RWC: Fijiana out
The Fijiana are out of the women's Rugby World Cup.
The team lost 44-0 to France in its last pool match.
Fiji stood firm in face of French pressure for the rest of the opening quarter but slipped further behind in the 21st minute when Jessy Trémoulière sent a penalty through the uprights.
The eight quarter-finalists in the tournament are New Zealand, Canada, England, France, Italy, Australia, USA and Wales.
The quarter-finals get underway on October 29.
Tonga beats Wales at Rugby League World Cup
Tonga was below its best in its Rugby League World Cup match against Wales, but still managed a comprehensive victory.
The win leaves Tonga on a track for a quarter-final match against Samoa.
Tongan player-of-the-match Daniel Tupou told NRL.com the win against Wales wasn't easy.
"Yeah they did, it was a tough gig tonight, they played outstanding. Started well and then we just gave them too much ball. That was the plan we wanted to start well start strong and fast but we just didn't respect the ball in the first half and led to their first try. We know what we need to fix just start on individual errors we need to work on," Tupou said.
Former Tahitian FIFA member might get lighter sentence
A Tahitian former FIFA executive committee member's case is moving towards a lighter sentence.
Reynald Temarii is suspected to have received around $US295,000 from the Qatari football official Mohammed Bin Hamman several months after the vote for the 2022 World Cup being held in Qatar.
Reynald Temarii Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Qatar is suspected to have corrupted members of FIFA to get hosting rights for the tournament which starts next month.
Temarii told La Premiere that he is happy the documents of the case seem to move towards a lighter sentence, as he calls himself a victim of corruption.
Samoan Commonwealth Games gold medallist rewarded
A Commonwealth Games gold medallist has been further rewarded, with a $20,000 tala bonus from the government to recognise his achievement.
The Samoa Observer reports weightlifter Don Opeloge, winner of the men's 96kg division at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, was rewarded along with his coach Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork.
Don Opeloge, Commonwealth gold medallist Photo: Coconet
Wallwork, who is also the President of the Samoa Weightlifting Federation, received $10,000 tala from the government as a token of appreciation for his commitment and dedication to train his winning athlete.
Wallwork said his bonus will go to four Samoan silver medallists, including a boxer, who missed out on the government payments.
Viliame Mata joins elite club
Fijian Viliame Mata is the first overseas player to play 100 matches for Scottish club Edinburgh Rugby.
Mata was named player-of-the-match against Zebre in the United Rugby Championship which was won by Edinburgh 38-19.
Mata is now officially his team's 37th centurion joining Scotland's back-row greats of Simon Taylor, Ally Hogg and Roddy Grant.
He was recalled into the Flying Fijians squad for the November test matches against Scotland, Ireland and the French Barbarians.
Mata signed for Edinburgh in 2016, two weeks before the coach that signed him up was sacked.
However, he told the Fiji Sun the coaches organised a game structure that fits him really well and amplified his success.
OFC sign deal with major FIFA body
An agreement between the Oceania Football Confederation and another regional body is being hailed as an opportunity for Pacific nations to learn from the larger organisation.
The deal between the OFC and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association (Concacaf) will see the two bodies work together for the further development of football.
The deal includes sharing knowledge and experience on areas such as administration/management, development of competitions, training camps, women's football, coaching, refereeing, education, corporate and social responsibility.
Both parties will provide mutual support in the promotion of football through the exchange of information, experience, knowledge and good practices on matters and areas of common interest.
OFC President and FIFA Vice President Lambert Maltock said it is a significant step for football in the Oceania region and will give the confederation a valuable opportunity to learn from the extensive knowledge and experience which exists with Concacaf.
"This will be important in OFC's ongoing work towards the long-term goal of qualifying two teams to the FIFA World Cups in 2026-2027."
