Samoa

Springboks make eight changes to face Samoa

Adriaan Strauss, who will win his 50th cap, is the starting hooker, while Duane Vermeulen will make his first Test appearance of the year in the No 8 jersey as coach Heyneke Meyer reacted swiftly to the shock of defeat against Japan.

Willie le Roux, JP Pietersen and Damian De Allende return in the backline – with skipper Jean de Villiers shifting to outside centre – while there are new halfbacks in Handré Pollard and Fourie du Preez.

Pacific teams confident as RWC kicks off

First up is England in the opening match of the tournament at Twickenham on Saturday morning.

Expecting a raucous atmosphere, head coach John McKee revealed during the week his team used loud speakers during training camps in an effort to prepare for the atmosphere at the home of English rugby.

While the bulk of the 82,000 strong Twickenham crowd will be barracking for the home side but coach John McKee says the Pacific Nations Cup winners are embracing the occasion.

Waigani Convention on hazardous waste management begins

Nine of the 13 Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Members that are Parties to the Waigani Convention were present at the meeting. SPREP is the Secretariat of the Waigani Convention that entered into force in 2001.

New York opportunity for Pacific artisans

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) are inviting cultural enterprises in the crafts, visual arts and fashion sectors from Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands to apply for funded participation at the popular tradeshow which attracted over 30,000 buyers from over 80 countries this year.

Health scare for athletes in Samoa

Dr Seine Va'ai says there are also people suffering from the heat.

The Ministry's advice come after reports some athletes competing at the Commonwealth Youth Games needed treatment for diarrhoea and vomiting.

It says people can avoid the transmission of disease by ensuring they have access to clean drinking water, adequate sanitation and good personal hygiene.

Don the latest of the Opeloge weightlifting family to win a medal

Cameroon Valdi Ahmed Njoya scooped the gold, Pakistan’s  Abdur Rehman taking silver and Opeloge settled for bronze.

Opeloge’s best in the Snatch was 96kg while his Clean & Jerk total points were  122kg. He received 218  as his final points.

Don nephew is a the youngest of the Opeloge family with two older brothers and sisters Ele and Mary Opeloge who have all represented and won medals for Samoa in the sport. Don said that he only started lifting weights this year and because his family is so involved in the weightlifting, he gave it a try.

Gichard at the double on thrilling night of swimming finals at Samoa 2015

The 15-year-old came into the race having beaten compatriot Gabrielle Fa’amausili in the 100m backstroke and produced another superb performance to take 200m gold with a time of 2min 10.87sec.

She touched the wall over three seconds in front of nearest challenger Nathania van Niekerk of South Africa, while Australian Elyse Woods did enough for bronze.

World youth champion Tarbei pips compatriot Bett to 800m gold

Tarbei, who claimed the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Youth Championships 800m title in Colombia in July ahead of his team-mate, clocked the fifth-fastest time of the year as he crossed the line in 1min 46.05sec.

In the battle of the top two boy’s 800m runners in the world, Bett led at the turn coming into the home stretch but Tarbei powered to the front late on, with the world youth silver medallist finishing in 1:46.15, while Scotland’s Ben Greenwood clinched bronze.

Australia still on top at Commonwealth Youth Games

They have 17 gold and 41 medals in all, ahead of South Africa, England and Malaysia.

On the final day of track and field, Amy Harding-Delooze won the girl's 800m and 1500m events while Grace Robinson added gold in shot put.

The green and golds also had further success in the water, winning gold in the boy's 200m backstroke, girl's 400m freestyle and double gold in the 4x100m relays.

South Africa did the double in the boy's and girl's hurdles while Tlotliso Gift Leotlela added the 200m gold medal to his victory in the 100m.

Entertaining Opening Ceremony brings curtain up on Samoa Youth Games

Around 2,000 youngsters and teachers featured in the Ceremony, which aimed to reflect the mantra of the Commonwealth Youth Games, such as inspiration and empowerment of young people.

Following a rendition of the Samoan national anthem played by the Police band and a hymn from the Games Choir, the Opening Ceremony began with the Athletes Parade as competitors from the Isle of Man, which hosted the event in 2011, led the 63 nations taking part in the spectacle around the track.