Warriors trio receive rousing farewell while All Blacks fall in South Africa

Fakaalofa lahi atu! It’s a good week because my beloved Warriors won their last game of the year. The All Blacks crumble in South Africa, and Samoa finish an historic week in emphatic fashion.

1. Up the Wahs!

To be honest, I turned the game off at half-time when the Sharks were up 22 - 6. But my beloved Warriors, in emphatic fashion stole the win in Cronulla to send off three of our best with a win 30 - 28.

The Warriors’ attacking flair was on full display in the second half as Luke Metcalf and Shaun Johnson steered the attack forward. Three of the Warriors’ tries were scored on the edges and it was a strong reflection of the cohesion between the outside backs.

The Wahs' defence and discipline got them in trouble in the first half, and the Sharks made them pay with three tries before half-time.

But, in typical Warriors fashion, when they’re in the fight and they’re determined, they can beat any team. We saw that when they went on a three-game winning streak with a number of reserve players earlier this year.

On Saturday night, we saw that same grit and effort from the boys to pull off an exciting win.

A huge congratulations to Shaun Johnson, Addin Fonua-Blake and Jazz Tevaga for your outstanding services to the Warriors over the years.

That’s the 2024 season done for the boys, now we look forward to 2025. Up the Wahs!

2. All Blacks go down to South Africa

That’s two losses in one year for the All Blacks. It's a strange time as a fan and spectator with the amount of losses the AB’s have had lately, because in my eyes, the All Blacks never lose!

Unfortunately this time, they went down to the World Champion Springboks 31 - 27 in South Africa.

The All Blacks looked strong throughout the majority of the match, and I thought Damien MacKenzie did well to steer the shop from the fly-half position. His ball-play was clinical in some possessions for the All Blacks, a good counter to South Africa’s rush defence.

Ardie Savea taking on the Springbok defence. Photo/All Blacks media.

Despite holding a 10 point lead going into the last quarter, the All Blacks defence and discipline crippled them.

A try from South Africa stirred controversy for AB’s coach Scott Robertson, calling out the officiating decision to not take a second look at the try. Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi appeared to lose possession of the ball, but the try was allowed.

Unfortunately, the All Blacks’ ill-discipline led to their demise. Against a team like the Springboks, you can’t give them an inch!

3. Manu Samoa’s convincing win in Apia

It was another exciting clash between Samoa and Tonga’s national rugby teams. In front of a passionate home crowd in Apia, the Manu Samoa defeated the ‘Ikale Tahi, winning 43 - 17.

Manu Samoa’s attacking flair was on full display, as the quick deliveries from halfback Melani Matavao opened up space for Samoa to score.
The ‘Ikale Tahi’s defence did well in the opening exchanges, but as the game progressed their fatigue opened up for more scoring opportunities for the Manu who were slick in attack.

Samoa celebrated 100 years of playing test rugby this week and Lakapi Samoa held events throughout the week to mark the milestone. The game provided a nice finish to these celebrations.

This week Tonga faces Fiji, while the USA plays Canada and Samoa have a bye in the last few matches of the Pacific Nations Cup.

Watch the full sports wrap on Pacific Mornings:

4. Paralympics underway

The 2024 Paralympic Games are in full swing in Paris! Thirteen athletes from the Pacific are competing at the games, the highest number of Pacific athletes ever at the Paralympics.

Team Pacific will be represented by seven women and six men in Taekwondo and Athletics with athletes from Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

The Oceania Paralympic Committee Paul Bird told RNZ that Team Pacific aims to “break boundaries” in this year's games.

"From the islands of Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati, these athletes are making waves and breaking boundaries. Their strength, perseverance, and unwavering spirit show the true essence of Paralympic sport.

"Our Pacific athletes represent not just their nations but the dreams of an entire Oceania region.

"Follow their Journey and keep up with their stories, triumphs, and inspiring moments as they compete on one of the biggest stages in sports. Show your support for these Pacific warriors by cheering them on as they chase their Paralympic dreams."

5. Team New Zealand secure two wins in sailing

In my ever-lasting pursuit of sporting knowledge, here’s a new sports talk topic encouraged by Pacific Mornings host William Terite - sailing.

Now sailing isn’t something I’m fully versed in, but I’ll do my best to explain its importance, as Team New Zealand is currently on the waters competing! The Kiwi team are currently the reigning champions, and will defend their title in the 37th America’s Cup.

The 2024 America's Cup is a prestigious sailing competition held in Barcelona. Multiple challenger teams first compete against each other in the Louis Vuitton Cup.

The winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup then faces the defending champion, Team New Zealand, in the America's Cup Match. The winner is the first team to win seven races.

Team New Zealand, have won two races so far. One of these victories came by disqualification of their opponent, while in the other race they won by a significant margin of 29 seconds.

Matty’s Golden Point

Matty’s Golden Point is a piece of advice shared on 531PI’s Pacific Grandstand show.

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Coach Kevin Manukuo