiple times and was left with a 25mm wound in his liver, which at one stage was considered life threatening. His son Josh had a lump of flesh cut from his back which would require 40 stitches and his daughter, Madison, was also cut trying to escape. The worst wounds were suffered by Kefu's wife, Rachel, who first encountered the intruders and almost had her arm severed by a sickle-like machete, which has left her with permanent nerve damage. The judge in the original sentencing case said the subsequent police photographs of inside the Kefu home 'frankly looks like a war zone'. Last year, the boys in the case were originally charged with attempted murder but accepted plea deals of eight and seven years respectively. The attorney general in Queensland appealed against the leniency of those sentences, but remarkably they were instead reduced last month. One boy has already been freed and the other will be out in a matter of weeks. Neither will have their convictions recorded. 'You struggle to get your head around it,' Kefu tells Telegraph Sport over a coffee in Brisbane. 'The attorney general wanted their records to be made permanent and their sentences to be extended. That didn't happen. Their sentences got reduced. That's disappointing. I don't know what more to say. My wife is probably the most disappointed, but we are trying to move on. 'We've gotten through it. With my upbringing and my kids' sporting background, they are resilient. A tough group. Probably that Polynesian upbringing meant they bounced back pretty quickly. My wife is still affected by it, but is doing really well. She can't fully bend her hand. The finer movements she struggles with, particularly when it gets colder. She struggles to sleep at night. If she hears anything on the street, she fully wakes up. We are fully secure now with lights, alarm, a dog.' The Kefus live in a prosperous neighbourhood but even with their extra security measures they have suffered two further break-ins. 'We have had a couple more break-ins where people try to steal our cars,' Kefu said. 'One night my wife woke up hearing something out the front and somehow they had got through the alarm and the front gate. My wife shouted at them and they ran off. As much as it affected us and still does, a lot of blame needs to go on the shoulders of the parents and the social environment. It has been happening consistently in our neighbourhood. They are kids from out of town. They're usually on something or other so it can be really dangerous. We're fortunate. Other people in the area have had it a lot worse. There have been deaths and fatalities. We're grateful we are all here.' You would think the Kefu household would be marked as off limits for potential thieves. As a back-rower of Tongan stock, Kefu rarely took a backwards step in his 60 appearances for the Wallabies. These were spread over the golden era of Australian rugby, making his debut in the 76-0 demolition of England in 1998 and going on to be a part of the World Cup-winning back row the following year.
ABC News
21 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
First Nations-Pasifika combo out to honour their heritage and put a dent in the Lions unbeaten record
Fresh from their 27-19 victory over Australia in Brisbane, the British and Irish Lions have travelled to Melbourne to prepare for the second test at the MCG on Saturday. They'll warm up for that encounter with a match against a First Nations and Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium. It's the first time that such a side has been brought together - representing as it does six different cultures - with all 23 players in the match-day squad out to honour their heritage. Overseeing operations will be Toutai Kefu, capped 60 times by Australia, before going on to coach his country of heritage,Tonga. He says such a side may never be seen again, but he loves the First Nations-Pasifika concept and has floated the idea of future matches against the New Zealand Maoris, and maybe even a European tour.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Is Lions vs First Nations & Pasifika XV on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch
With a 1-0 lead in the Test series secured in Brisbane on Saturday, the British and Irish Lions return to midweek action as they bid to continue their unbeaten run since arriving in Australia. A First Nations & Pasifika XV provide the opposition in Melbourne ahead of the second Test, with the invitational side replacing the Melbourne Rebels after the demise of the Super Rugby side. The build-up to the game has been marred by an eligibility row that has seen back row Pete Samu ruled unable to feature for the home side having played his club rugby in France last season, though there is still plenty of talent in the ranks assembled by Toutai Kefu, the former Wallabies No 8 and Tonga head coach. The Lions will hope to maintain momentum as their wider squad get a chance to impress and perhaps force their way into Andy Farrell's thinking for Saturday's second Test. Here's everything you need to know. When do the First Nations & Pasifika XV play the British and Irish Lions? The tour game is scheduled to kick off at 11am BST on Tuesday 22 July at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event. A live stream will be available via Sky Go and NOW. The First Nations & Pasifika side is captained by fly half Kurtley Beale, who gets a shot at Lions redemption 12 years on from his untimely slip in the first Test. Beale is back fit after missing an outing for the Western Force earlier in the tour through injury. He steers a side that blends some of Australian rugby's in-form Super Rugby Pacific stars with a couple of additions from the Fijian Drua on the bench. Pete Samu may be unavailable but it's still a strong back row group named by Toutai Kefu, with Charlie Gamble very good for the Waratahs earlier in the tour and the explosive Rob Leota on the bench. Tighthead Taniela Tupou and wing Filipo Daugunu have been released from Wallabies camp to feature. The Lions are led by Owen Farrell, with the Englishman stationed at inside centre outside of compatriot Fin Smith. Only three of those involved in the first Test back up as Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith retain bench spots in what is an otherwise new-look Lions side. Blair Kinghorn, who starts at full-back, and Garry Ringrose, set to feature off the bench, are welcome returnees from injury. Jamie George, Jamie Osborne, Darcy Graham, Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Tom Clarkson and Gregor Brown are all in line for their first appearances of the tour after being called up to the squad. Line-ups First Nations & Pasifika XV: 1 Lington Ieli, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 3 Taniela Tupou; 4 Darcy Swain, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto; 6 Seru Uru, 7 Charlie Gamble, 8 Tuaina Taii Tualima; 9 Kalani Thomas, 10 Kurtley Beale (capt.); 11 Filipo Daugunu, 12 David Feliuai, 13 Lalakai Foketi, 14 Triston Reilly; 15 Andy Muirhead. Replacements: 16 Richie Asiata, 17 Marley Pearce, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Rob Leota; 21 Harrison Goddard, 22 Jack Debreczeni, 23 Jarrah McLeod. British and Irish Lions XV: 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 Jamie George, 3 Finlay Bealham; 4 James Ryan, 5 Scott Cummings; 6 Jac Morgan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Henry Pollock; 9 Ben White, 10 Fin Smith; 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 12 Owen Farrell (capt.), 13 Jamie Osborne, 14 Darcy Graham; 15 Blair Kinghorn.
