16-12-2023 Breakfast Bites FIJI & PACIFIC SPORTS NEWS Podcast S07E72 #TeivovoSports #TeivovoDigital

Bula, Ma’lelei, Talofa and Welcome to Season 07 Episode 72 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Saturday morning 16 December 2023.Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent. In rugby league: The Storm will play the Knights in Fiji in the pre-season in what marks the first NRL-sanctioned rugby league game in the country.The match will be played on 24 February at Churchill Park, Lautoka, and will be Melbourne’s second trial in preparation for the 2024 season.Fiji captain and Storm star Tui Kamikamica flew to Fiji with Club CEO Justin Rodski to announce the historic match: “We are very excited about bringing the first ever NRL match to Fiji,” Rodski said.“We already have a lot of Fijian talent within our game, and this serves as an incredible opportunity to not only grow the sport we love but help develop the next wave of talent and hopefully give more young men and women the chance to play NRL or NRLW.”The Storm will spend the week leading into the match in Fiji to connect with the local Fijian community, engaging with schools and local rugby league clubs.The Storm will also wear a specially designed training t-shirt during the week and the match ball will carry traditional Fiji artwork to recognise the significance of the match.In rugby union: The Barbarians have announced they will play Fiji in a cracker at Twickenham Stadium in the summer of 2024.The Killik Cup will be on the line on Saturday 22 June with kick-off at 3pm GMT, with Robbie Deans coaching the Barbarians against an all-star Fiji line-up – who set pulses racing at the recent Rugby World Cup on their way to the quarter-finals.In US Sports: The NFL owners meeting, hosted at a resort in Irving, Texas, yielded progress on multiple topics before all the owners boarded their private jets and flew home.Super Bowl LXI was awarded to Southern California. And there could be as many as four more international games in a couple seasons. And São Paolo will host Brazil’s first NFL regular-season game next year. The league’s international push, which could eventually lead to a four-team European division, continued to gain momentum as owners voted to nearly double the number of NFL games played outside the US, to eight.“If you’re serious about international growth, you’ve got to have more overseas games,” Jags owner Shad Khan said. “It’s a step in the right direction, and there’s a huge amount of demand for them.”So the Super Bowl schedule now looks like:· 2024: Allegiant Stadium (hosted by the Las Vegas Raiders)· 2025: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans Saints)· 2026: Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco 49ers)· 2027: SoFi Stadium (LA Chargers/Rams)In football: HISTORY Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee of a Premier League match after being appointed to oversee Fulham’s game against Burnley on 23 December.Welch has already the refereed games in the Championship and the FA Cup. Last month she became the first woman fourth official in an EPL game for Fulham vs Manchester United.Welch has also taken charge of several high-profile women’s fixtures, including at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.In combat sports: "Deontay hasn't been in the ring for a while, coming into this fight I've been busy, I've been active," Kiwi-Samoan boxer Joseph Parker talking up his chances against Deontay Wilder in an interview yesterday."A lot of people are scared of his right hand, but at this stage of my career, I take on the biggest fights. I don't shy away from challenges."When quizzed if he is worried about coming into this fight with only one round of competitive boxing in two years, Wilder responded: "Not at all. I'm fresh and ready to go. Most of all, I'm excited. I'm a world-class athlete. This is what I'm used to."And that’s a wrap!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