The Fiji Times

Split with Bajin not over money: Osaka

(Reuters) – World number one Naomi Osaka was adamant that her shock split with coach Sascha Bajin had nothing to do with money but it was because she was determined that her career would not be about putting “success over happiness”. The German had guided the Japanese player to back-to-back Grand Slam titles as well...

OFC Champions League: Ba aim for quarters

THE Ba football side is aware of the tough task on hand when they kick start its OFC Champions League campaign this Saturday. Teams’ Technical Advisor Shalen Lal said the side is aware of the task and are raring to go. “Yes, it is a tough pool we are in. But our aim is to...

Youth league kicks off this weekend

THE Southern zone Vodafone Under-16 Youth League kick starts this weekend. In matches at the Fiji FA Academy Grounds, Nasinu plays Rewa at 10am, Northland Tailevu plays Tailevu Naitasiri at 12pm while Suva battles Navua at 2pm. In the western division, Rakiraki plays Tavua at 12pm at the FSC Ground in Rakiraki, Nadi battles Nadroga...

Flying Fijian helps club win in ‘French Top 14 Rugby’ competition

FIJI Airways Flying Fijian forward Peceli Yato has continued with his try scoring form for his club Clermont. Yato scored a try to help them beat Toulon 40-20 in the French Top 14 Rugby competition. Semi Radradra scored a try for Bordeaux Begles in the match. In another match, Agen upset Toulon 19-10. Benito Masilveu...

Vodafone Premier League: Three matches this weekend

THE Rewa football side has a mammoth task on hand when they face Lautoka in the Vodafone Premier League this Sunday. After getting thumped 6-1 by Nadi last week, Rewa sits at the bottom of the points table. Lautoka hosts Rewa at 3pm at Churchill Park on Sunday while at the same time, Tavua will...

Vodafone Premier League: Nadi moves to second position

THE Nadi football side has moved into second position on the points table after the 6-1 win over Rewa in the Vodafone Premier League yesterday. Rusiate Matererega scored four times in the impressive win. Nadi, Suva and Tavua have six points each but the Jetsetters have a better goal difference. Ba still leads with seven...

McKee optimistic of chances at World Cup

FLYING Fijians head coach John McKee is confident that his warriors will produce some of the best outcomes in the history of Fiji rugby in the Rugby World Cup in September but with agitation. The Fiji Airways-sponsored side proved that nothing is impossible when they defeated a highly rated France rugby side in the November...

AFL takes Fiji by storm

A NEW sport is taking the country by storm with many aspiring players trying out the new sport. And the recent selection of three locals to play Aussie Rules Football in Australia has inspired local players to showcase their talents in the sport. Early this year three boys in the Western Division were recruited to...

Khan wins 100m, surprises many

FORMER Marist Brothers High School student Jeremaiah Khan won the senior boys 100 metres event clocking 11.06 seconds during the Gospel High School inter-house competition. The 18-year-old blue ribbon champion took the teachers and athletes by surprise with his blistering speed winning gold for his house in the 100 metres and helped his team win...

Rugby – Boyd moves to allay Biggar injury concerns

LONDON (Reuters) – Northampton coach Chris Boyd has moved to allay Wales fans’ fears over the fitness of Dan Biggar ahead of next week’s Six Nations clash with England after he was taken off less than 20 minutes into the Saints’ win over Sale on Saturday. Biggar, who kicked four penalties when Wales beat Italy...

Ethiopia’s Tefera breaks world indoor 1,500m record

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – Ethiopian teenager Samuel Tefera outduelled compatriot Yomif Kejelcha to break the world indoor 1,500 metres record in Birmingham on Saturday. Tefera, 19, clocked three minutes, 31.04 seconds at the IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting to take down Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj’s 1997 record of 3:31.18. It came on the same Birmingham...

Soccer – Argentines pay tribute to Sala at special memorial

PROGRESO, Argentina (Reuters) – Grieving Argentines paid tribute to footballer Emiliano Sala on Saturday at a special memorial in his home region of Santa Fe. The body of the 28-year old Sala, who died in a plane crash last month, was laid out in a gymnasium in the town where he grew up so friends...

Cricket – Farbrace to step down as England assistant coach for Warwickshire role

(Reuters) – England assistant coach Paul Farbrace is to leave his role at the end of the ongoing tour of West Indies to join county side Warwickshire as sport director, England’s cricket board (ECB) said on Saturday. Farbrace, 51, has been an influential figure since joining the backroom staff in 2014 and was set to...

Rugby – Biggar injury worry for Wales

LONDON (Reuters) – Wales suffered a potential injury setback ahead of next week’s crunch Six Nations clash with England as flyhalf Dan Biggar limped off during Northampton’s Premiership win over Sale on Saturday. The experienced Biggar, who kicked four penalties when Wales beat Italy last week, lasted only 19 minutes. It was unclear how bad...

Ferguson set for Man United return in charity match

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will return to the dugout for a charity match to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the team’s treble-winning season, the Premier League club said on Saturday. The 77-year-old Scot will take charge of a legends side against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on May 26....

Smith scores late try as 14-man Highlanders beat Chiefs

(Reuters) – All Blacks scrumhalf Aaron Smith scored a 76th minute try as the Otago Highlanders beat the Waikato Chiefs 30-27, refusing to roll over despite being reduced to 14 men in the opening game of Super Rugby in Hamilton on Friday. The Highlanders played with a man short for the final 15 minutes with...

Thomas, Scott lead at rainy Genesis Open

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Justin Thomas and Adam Scott were tied for the lead at 10-under par in the second round of the PGA Tour’s Genesis Open on Friday when play was suspended at Riviera due to another day of heavy rain. With no player able to complete the first round on Thursday due to...

Pulu’s World Cup hopes suffer blow, Pocock has another concussion

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Toni Pulu’s hopes of playing for Australia at the Rugby World Cup have suffered a major blow with the winger expected to have surgery on Monday to repair a fractured cheekbone he sustained following a head clash in his ACT Brumbies debut. Pulu, who joined the Canberra-based side this season with an...

U.S. quarterback Kaepernick settles grievance case with NFL

(Reuters) – Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sparked a national debate when he protested against racial injustice by kneeling during the U.S. national anthem, has resolved a pending grievance with the league, the two sides said on Friday. The attorney for Kaepernick, who filed the grievance in October 2017, and the league said in...

NBA, U.S. Tennis, Sky, urge U.S. action on alleged Saudi TV piracy

DOHA (Reuters) – A group of sports bodies and broadcasters including the U.S. National Basketball Association, U.S. Tennis Association and Sky has called for the United States to add Saudi Arabia to its “priority watch list” over alleged TV piracy, filings show. The filings, made this week with the office of the United States Trade...

Genia, Cooper partnership gives Cheika World Cup alternatives

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The resurrection of Will Genia and Quade Cooper’s inside backs pairing paid dividends for the Melbourne Rebels on Friday and commentators said the partnership may also give Wallabies coach Michael Cheika options ahead of the Rugby World Cup. With Genia and Cooper reunited at Super Rugby level for the first time in...

Premier league: Dave scores winning goal for Suva

SAHIL Dave of Suva scored the winning goal for the capital side to topple the underdogs Nasinu side in the Vodafone Premier League competition that was held at the ANZ Stadium in Suva this afternoon. Suva’s imported striker Gagame Feni scored the first goal of the match in the 11th minute of play. However, Nasinu...

Premier league: Nadi thumps Rewa

NADI thumped Rewa 6-1 in their Vodafone Premier League encounter at Prince Charles Park this afternoon. The jetsetters dominated possession and territory to secure a huge win. Former national rep Rusiate Mateirerega was in top form for Nadi scoring four goals. He scored two in the first and another two in the second spell while...

Foul play review committee to conduct Tomkinson’s judicial review

THE Highlanders Super Rugby team outside centre Sio Tomkinson’s judicial review will be conducted today by the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee on a alleged dangerous tackle found against him on their 30-27 win against the Chiefs in the first round of the Super Rugby competition last Friday. Tomkinson was red carded for an alleged...

Premier league: Suva leads Nasinu at half time

THE Suva football side is leading Nasinu 2-1 at half time in the Vodafone Premier League at the ANZ Stadium in Suva. Goals from Solomon Island import Gagame Feni and Ratu Anare sees the capital city side leading at the break. In another match, Nadi is leading Rewa 4-nil at half time at Prince Charles...

Martintar 7s: Hurricanes take 7s trophy

HIDEAWAY Hurricanes 7s team was crowned the new champion of the Martintar 7s tournament at Nadi’s Prince Charles Park yesterday. The Nadroga-based side survived a tough battle against the high flying Ratu Filise team to win 8-5 after both teams were levelled 5-all in the last minute of the game. Player of the tournament Aborosio...

Escott Shield camp shuns strong challenge

DEFENDING champions of the Escott Shield, Police Blues defeated a determined Ratu Kadavulevu School Old Boys rugby club 19-13 in the first round meeting of the Suva Rugby Union Escott Shield competition at Nasova ground yesterday. “The first game will always be tough,” said Police Blues coach Solo Nute. RKSOB drew first blood taking an...

LDS College plans strong presence at zone meet

THE Fiji LDS Church College is planning a strong presence at the coming Suva Zone One athletics competition after the school’s inter-house competition on Friday. School teacher Malcolm Williams said compared with the previous years, the number of athletes had increased which was a good sign for the school. “Our inter-house competition started last Monday...

ACS Inter-house: Naibena surprises field

VILORINA Naibena of Kakala House turned heads at the ANZ Stadium in Suva yesterday when she beat Coca-Cola Games gold medallist Ana Kaitoga in the inter-girls 400 metre final. The Namosi lass said she was happy with the win and was aiming for three gold medals at the Coca-Cola Games. “I am so proud of...

Sport

19th February

Squad in camp