A second-half revival saw the Junior All Blacks maintain their unbeaten record in the Pacific Nations Cup rugby championship when they beat Tonga 39-13 in Nuku'alofa yesterday.
The Juniors trailed 13-10 at the turn before exploding with 29 unanswered points as the Tongans ran out of steam after the break.
They also took a vital bonus point with their five tries to two victory to remain at the head of the table, while Tonga slipped to their third defeat from as many matches.
It was a vastly improved opening by the Tongans who were previously thrashed by Australia A and then lost narrowly to Japan.
They made most of the play in the first half, with captain and flanker Nili Latu dominating the breakdown, giving them an advantage in the rucks and mauls against a New Zealand Junior pack containing five full All Blacks.
Tonga had first points on the board after 10 minutes when fullback Vanga Lilo stepped around Anthony Tuitavake to score from a set backline move.
Lilo, who scored all of Tonga's points, added a second try from an outstanding piece of individual play when he chipped over the New Zealand backline to regather the ball from the arms of Cory Jane to score.
He then took over the kicking duties after Fangatapu Apikotoa missed both conversions and landed a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
But Tonga lacked the class to hold on against the vastly more experienced New Zealanders.
After the Junior All Blacks were limited in the first spell to a try by lock Ross Filipo and a penalty and conversion by flyhalf Stephen Brett, they moved up a gear to score four more tries in the second half as they took control of the set pieces.
The Juniors took the lead two minutes after the resumption when a break by Casey Laulala led to a try by Derren Witcombe, then when Latu was sin-binned they added further tries by Marty Holah and Tane Tu'ipulotu.
Tuitavake scored the bonus point try with 15 minutes remaining when he scored in the left corner after a 40m run by Scott Hamilton, who also scored in the dying stages.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and