Fijiana Drua are defending their 2022 Super Rugby W title. Photo: Pick & Drive Rugby Podcast]
Fiji - Super Rugby Women
Defending champions Fijiana Drua will host the Brumbies at Prince Charles Park in Nadi in the first round of the Super Rugby Women's competition.
Only nine players from the winning side of 2022 have been retained in the squad.
Head coach Inoke Male told Fiji Rugby media they will rely on the experience and knowledge of the nine players to guide the team through their first game.
"We have been in camp for the past three weeks and these girls have lifted the standard of performance to another level which has obviously helped the younger players to give their best while in training," Male said.
Rugby - Pasifika juniors
Following defeats in their two matches so far, both the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika Under-20 teams will meet in the 7th and 8th position playoff in Taupo on Saturday.
Drua lost to the Blues 51-7 in their first game last Sunday and went down 50-22 to the Cruaders in their second game of the eight-team Super Rugby U-20s competition.
Moana Pasifika also suffered the same fate, losing 64-19 to the Hurricanes and 52-20 to the Chiefs.
The finals will see the Blues meeting the Hurricanes.
Football - international matches
Solomon Islands notched their second win of the Tri-nations series in Fiji with a 2-0 win against Vanuatu on Thursday.
After a goalless first half, the Solomons took the lead through Gagame Feni, the Telekom S-League's top scorer, in the 68th minute.
The Solomons continued to push forward, and were rewarded with a second goal by Central Coast's William Komasi in the 81st minute.
Vanuatu had started the tournament with an upset 2-1 win against Fiji.
In the day's other match at Churchill Park, the Fiji senior team drew 2-2 with the Fiji Under-20s side.
The senior side finished with ten men when Tevita Warainivalu was dismissed in the second half.
The games are taking place during FIFA's window for international matches with New Caledonia and Tahiti resuming their rivalry on Friday after the New Caledonians won 2-0 in midweek.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, New Zealand laboured to a 0-0 draw against China in Auckland. The two teams lock horns again on Sunday in Wellington.
Football - Champions League
The draw has taken place for the Oceania Champions League in Vanuatu in May, with games to be split between Port Vila and Luganville.
Home side Ifira Black Bird will play their group B matches in the capital and have been joined by Hekari United of Papua New Guinea, AS Pirae of Tahiti and Tiga Sport of New Caledonia.
Fiji's Suva are in group A with defending champion New Zealand's Auckland City, Solomon Warriors and Lupe Ole Solaga of Samoa who topped a qualifying section played in Apia.
The two highest placed teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
The winner of the Champions League will advance to the FIFA Club World Cup 2023, to be held in December in Saudi Arabia. This will be the last time the FIFA Club World Cup will be played under its current format.
Solomons - Pacific Games
China's Ambassador to the Solomon Islands has insisted infrastructure for this year's Pacific Games will be completed by August.
China is providing more than $US220 million for the Games, including building the main stadium.
The multi-sport event is scheduled for November 19 to December 2.
Li Ming said the Chinese contractor CCECC - which is constructing the stadium projects - and JPC - which is constructing the Games Village and Dormitory project - reaffirmed their commitment to complete the two projects in August 2023 with high quality.
Pacific - doping
The Oceania Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (Orado) is to carry out awareness programmes to educate athletes.
Former PNG swimmer and World Anti-Doping Agency council member Ryan Pini said it was vital for Pacific athletes region to prepare for anti-doping tests prior to big sporting events.
Pini said the athletes commission would stage an awareness programme for Team PNG athletes prior to the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands in November.
