KAMAISHI, Iwate Prefecture Tuvi Mahe was so busy preparing for the Kamaishi Seawaves’ season opener that he may have been the last person on the rugby team to learn about a disaster that hit his home country.
The former Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Australia rugby league star moved to English Super League club Catalans Dragons in 2020 in a deal reported to be worth $265,000 a year. He left France late last year to return to Australia to help his wife, former New Zealand Silver Ferns netball international Maria Folau look after her ailing mother. Folau was cleared by the Dragons last week and was set to turn out for Gold Coast rugby league club Southport Tigers, where his two brothers play.
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Otere Black in action for the Māori All Blacks against Samoa. Black, 25, played his last game for the Blues in the Super Rugby Trans Tasman grand final win over the Highlanders.
Beauden Barrett of the Suntory Sungoliath tiptoes clear of the defence once again.
Beauden Barrett’s Suntory Sungoliath are alone with a perfect record in the 16-team Japan Top League, after the All Blacks first five-eighth rescued his side in the final moments for the second week running. On the same day his Super Rugby side the Blues toppled his old team the Hurricanes, Barrett lived up to his star billing again as Suntory beat Ryan Crotty’s Kubota Spears 33-26. Suntory appeared to be cruising when they led 26-7 with less than half-an-hour to play before Kubota mounted a brave fightback, with their wrecking ball Tongan loose forward Finau Tupa finishing with three tries as the 2019 finalists levelled the game.