Pasifika Sipoti wrap - results from the weekend

Byrne says Force loss disappointing

Western Force flyhalf Ben Donaldson has scored 23 points on the back of a perfect kicking display to lift his side to a crushing 48-10 win over Fijian Drua in Perth late on Saturday night.

It was another disappointment for the Drua, who for the second time in two weeks, have shown they are not capable of winning games on the road.

Chasing must wins to stay in the running for a top right finish, the Fijians lacked any drive in the first spell and made the mistake of turning down a kickable penalty that could have swung the game their way on the scoreboard.

As the side turned the pressure on the in the second half and smelling blood, Drua stand-in captain Tevita Ikanivere opted for a kick to the sideline from a penalty deep inside the Force half.

They lost the opportunity to gain valuable points and the Force returned the favour scoring at the end other of the ground.

Head coach Mick Byrne said he was disappointed.

"It was really disappointing. The only thing we took out from the match is that we are still in the eighth," Byrne said in The Fiji Times.

"I thought we grabbed the momentum there, we had a good scrum, we just lost our way. I think we have to get a good look at ourselves, it can't be the team that played the Brumbies last week and then can't be the team that came out tonight so, as it would be we are still in the eight.

"The year is still in front of us, we have some serious wounds to lick and we'll find out about the resilience we keep talking about having, we'll find out about that over the next 24 hours."

Byrne said it would come down to the players' attitude now and how much they really wanted to be in the playoffs in their third Super Rugby season.

"Some of our players may have not felt like this before but we just have to find a way, they are big men and now it's time the rubber hits the road," he said.

"It's a good challenge for them, it's part of their leaning and growth but we'll find out a lot about ourselves in the next 24 hours."

The Drua host the Reds in Suva this weekend and will need to win to consolidate their place.

A loss will mean they could be on their way out of the top eight. A Force win will make that final 8 spot tougher for the Fijians.

The Force entered Saturday night's Super Rugby Pacific match in last place but now sit ninth on the table, two points off the Drua at eighth.

Spurred on by a star showing from former Wallaby Kurtley Beale and a perfect eight-out-of-eight kicking display from Ben Donaldson, the Force romped to their third win of the season.

The Force finish their regular season with games against the last-placed Waratahs (home), fifth-placed Reds (away) and third-placed Brumbies (home), with two more wins potentially enough to secure a finals berth.

"Outcome aside, that was our best performance of the year by the boys," Force coach Simon Cron said.

"We played some great rugby, both sides of the ball. I thought the players really stepped up. Donaldson's kicking was outstanding but also his running game and passing game - he's a triple threat."

The Force made a blistering start to the match, touching down for a try after just 54 seconds, with winger Chase Tiatia providing the finishing touch with a dive in the corner.

Stand-in captain Ikanivere told the media there was no excuse for their loss.

"We got here early, here on Monday, we've been here the week we were just off today," he said on FBC Sports.

"We just have to learn to flick the switch, turn on and keep going."

Moana's finals hope almost gone

Moana Pasifika's hopes of getting a quarterfinal spot in the Super Rugby Pacific competition is almost gone.

Last Friday night's 43-7 loss to the Chiefs at Mount Smart Stadium means the side is slipping further down the ladder.

The side is now 10th on the points table, with 14 points to their name.

They face the Hurricanes at the Sky Stadium in Wellington this week, Waratahs at home on 25 May and then travel to Christchurch on 31 May to meet the Crusaders.

Last Friday, the Chiefs only led 12-0 at halftime but turned on the fireworks in the second half.

Moana Pasifika scored a consolation try through Anzelo Tuitavuki in the 71st minute.

Moana Pasifika mentor, head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga said it was tough night for them, especially after they lost some players just before kick-off time.

But he said despite the loss they were proud of the players.

"Can't fault the effort, very proud of our players for the shift they put in the game," he said.

"Obviously, we were disappointed around, you know, the outcome and the performance at the end. It's the detail, you know, it's completing our play, we seem to get into some right areas then we make errors and that puts us under pressure.

"And then we're on the backfoot and we defeated for long phases, that's what we're really proud of. You know, our guys didn't give up. But it's tough when we had to defend for so long as we did against a quality side like the Chiefs. You can't give them all those opportunities."

Fa'alogo said playing against top players, which includes some All Black and Wallaby reps, means his players will have to learn to step up.

He believes that is urgent as it seems the learning has not happened quickly enough.

"We cannot worry about who they going to put out, we can only worry about who we put out," he said.

"And we have faith in our players. That's the squad we have and we have trust in them. We might be playing against All Blacks and other players who have been in Super Ruby for long, but we still back ourselves to give a good account of ourselves.

"For us, we just got to learn quick and at this stage probably we are not learning quick enough."

Other Super Rugby Pacific results: Reds 26 Rebels 22, Blues 31 Hurricanes 27, Highlanders 32 Crusaders 29, Brumbies 29 Waratahs 21.

Vanuatu finish fourth

The Vanuatu women's number one beach volleyball team finished fourth at the FIVB World Beach Pro Tour Futures tournament in China at the weekend.

Linline Matauatu and Majabelle Lawac were beaten 2-0 by Brazil in Pingtan on Sunday.

The pair had earlier lost to Italy in the semifinals, going down 14 to 21 in each of the two sets and had defeated Thailand two sets to nil in the quarterfinals.

The second team of Sherysyn Toko and Loti Joe lost 1-2 to Thailand in the Round of 12

The two teams will now move on to Wuhan this week to compete at the second event there.

Vanuatu is preparing for the Continental Cup in China in June.

A win there will see them qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

Lautoka claim trophy after 21 years

The Farebrother Trophy is the supreme rugby title in Fiji.

History was re-written again on Saturday when the first defense match was played at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka.

Defending champions Nadi could not hold on to the title, after a fired up Lautoka side dethroned them in a 16-10 win for the Maroons.

It ended a 21-year drought that Lautoka had endured.

Fijian Drua squad member and flyhalf Isikeli Rabitu was the player of the match for the new champions.

He scored a try and kicked two penalties.

Lautoka will defend the title against Suva this weekend.

The Fiji Rugby Union also held the Skipper Cup and Vodafone Vanua Cup promotion relegation round one matches at the weekend.

Malolo upset Namosi 34-30 while Vatukoula defeated Yasawa 30-22.

In the women's competition, Suva created history by becomimg the first team to lift the ANZ Bosco Trophy Challenge at Lawaqa Park winning against Namosi 31-15.

In the promotion relegation series, the Tailevu women's side defeated Cakaudrove 37-34, while Kadavu beat Navosa 69-12.

Hekari lead at OFC men's champions league

Hekari United lead Group A of the OFC Men's Champions League in Tahiti, following their 2-0 win over Solomon Warriors on Sunday.

The clear win puts them on top of the competition table, following the 2-2 draw by Rewa and Auckland City earlier on in the day.

It also gives the champion Papua New Guinea side an advantage, going into the second round.

OFC Media said Frank Ne'e's side had the better of the opening 45 minutes and will feel they should have done better with the chances they created. Captain Gagame Feni guilty of squandering a number of opportunities to give his side a precious lead.

The pacey forward had the best chance of the first half just before the half hour mark, making the most of Hekari United's high backline to sprint in behind but could only fire straight at goalkeeper Dave Tomare when one-on-one.

The Papua New Guinea side had a half chance towards the end of the first period, but Erick Joe could only slice his effort wide from a tight angle in the penalty area.

Hekari United came alive in the second half, creating a number of chances as Solomon Warriors began to fade.

Only two minutes were on the clock in the second 45 when Yagi Yasasa conjured a stunning volley from the edge of the area. Seemingly goal bound, Timothy Maearasia leapt to his right and spectacularly tipped the ball over the bar to keep the score level.

The breakthrough came on the 70th minute, courtesy of Ati Kepo. The forward driving with the ball in the inside-right channel and firing an unstoppable effort into the top corner, in off the post.

A crucial second arrived in the 82nd minute. Substitute Rex Naime - who had missed a good chance earlier in the half - found himself in a similar position and made no mistake the second time around, calmly slotting past the keeper to put the result beyond doubt.

Rewa holds champs to a draw

Defending champions Auckland City FC counted themselves lucky when they fought back to draw level with Rewa 2-2 in the opening game of the OFC Men's Champions League 2024 at Stade Paea in Tahiti on Sunday.

Having taken the lead though captain Cam Howieson when the second spell started, the side had to fight hard to stay in the running after Rewa responded with the equaliser about a minute later.

Then the Fijian side took the lead about five minutes later, with Joasis Sela scoring both goals, beating Auckland City's Conor Tracey and threatening a major upset.

OFC Media said the experienced New Zealand side rebounded almost immediately, however. Howieson finding space deep in Rewa territory and playing a smart through ball for substitute Ryan De Vries, who flicked a smart finish past Isikeli Sevanaia to level matters.

Liam Gillion - who had been a constant menace to the Rewa backline - went close to a late winner, flashing an effort past the post and desperate dive of Sevanaia.

The sapping heat and humidity from a midday kick-off was taking its toll as the match neared the final whistle. Howieson came close to a second in the final minute of regulation time, his close-range shot saved at the second attempt by Sevanaia.

Rewa coach Rodeck Singh told FBC Sports he was pleased with the result.

"I'm happy with the result I think it's not easy to come and draw with Auckland," he said.

"They are a quality side, and the boys deserve all the praise as they really worked hard."

Singh dedicated to the team's mothers.

"I think the mothers deserve it, without the mothers we will not have their children allowed to be played here," he said,

The Delta Tigers take on Solomon Warriors at 1pm on Wednesday in their second group A match.

Kaltak's Central Coast Mariners wins first leg

Vanuatu football star Brian Kaltak helped the Central Coast Mariners to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Sydney FC in the A-League semifinal first leg on Friday night.

Kaltak was strong in defense and had a big hand in the win.

Oceania Football Center said despite Sydney taking the lead through Joel King's goal in the 25th minute, Mariners fought back before halftime with Josh Nisbet's injury-time equalizer.

The momentum shifted in the second half when Brazilian fullback Mikael Doka converted a penalty, securing the lead for Mariners.

The match took a dramatic turn as Sydney saw two players, Jack Rodwell and Corey Hollman, sent off in the 63rd and 82nd minutes respectively. Despite the numerical advantage, Mariners maintained control, creating chances to extend their lead but ultimately settling for the 2-1 victory. The second leg will be played next Saturday, May 18th.

This victory comes on the heels of Mariners' triumph in the AFC Cup against Al-Ahed from Lebanon, highlighting their impressive form and resilience.

The Mariners meet Sydney in the return leg this weekend.

Kaltak has been a critical part of the team's defensive plyas this year.