Results for Sports

This month, all 32 teams of America’s National Football League (NFL) announced their new rosters and recruitment of college football players for the 2016 season. Among the new recruits are at least five players of Tongan heritage. The NFL completed its official 2016 NFL Draft on April 30.

Will Tonga’s flag be flying at the Rio Olympic Games in August, and will the Pacific Games happen? At the moment there is no definite answer, because TASANOC has not been able to resolve on-going internal conflicts and has failed to provide outstanding annual and financial reports that have been demanded by the International Olympic Committee.

‘Ikale Tahi lock Steve Mafi has been signed by French club Castres to play in the next season of the French Top 14 tournament. The Australian born 26 year-old currently plays for the Perth based Western Force in the Super Rugby competition.

Ikale Tahi prop, Halani Aulika, has signed with Sale Sharks earlier this week after spending four seasons with London Irish. Aulika also played for Tonga in the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup and was a member of Tonga’s Pacific Nations Cup Squad last year.

Samoa coach Matt Parish criticized international rugby league organisers in the National Rugby League (NRL) after it was revealed Samoan players received no match payments for their game against Tonga at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta last Saturday night. The Tonga side received $500 each only after they sourced their own sponsorship.

Tonga’s men’s and women’s volleyball teams, were both defeated in the semi-finals of the 2016 Oceania Volleyball Championships in Fiji.

Tonga’s preparations to host the 2019 Pacific Games is in uproar after the Prime Minister's Office has called for the dismissal of Lord Sevele, the CEO and Chairman of Tonga's Pacific Games Organizing Committee, and the demand may now lead to Tonga losing the Games. The Pacific Games Council has not approved the proposal and has issued a warning to Tonga.

Former ‘Ikale Tahi and Doncaster Knights flanker Latu Makaafi (33) is the second highest try scorer in the 2015-2016 season of the RFU Championship, England’s second division tournament. According to the end of season statistics, Latu scored 17 tries in 22 appearances for the Doncaster Knights and was only two tries away from top try scorer Paul Grant of Nottingham.

Tonga has been excluded from the 2016 World Rugby U20 Trophy tournament. Fiji and Samoa are both currently competing in the competition which commenced last week in Zimbabwe. The annual U20 Trophy tournament hosts second tier nations who did not qualify for the premium U20 World Rugby Championship.