Rugby legends, family, friends and colleagues of ex-All Black captain Frank Oliver gathered in Palmerston North yesterday to farewell the man remembered as a ferocious lock. The procession at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit drew hundreds who heard tributes to the ex-Blues coach who died suddenly in his sleep on Sunday. At midday, three Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Rugby’
Tuvalu: “You can’t play rugby on a runway”
Friday, December 6th, 2013
On my recent visit to the Pacific island of Tuvalu, I was intrigued to discover its unusual sporting story. When the sun sinks, and the baking heat subsides, the 1.7km airplane runway in the capital Funafuti comes to life as the main sports ground on the island with games of football and volleyball taking place Read more
Pope reflects on rugby rules as life lesson
Tuesday, November 26th, 2013This morning in the Sala Clementina of the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father received in audience the managers and athletes of the national rugby teams of Argentina and Italy. Pope Francis described rugby as a very likeable sport, since “it is a tough sport, with a lot of physical contact, but it is not Read more
Requiem Mass for Peter Fatialofa
Friday, November 8th, 2013
On Thursday a requiem mass was celebrated at the village Vaivase Tai, just inland of Apia, Samoa for Rugby legend Peter Fatialofa, Eulogies were delivered at a service at the Catholic Church at Vaivase-Tai at 11am before the mass which was was held at 2pm. The Head of State, Ministers of Cabinet, members of the Read more
Manu Samoa visit the elderly
Tuesday, August 6th, 2013
Residents of a home for the aged in Samoa broke out in applause when introduced to the new Manu Samoa 7s coach last Friday. Viliamu Punivalu was a member of a Samoa Rugby Union (SFU) delegation who took gifts from Manu Samoa players to residents of Mapuifagalele Home for the Aged. Opened in 1975, Mapuifagalele Home Read more
Sacred Heart spends $50,000 on First XV
Tuesday, August 6th, 2013
A New Zealand Herald investigation into First XV rugby in Auckland shows that five schools are estimated to be spending more than $400,000 collectively on their respective First XVs while the other seven teams in the 1A competition are spending collectively about $50,000. Auckland’s Sacred Heart estimates total annual expenditure on its First XV to be Read more
Rugby really is a religion – so why don’t academics take rugby seriously?
Friday, June 7th, 2013
Sociologist Mike Grimshaw who studies both sport and religion, says rugby is like a religion in its rituals, cultures and behaviour and, like religion, can teach us plenty about ourselves. But he believes he is a rarity as an academic who has played and loves the game (he has a Crusaders season ticket) and also Read more
Minister gets off assault charge on rugby referee
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013A church minister has been cleared of assaulting an off-duty police officer who was refereeing his son’s under-10 rugby game in a disagreement over a try. Falefiaoali’i Fa’alolo, 50, appeared for a defended hearing in Manukau District Court after allegedly grabbing Benton Ostler by the throat on May 19 last year. Mr Ostler was in Read more
Catholic college welcomes new rugby sideline initiative
Friday, May 10th, 2013Auckland Catholic school, De La Salle College, involved last year in a high profile rugby brawl with Auckland Grammar has welcomed a new initiative aimed at improving sideline behaviour among supporters. The initiative involves having a parent or guardian of every boy playing for De La Salle attend an educational evening about appropriate sideline behaviour. Read more
Neighbours ok with church: Rugby club complains
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
The Christchurch Rugby Club is complaining that privately owned land adjacent to its land is no longer available to it. The club, who currently needs to access to its neighbour’s land to turn its park lights on and off say the private land is part of the club’s history and it will cost the club Read more