07-09-2023 Breakfast Bites - the FIJI & PACIFIC SPORTS NEWS Podcast S06E63 #TeivovoSports #TeivovoDigital #TeivovoRugby

Bula, Ma’lelei, Talofa and Welcome to Season 06 Episode 63 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a bright and sunny Wednesday morning 07 September 2023.Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In our Rugby World Cup 2023 Countdown today: First choice Fiji fly-half, Caleb Muntz is out of the RWC2023 with an ACL injury suffered in training on Monday.To win a Rugby World Cup, teams need many things to go their way: Referees, the judiciary, the bounce of the ball, no serious injuries and the weather can all play a role.Then there’s the issue of tactics, form and luck.“Rugby World Cup is a tournament, and tournament rugby is different to competition rugby. Favourites get beaten. Upsets happen. It’s all part of the challenge. All the teams start from the same place. We all get the same opportunity,” Wallabies mercurial Coach, Eddie Jones.In rugby league: In the two NRL Elimination Finals this weekend – lose and you’re gone: It’s the Cronulla Sharks vs the Sydney Roosters at Shark Park on Saturday, and the Knights vs Canberra Raiders in Newcastle on Sunday.One thing for sure, the Raiders will target the Knights superstar fullback, Kalyn Ponga who is returning from injury a week early to try and help his team get through.In the FIBA Basketball World Cup hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia: Serbia is the first team to reach the semi-finals after beating Lithuania 68-87 in Manila.Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic had 21 points for Serbia, who will play either Canada or Slovenia in the semi-finals on Friday.Nikola Jokic, who led the Denver Nuggets to last season’s NBA title and was named MVP of the Finals, is not playing for Serbia at the World Cup as he rests ahead of the new NBA season.Lithuania went into the game as the tournament’s only unbeaten team after downing the United States in their previous outing.In the NFL: The 2023 NFL season is upon us and we lead with this great story on Lou Hedley, who was not picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, but was claimed as undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints.The former scaffolder from Western Australia landed a Saints’ punting role on a minimum payday of AUD$1.2Million a season.Hedley’s inclusion on the Saints’ roster is the culmination of a crazy journey, playing Aussie Rules for the Peel Thunder reserves in the Western Australian Football League, before learning the ropes of punting in 2017 with ProKick Australia.He then had to go to a junior college in San Francisco to earn the necessary grades, given he dropped out of high school early, before he moved to the University of Miami in 2019.And as they say in Bollywood – the rest is history!In Football: Real Madrid, the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners, who last won in 2022, are drawn with Italian champions Napoli in Group C, which also features Braga of Portugal and debutants Union Berlin.Scottish champs Celtic will face Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid and Lazio in Group E.In Combat sports: Estimating fighters’ purses is not easy, however for the big fights, these are usually made public, and according to such reports, Israel Adesanya took home US$3.2Million from UFC287, including US$1M base pay, US$150,000 win and performance bonuses and US$32,000 sponsorship share, plus US$2M as his share of ppv earnings.So, this weekend the Kiwi-Nigerian UFC Middleweight Champion can expect to earn similar in UFC293 in Sydney.And finally only in the USA: A tennis fan was ejected from the US Tennis Open on Monday night after being accused by German player, Alexander Zverev of shouting “the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world. This is unbelievable,” the German complained to the umpire who ordered the fan to be removed.The incident happened during Zverev’s win over Italy’s Jannik Sinner on Arthur Ashe Stadium during the late-night slot, which has often been criticised for overly boisterous fans.Er in other words – highly intoxicated, drunk or pissed – take your pick!For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji