Talofa, Ma’lelei’i, Bula and welcome to Season 4 Episode 80 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika Peoples sports on a cloudy but warm Wednesday morning 22 March 2023, coming to you from paradise on the 180th meridian in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
Talofa, Ma’lelei’i, Bula and welcome to Season 4 Episode 80 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika Peoples sports on a cloudy but warm Wednesday morning 22 March 2023, coming to you from paradise on the 180th meridian in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
In rugby league – the Dolphins Tongan enforcer, Felise Kaufusi has been found guilty and will now miss the Brisbane derby this weekend in a huge blow to Wayne Bennett’s side.
Kaufusi will now serve a four-game ban, instead of only a three-game suspension if he took the early guilty plea for his carless and late tackle.
Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes received the same fate as his former teammate Kaufusi – unsuccessful in seeking a downgrade of his careless and late tackle charge. Hughes‘ decision was also unanimous and he will now serve a two-game suspension instead of one.
In boxing – controversy broke out at the IBA Women’s Boxing World Championships in India yesterday after Italian top seed in the 63Kg weight category, Assunta Canfora was beaten by knockout by Colombian fighter, Camilo Bravo Camila Gabriela after just 37 seconds in the first round of their Round of 16 bout.
A teary Assunta left the ring in a huff after the Referee from Denmark stopped the fight and declared the result as her Italian coaches vociferously protested that she had not been counted out and could carry on fighting.
In Sportsbiz – ESPN is bracing for painful layoffs in the weeks ahead, as part of a corporate restructure. Parent, Disney is slashing US$5.5Billion in costs including 7000 jobs – 3% of its global workforce. ESPN’s footprint has been cut to less than 75 million US homes from 100 million in 2011.
In football – the UEFA Champions League Women’s quarter finals first leg kicks off today with Bayern Munich against Arsenal and Roma versus Barcelona. Tomorrow sees Lyon take on Chelsea and PSG versus Wolfsburg.
After visiting Old Trafford last week, a consortium led by Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, is set to make a renewed bid to buy Man U, with an offer more likely to satisfy the American owners – the Glazer family, who believe the Club is worth US$7.2Billion.
In rugby – the New Zealand Rugby Football Union has confirmed Scott “Razor” Robertson as the All Blacks Head Coach from 2024, ending a chaotic search that could still derail their Rugby World Cup campaign. Razor has been appointed through to the end of the 2027 RWC in Australia.
Bula Razor, so what happened to Fiji?
The BIG conspiracy theory doing the rounds of all the Tanoas in Fiji overnight, is that the former interim CEO Tevita Tuiloa had really connected with Razor and was building up a strong working relationship with the six-times-in-a-row champion Super Rugby Coach to lead the Flying Fijians to the RWC2023 in September.
So why did the now former Chairman, Fiji Navy Commander, Humphrey Tawake push for the sudden announcement of Simon Raiwalui, and a short time later he also pushed out Tuiloa.
Why the rush? Just a couple of weeks later and Razor could have been named as the Flying Fijians Head Coach to the RWC2023.
Did former PM Bainimarama see the writing on the wall and pull the strings to torpedo Tuiloa, Razor and ultimately Rabuka?
Thankfully, Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka stepped up and named his nominee to the FRU Board, instantly replacing former PM Bainimarama’s nominee – guess who – Tawake before the upcoming FRU AGM.
Well that’s the big conspiracy theory anyway.
For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – Mahalo, vina’a and thank you – please hit the subscribe button below if you would like to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites. And tank you all too mas for all your love and support.
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