Photo: PAUL ELLIS/AFP
Rugby
World Rugby has announced a new structure that it says will transform women's rugby and fuel momentum from Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 towards 2029 and beyond.
A new competition system will feature the world's best 18 teams in a fixture schedule with over 100 matches between 2026 to 2028.
That will see the top 12 teams from this year's Women's Rugby World Cup compete in a home-and-away touring model.
Teams 13-18, which includes both Fiji and Samoa, will compete at a single destination in 2026 and 2028, funded by World Rugby, addressing financial challenges, and supporting development.
3x3 basketball
The Fiji men's and women's 3-by-3 basketball teams both had losses at the Under-23 World Cup in China on Thursday night.
In their first pool D match, the Fijian men went down 21-14 to Latvia before conceding a 21-8 scoreline to USA in their second game.
The women's team had a tough opener against Czech Republic, losing 21-3 in a pool D clash, before they lost 15-7 to New Zealand in their second game.
The Fijian women will play Uganda and Netherlands in their next two pool matches on Saturday, while their male counterparts will take on China and Qatar.
Rugby
Flying Fijians prop Mesake Doge has been cleared to play in this weekend's Pacific Nations Cup final against Japan in Salt Lake City on Sunday morning.
An independent Disciplinary Committee meeting on Thursday has overturned the red card decision against him in the match against Canada on Monday morning.
The player was initially yellow carded in the match, that later upgraded to a red card, after a judicial committee ruled Doge was guilty of making a dangerous tackle on a Canadian player.
But the independent committee said they considered all the evidence available and decided that the red card should not be upheld.
Meanwhile, Manu Samoa will be without winger Tuna Tuitama, who was red-carded against the USA in the Pacific Nations Cup third-place playoff.
Samoa plays Chile in a 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifier on Sunday morning.
Futsal
Tuvalu returns to the OFC Futsal Men's Cup in Fiji after 14 years this weekend.
Tuvalu last competed at the 2011 event, which was also held in Suva.
Tuvalu Football general-secretary Matini Vailopa said the team's preparation has been unique, the team using the Funafuti airstrip to train, as there are no futsal courts available on the islands.
Despite these challenges, Vailopa said the squad was able to assemble locally and travel to Fiji early to continue their build-up, using the University of the South Pacific gym in Suva.
Football
The Oceania under-19 women's football championships gets underway this weekend.
Group A has Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji, and group B is comprised of New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Vanuatu.
Cook Islands plays Tonga in the first match on Sunday.
