2025 Pacific Championships: Round 1 Recap

Check out what happened in round 1 of the Pacific Championships competition.

Review

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New Zealand swept the opening round of the Pacific Championships, with the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns winning their Pacific Cup games against Toa Samoa and Fetu Samoa at Go Media Stadium.

With the scores tied 18-18 with eight minutes left, Deine Mariner (who scored two tries for Brisbane in their grand final win) dropped a Blaize Talagi pass that would have almost certainly been a Samoan try. New Zealand punished them on the next set when Dylan Brown scored off a Kieran Foran bomb. While there was doubts over the grounding, there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it. Samoa had a chance to tie the scores later, but Brian To’o knocked on when he could have scored in the left corner. Casey McLean scored the opening two tries as New Zealand led 12-0 after 23 minutes. Ata Mariota – making his Samoan debut – suffered a Category 1 head knock and will miss next Sunday’s game against the Tonga XIII.

Shanice Parker, Ashleigh Quinlan, Alexis Tauaneai, and Mele Hufanga scored four tries in 18 minutes as the Kiwi Ferns erased a 20-0 half-time deficit. Hufanga (who also scored the match-winning try for Brisbane in the NRLW Grand Final) scored a 90-metre try to seal the Ferns’ win. Shalom Sauaso, Sarina Masaga, Destiny Mino-Sinapati, and Tavarna Papalii set up Samoa’s dominant first half.

Fiji and the Cook Islands won their Pacific Bowl games in Port Moresby, with four tries to Jahream Bula (Fiji) and a hat-trick to Paulina Morris-Ponga (Cook Islands).

Bula took only 12 minutes to score his hat-trick – and his fourth in the 37th minute – as Fiji led 28-6 at half-time. Brandon Wakeham kicked six goals, going past 100 International points for Fiji. Emily Veivers scored all of PNG’s points (in the opening eight minutes) for a 6-0 lead. Moana scored seven straight tries from there, including Morris-Ponga’s hat-trick.

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Results

Fiji Bati 44 Cook Islands Aitu 24

Player Stats Table

Fiji Bati

Position	Player Name	Tries	Conversions	1-Pt FG	2-Pt FG	Points
Fullback	Jahream Bula	4	0	0	0	16
Winger	Sunia Turuva	0	0	0	0	0
Centre	Michael Jennings	0	0	0	0	0
Centre	Semi Valemei	0	0	0	0	0
Winger	Jethro Rinakama	0	0	0	0	0
Five-eighth	Kurt Donoghoe	1	0	0	0	4
Halfback	Brandon Wakeham	0	6	0	0	12
Prop	Tui Kamikamica	0	0	0	0	0
Hooker	Penioni Tagituimua	0	0	0	0	0
Prop	Michael Waqa	0	0	0	0	0
2nd Row	Taane Milne	0	0	0	0	0
2nd Row	Kitione Kautoga	1	0	0	0	4
Lock	Caleb Navale	1	0	0	0	4
Interchange	Terrell Kalo Kalo	0	0	0	0	0
Interchange	Solomone Saukuru	1	0	0	0	4
Interchange	Keresi Maya	0	0	0	0	0
Interchange	Kylan Mafoa	0	0	0	0	0
Replacement	Akuila Qoro	0	0	0	0	0

Cook Islands Aitu

Position	Player Name	Tries	Conversions	1-Pt FG	2-Pt FG	Points
Five-eighth	Esan Marsters	0	0	0	0	0
Winger	Paul Ulberg	0	0	0	0	0
Centre	KL Iro	1	0	0	0	4
Centre	Reubenn Rennie	1	0	0	0	4
Winger	Esom Ioka	0	4	0	0	8
Fullback	Caelys-Paul Putoko	0	0	0	0	0
Halfback	Cassius Cowley	0	0	0	0	0
Prop	Makahesi Makatoa	0	0	0	0	0
Hooker	Mason Teague	0	0	0	0	0
Prop	Tepai Moeroa	0	0	0	0	0
2nd Row	Brendan Piakura	0	0	0	0	0
2nd Row	Reuben Porter	0	0	0	0	0
Lock	Pride Petterson-Robati	1	0	0	0	4
Interchange	Rua Ngatikaura	0	0	0	0	0
Interchange	Brody Tamarua	0	0	0	0	0
Interchange	Rhys Dakin	0	0	0	0	0
Replacement	Delahia Wigmore	0	0	0	0	0
Interchange	Justin Makirere	1	0	0	0	4

Score Timeline

Minute	Team	Player	Event	Fiji	Cook Islands	Lead
0	–	–	Kick-off	0	0	0
5	Fiji	Jahream Bula	Try	4	0	Fiji by 4
6	Fiji	Brandon Wakeham	Conversion (Wakeham)	6	0	Fiji by 6
8	Fiji	Jahream Bula	Try	10	0	Fiji by 10
10	Fiji	Brandon Wakeham	Conversion	12	0	Fiji by 12
12	Fiji	Jahream Bula	Try	16	0	Fiji by 16
14	Fiji	Brandon Wakeham	Conversion	18	0	Fiji by 18
20	Fiji	Caleb Navale	Try	22	0	Fiji by 22
21	Fiji	Brandon Wakeham	Conversion	24	0	Fiji by 24
26	Cook Is	KL Iro	Try	24	4	Fiji by 20
28	Cook Is	Esom Ioka	Conversion	24	6	Fiji by 18
37	Fiji	Jahream Bula	Try	28	6	Fiji by 22
40	–	–	Half-Time	28	6	Fiji by 22
54	Cook Is	Justin Makirere	Try	28	10	Fiji by 18
55	Cook Is	Esom Ioka	Conversion	28	12	Fiji by 16
60	Fiji	Kitione Kautoga	Try	32	12	Fiji by 20
62	Fiji	Brandon Wakeham	Conversion	34	12	Fiji by 22
63	Cook Is	Reubenn Rennie	Try	34	16	Fiji by 18
64	Cook Is	Esom Ioka	Conversion	34	18	Fiji by 16
66	Fiji	Kurt Donoghoe	Try	38	18	Fiji by 20
67	Fiji	Brandon Wakeham	Conversion	40	18	Fiji by 22
76	Fiji	Solomone Saukuru	Try	44	18	Fiji by 26
79	Cook Is	Pride Petterson-Robati	Try	44	22	Fiji by 22
79	Cook Is	Esom Ioka	Conversion	44	24	Fiji by 20

New Zealand Kiwis 24 Toa Samoa 18

Player Stats Table

New Zealand Kiwis

Player	Tries	Conversions	Penalty Goals	Points
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	0	0	0	0
Jamayne Isaako	0	3	1	8
Matthew Timoko	1	0	0	4
Casey McLean	2	0	0	8
Ronaldo Mulitalo	0	0	0	0
Dylan Brown	1	0	0	4
Kieran Foran	0	0	0	0
James Fisher-Harris	0	0	0	0
Jeremy Marshall-King	0	0	0	0
Moses Leota	0	0	0	0
Briton Nikora	0	0	0	0
Isaiah Papali’i	0	0	0	0
Joseph Tapine	0	0	0	0
Phoenix Crossland	0	0	0	0
Naufahu Whyte	0	0	0	0
Erin Clark	0	0	0	0
Nelson Asofa-Solomona	0	0	0	0
Keano Kini	0	0	0	0

Player	Tries	Conversions	Penalty Goals	Points
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	0	0	0	0
Brian To’o	0	0	0	0
Izack Tago	0	0	0	0
Deine Mariner	1	0	0	4
Murray Taulagi	1	0	0	4
Blaize Talagi	0	3	0	6
Jarome Luai	0	0	0	0
Josh Papalii	0	0	0	0
Jazz Tevaga	0	0	0	0
Payne Haas	0	0	0	0
Jeremiah Nanai	0	0	0	0
Jaydn Su’A	0	0	0	0
Junior Paulo	0	0	0	0
Chanel Harris-Tavita	0	0	0	0
Simi Sasagi	1	0	0	4
Francis Molo	0	0	0	0
Benaiah Ioelu	0	0	0	0
Ata Mariota	0	0	0	0

Score Timeline

Minute	Team	Player	Event	New Zealand	Toa Samoa	Lead
9’	New Zealand	Casey McLean	Try	4	0	NZ by 4
11’	New Zealand	Jamayne Isaako	Conversion	6	0	NZ by 6
21’	New Zealand	Casey McLean	Try	10	0	NZ by 10
23’	New Zealand	Jamayne Isaako	Conversion	12	0	NZ by 12
26’	Toa Samoa	Deine Mariner	Try	12	4	NZ by 8
28’	Toa Samoa	Blaize Talagi	Conversion	12	6	NZ by 6
32’	Toa Samoa	Simi Sasagi	Try	12	10	NZ by 2
34’	Toa Samoa	Blaize Talagi	Conversion	12	12	Level
40’	New Zealand	Matthew Timoko	Try	16	12	NZ by 4
63’	New Zealand	Jamayne Isaako	Penalty Goal	18	12	NZ by 6
69’	Toa Samoa	Murray Taulagi	Try	18	16	NZ by 2
71’	Toa Samoa	Blaize Talagi	Conversion	18	18	Level
73’	New Zealand	Dylan Brown	Try	22	18	NZ by 4
74’	New Zealand	Jamayne Isaako	Conversion	24	18	NZ by 6
FT	—	—	Full Time	24	18	NZ by 6