Lolo Lui cleared for Wellington

Manu Samoa sevens rep, Lolo Lui has been cleared to play in the Wellington Sevens this weekend despite serving a two week suspension from the Samoa Rugby Football Union.
Lui, a star from the Wellington event last year, copped the suspension after he was cited but the SRU judiciary committee two weeks ago while playing for his Moataa club in the Smokefree Youth 10-a-side tournament at St Joseph’s grounds in Alafua.

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Palamo is new Manu Samoa coach

Former Manu Samoa star, Tuala Lepale Niko Palamo has been named Manu Samoa head coach until the 2011 World Cup.

The announcement was made by the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi at his office this afternoon (January 14).


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Samoan reject back in Auckland

Former Auckland prop Peter Fatialofa, one of Samoa's most dedicated servants, has returned to the New Zealand province shattered after being overlooked to take over as coach of his country's national side.


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Samoa hoping to defend their title but will have to face hosts New Zealand first

Posted at 22:36 on 30 January, 2008 UTC

The Wellington rugby sevens champions Samoa believe the home team will be the ones to beat in the New Zealand leg of the IRB world series starting tomorrow at Westpac Stadium.

Samoa beat Fiji in last year’s final, but with a spate of injuries and five new players, coach Rudolf Moors believes his young side might struggle.

Samoa face New Zealand in pool play on Friday, and Moors says while there are several leading contenders, there’s a clear favourite.

“I think New Zealand’s the team to beat because they got two victories in the last tournament so for us we try to play hard and yeah we see what happens on Friday.”

New Zealand has won the first two rounds of the IRB series.

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Aussie rugby looks to Pacific Island flair

The inclusion of exciting Pacific Islander players in the four Australian provincial sides is part of a plan to revitalise the Super tournament.

O'Neill added: "There may be opportunities to have specific requirements that involves players from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. It is obvious that Europe and the UK have been picking up a lot of those very entertaining, good players out of the Pacific Islands. And perhaps we could attract them into our Super rugby competition, without hurting their eligibility to play for their home countries.


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Dale and Loki help Worcester to first win

IT WASN’T pretty, but they couldn’t give two hoots about that at Sixways, as Worcester Warriors battled away to their first league win of the season and a precious step closer to Guinness Premiership survival.

With virtually no lineout possession, and a nasty habit of conceding turnovers on the floor, it turned into a long second half for Bristol, who leaked three tries. Sanderson claimed the first, dotting down a forward drive while Matt Salter was in the sin-bin, then Rawlinson picked the perfect angle to run onto Crichton’s pass to score at the foot of the posts before Dale Rasmussen went over in the corner.

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Mikaele Pesamino and Uale Mai warm up in Queenstown

Samoa Sevens captain Uale Mai will join Hunt, Vito and All Black scrum half Piri Weepu in Wellington’s squad, while Mikaele Pesamino – the leading try scorer in last season’s IRB Sevens World Series – will play for Auckland.

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Samoa win Punta del Este Sevens

Samoa enjoyed the perfect preparation for their title defence at the New Zealand leg of the IRB Sevens World Series next month by winning the Punta del Este Sevens in Uruguay on Saturday after beating Buenos Aires Sevens 25-0 in the final.

The islanders had several players in their squad who had played in the opening two tournaments of the IRB Sevens World Series, including Reupena Levasa and their exciting newcomer Alafoti Fa’osiliva - the leading try scorer in George last month.

However Samoa had to do it the hard way by beating three Argentinean sides in the knockout stages, starting with CASI 36-5 in the quarter-finals and then Hindú – featuring RWC 2007 players Horacio Agulla and Hernán Senillosa – 19-14 to reach the final.

Samoa then faced Buenos Aires Sevens, who had beaten Old Boys 21-7 and the Serevi Selection – featuring Waisale Serevi and IRB Sevens World Series all-time leading try scorer Santiago Gomez Cora – 19-7 en route to the final.

Buenos Aires Sevens boasted two of Argentina’s squad who had reached the Cup semi-finals at the last IRB Sevens World Series event in George in Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino and Francisco Merello, but they were unable to deny Samoa the Punta del Este crown.

Tongan boost with Plate success

There was further success for the Pacific nations as Tonga bounced back from their 24-7 Cup quarter-final defeat by Hindú to beat CASI 21-10 and then the Uruguayan national team 19-10 to win the Plate final.

Both Plate finalists were looking for a morale-boosting victory with Tonga – like Samoa – building towards the New Zealand International Sevens in Wellington on 1-2 February when they will face Argentina, Scotland and USA in Pool D.

Uruguay meanwhile will be returning to Punta del Este on 18-19 January for the CONSUR regional qualifying tournament for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai, which for the first time will feature both a men’s acnd women’s competition.

The Serevi Selection had earlier ended Uruguay’s hopes in the Cup quarter-finals with a 21-5 victory. The other Pool winners were Old Boys, Buenos Aires Sevens, Samoa, CASI and Hindú while Tonga progressed as the best runner-up from the seven Pools.

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New deal for Tagicakibau

London Irish winger Sailosi Tagicakibau has signed a three-year contract extension at the Guinness Premiership club.

The 25-year-old Samoa international has been in a rich vein of form recently, scoring tries in each of his club's last three games.

His previous deal was due to expire this summer but he has now committed his future until the end of the 2010-11 season, and said: "I've enjoyed my rugby at London Irish. We want to play an attractive style of rugby with ball in hand and that suits me."

He added: "We're making progress as a squad. I feel there's lots of potential for us both in this country and in Europe and I want to be part of it."

Tagicakibau joined the Exiles in January 2006 and has scored 14 tries in 46 games.

Director of rugby Brian Smith said: "Sailosi is a brilliant try-scoring winger.

"He's already one of the finest finishers in European rugby and we are delighted that he's committed himself to the club for another three seasons."

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Super Sailosi stings Sharksv

Hooker David Paice was held up a few yards short, but Hodgson fed the ball out and Geraghty’s pin-point pass found wing Sailosi Tagicakibau, who raced in to score with just 90 seconds on the clock.

Having forced Sharks into conceding a 33rd minute five-metre scrum, No. 8 Richard Thorpe broke off the base and quick hands from Tagicakibau saw centre Gonzalo Tiesi storm over wide out for his second try of the season.

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