Category Archives: Oceania

Liam Ho

Published: 2023-11-27T05:59:30 Updated: 2023-11-27T05:59:43

League of Legends esports has announced that Japans LJL will join Oceania in participating in the Pacific Championship Series playoffs for their chance at Worlds and MSI.

The League of Legends World Championship for 2023 has come and gone. With Korean favorites T1 taking home a convincing 3-0 victory against Chinese team Weibo Gaming. With their monumental victory, T1 takes home their 4th Worlds title, with Faker truly being crowned as the goat.

Gaining entry into Worlds is no easy feat as well, as teams from all across the globe battle it out to even have a chance to compete. Unfortunately, this means certain minor regions can miss out on ever breaching into the competition. With regions like Oceania missing the cut after being required to play in the PCS to qualify.

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Now Riot is adding another region into the Pacific Championship Series, with Japans LJL entering the scene.

Riot announced that the League of Legends Japan League will need to participate in the PCS playoffs if theyd like to attend Worlds. According to the blog post, this change is part of a multi-year strategy for strengthening the LoL Esports ecosystem in the APAC region.

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As a result, the PCS playoffs have been adjusted to accommodate the change. Now the top 6 teams from their region will be joined by the top 3 teams from the LJL and the top 2 teams from the LCO.

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Despite joining the PCS for playoffs, the LJL will still maintain its regular seasons held in Japan, similar to how the LCO operates. However, seeding for Worlds and MSI was not announced.

The changes have been considered quite controversial by players, but Riot feels strongly that this change is an essential step in achieving a sustainable future for the league.

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LoL esports announces Japans LJL will join Oceania in PCS ... - Dexerto

Kiwi top seeds Joelle King (second from left) and Paul Coll will both compete in the 2023 NZ Squash Open at Mercury Baypark Arena.

Tauranga is set to host New Zealands largest squash festival ever, with some of Oceania and the worlds best players competing in three major tournaments.

The 2023 NZ Festival of Squash begins on December 5 and involves three separate championships, with more than 400 athletes from 30 nations to compete.

The event is expected to attract thousands of spectators and TV audiences across the globe and deliver more than $1.4 million in gross economic benefits to the region.

More than 200 volunteers and 200 support staff will be involved in making the event a success.

The festival gets under way with the three-day Oceania Junior Championships from December 5, with 141 athletes to compete at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre and Mount Maunganui Squash Club.

The draw features more than 50 international players from around the Pacific, as well as 90 from Zealand, including a host of Bay of Plenty juniors.

The Lucino Vanities NZ Mens Open and Barfoot & Thompson Womens NZ Open will be held from December 5 to 10 on the state-of-the-art glass court inside the Mercury Baypark Arena.

The world-class field of 24 men and 24 women includes Kiwi top seeds Paul Coll (world number four) and Joelle King (world number eight).

The third tournament is the World Squash Federations Mens World Teams Championships at Mercury Baypark Arena from December 11 to 17.

It will feature around 100 of the best athletes from 24 nations from all corners of the globe, including defending champions Eqypt, eight-time champions Australia and five-time champions England.

The Kiwi mens world team also includes Coll and his Commonwealth Games teammate Temwa Chileshe and older brother Lwamba Chileshe, as well as Elijah Thomas from Auckland.

This biennial tournament was last hosted by New Zealand in 1983.

In a statement, an excited Coll said he was looking forward to getting back to New Zealand and playing in front of a home crowd.

Last years [Festival of Squash] tournament in Tauranga was fantastic, and Im expecting another great event this year, he said.

There will be a really high level of aggressive squash on display. Its always a really fun tournament ... Id encourage everyone to get involved and support us.

In a release, tournament director Wayne Werder said the athletes competing are the best in the world and there are also a lot of up-and-comers, so there were quite a few future Olympians.

He said the festival would provide a fantastic pre-Christmas boost for the local economy.

Werder said last years NZ Squash Open contributed more than 4000 visitor nights and a gross benefit of $1.4m dollars to the local economy.

He encouraged the local community to support the event and athletes by buying tickets: Come along to enjoy this world-class show.

A Squash New Zealand spokesperson said given this festival had a far bigger programme of tournaments, they expected a decent jump on the 2022 economic benefit figures.

Squash New Zealand chief executive Martin Dowson said hosting a world championship in New Zealand was special and unique and the festival would inspire the next generation of future Olympic and Commonwealth Games athletes.

We take great pride in making sure all the players and officials have an amazing experience.

Tauranga and world squash legend Dame Susan Devoy were buzzing about the festival.

The World Squash Federation vice-president and Squash NZ board member told the Bay of Plenty Times for her, Tauranga hosting these tournaments is like aa dream come true - particularly, the WSF mens world teams championships.

We will be treated to an absolute feast of squash, with the best men in the world playing for their country. This event will showcase the best of the best, and were privileged to able to host this event.

She urged people - whether they are die-hard fans or have never seen a live squash game before - to pop along and watch some of the fittest and most skilful athletes in the world.

Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said it was thrilling for Tauranga to once again host the 2023 Festival of Squash.

The opportunity to promote our beautiful city on an international stage is one we relish.

Last years Festival of Squash attracted 1254 visitors, including 92 international guests, and generated $621,450 worth of visitor experience in the region, she said.

Tolley said the council was supporting the 2023 event with $100,000 of funding for promotional and branding around the city such as banners, signs and removable artwork at Tauranga Airport.

Tourism Bay of Plenty chief executive Oscar Nation said this event would give the local economy a significant boost, with positive flow-on effects for accommodation, hospitality, retail and tourism operators.

It will also give our city and region valuable exposure to global networks and media coverage.

Tourism BOP was providing destination imagery and promotional support, he said.

The state-of-the-art glass court matches at Mercury Baypark Arena will be broadcast on Sky TV TBC, and the Oceania Junior Championships will streamed on Squash New Zealands website.

To buy tickets to the events, visit the Festival of Squash website.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.

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NZ Festival of Squash in Tauranga attracts top world and Oceania ... - Bay of Plenty Times

The New Zealand Oceania team.

Sisters Stephanie and Caley McNair came away from the Smallbore Rifle Discipline at the Oceania Championships in Brisbane with more than just placings.

Stephanie and Caley were part of 16 New Zealand shooters competing in the Smallbore Rifle Discipline at the Oceania Championships in the Brisbane International Shooting Centre (BISC) earlier this month.

To qualify to shoot at this competition they had to compete at a number of designated matches and through this they were placed on a ranking list. Stephanie qualified to shoot three disciplines, 50m 3P (three position, kneeling, prone and standing), 10m air rifle which is shot standing and 50m prone. Caley qualified for the 50m prone event.

Robbie McNair was appointed the official team manager and was responsible for all the paperwork around rifle permits in and out of the two countries (not a simple task!) and for helping with the team practices and performances during the competition.

Stephanie came away with two silver and one bronze medal - silver for womens prone team and the 3P womens team and the bronze was for the womens air rifle team event. Caley placed a very creditable 10th in the Open grade shooting just below her personal best score.

It was difficult timing for the competition with Stephanie having to complete two university exams while in Australia and Caley arriving back in New Zealand just in time to sit her NCEA Level 3 exams.

Caley also missed her final prizegiving where she was awarded the top Dannevirke High School Sportsperson of the Year Award.

It was a fantastic opportunity to compete at the Brisbane range, which was used for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It had the latest technology, using electronic targets displaying the shots on TV screens in real-time as the shooters were shooting. Because of this equipment, the finals were shown live through the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) website.

It was an incredible experience for all involved.

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Sisters Stephanie and Caley McNair gain international smallbore ... - Hawkes Bay Today

Herfoss sizzles to claim pole position in ASBK finale

Troy Herfoss is determined to make his Honda swansong a fairytale after unleashing a towering qualifying performance in round seven of the 2023 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul.

The Queenslander turned up the wick on his Penrite Honda CBR1000RR-R in the second Alpinestars Superbike qualifying session at The Bend, and the spoils were spectacular: the first rider to go under the 1m50s bracket at the world-class 4.95km circuit.

Peerless across every measure, but with championship rival Josh Waters (McMartin Racing with K-Tech Ducati V4R) alongside him on the front rowthe celebrations will be short and sweet for Herfoss before he galvanises himself for tomorrows two 11-lap races.

Michelin Supersport is also delicately poised, with returning internationals Harrison Voight and Tom Toparis leading the qualifying charts ahead of the three riders vying for the championship: Olly Simpson, Cameron Dunker and Ty Lynch.

Two races also await the Supersport cohort tomorrow, while three of the other SBK classes Yamaha Finance R3 Cup, Supersport 300 andbLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup are already in competition mode but remain live rubbers.

Only one 2023 champion was crowned today: Keo Watson in the popular Sureflight Superbike Masters class.

Tickets are still available for Sundays racing at The Bend viawww.asbk.com.au, but if youre watching from home or in transit there are live streaming and TV options galore so you dont have to miss a minute of the action.

THE BEND RESULTS

ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKE

Pole position was a just reward for Herfoss who had been consistently brisk in all four practice sessions. But even the wiliest of ASBK pundits probably wouldnt have believed the extraordinary work he produced in qualifying with his amazing 1m49.889s lap. Herfoss says it was one of the highlights of his career. I have never done a qualifying lap that good,the ebullient 36-year-old said.I was hoping I could do a 1:49 but I didnt think it would actually happen. I know it was just qualifying but its the most fun Ive had in one minute and 49 seconds in my life!

Its a pretty emotional weekend and I want to finish it off in the best possible way and work out what I want to do after that. Herfoss pole-sitting time was 0.409s ahead of Waters (1:50.298), followed by Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, 1:50.312), Max Stauffer (GTR Moto Stars YZF-R1, 1:50.550) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, 1:50.688). Glenn Allerton (GT Racing BMW M 1000 RR, 1:50.881) will complete row two tomorrow, with Bryan Staring (MotoGo YZF-R1, 1:51.265), South Australian Arthus Sissis (Unitech Racing YZF-R1, 1:51.274) and Anthony West (Addicted to Track YZF-R1, 1:51.325) on row three. Race one will be held at 11:00am (ADCT) tomorrow, and race two at 2:45pm (ADCT). Will it be a third Superbike title for Herfoss, or number four for Waters?

MICHELIN SUPERSPORT

Its the overriding Michelin Supersport question: will the riders making ASBK cameos Voight and Toparis the two standouts make tomorrow pleasure or pain for the championship aspirations of Dunker, Simpson and Lynch?

Well get a more definitive gauge in the opening nine-lap race tomorrow, where last years double winner Voight (Voight Construction Yamaha YZF-R6)will start from pole position after setting the new best lap around The Bend 1:54.618. Toparis (Cube Racing Stop & Seal YZF-R6, 1:54.770) and Simpson (Simpson Crash YZF-R6, 1:54.825) are right on Voights hammer, so were unlikely to see a runaway winner its going to be a tight affair.

Meanwhile, Dunker (GTR Moto Stars YZF-R6, 1:55.322), the championship leader, knows what final round pressure is all about, and hell start from grid position No. 4 alongside Lynch (AMR Sports YZF-R6, 1:55.571) and Harry Khouri (Addicted to Track YZF-R6, 1:57.851) another Aussie expat back in town for the ASBK finale.

All 20 riders qualified.

SUPERSPORT 300 AND YAMAHA FINANCE R3 CUP

After a forced restart following an Abbie Cameron crash which brought out the red flag, the racing in the Supersport 300 opener was as tight as ever before boiling down to a three-way fight between Cameron Swain, Brodie Gawith and Marcos Hamod.

And thats how they finished in a blanket finish, with Swain victorious by just 0.013s to move into the title lead by 9ts over Hamod.

The Yamaha Finance R3 Cup produced more Swain magic as he claimed the spoils from Gawith, while Hamod just held out Henry Snell and Jordan Simpson for third.

Swain also holds sway in R3 Cup by 9pts, with two races remaining in each class.

BLU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP

Polesitter Archie Schmidt won race one in the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup after a nail-biting finish saw him execute a perfectly timed pass on Jake Paige on the last turn.

The pair, in a very unusual OJC scenario, cleared out from the main pack, with Rikky Henry finishing in a lonely third before the pack tightened up.

Schmidt also set a new lap record of 2:30.941 in a brilliant OJC outing. He now has a 9pt lead over Bodie Paige, who was fourth in race one.

SUREFLIGHT SUPERBIKE MASTERS

The Sureflight Superbike Masters grid was stacked with Aussie racing legends: three-time MotoGP winner Garry McCoy Yamaha TZ750), Isle of Man Classic TT winner David Johnson (Suzuki Katana) and dual World Superbike champion Troy Corser (Yamaha 0W01).

However, most of todays plaudits went to Watson (Yamaha FZR1000), who was rewarded with champion-designate status after a brilliant season.

Johnson and Watson shared the wins on Saturday, with the former forced to start from pitlane in race two due to his late arrival on the grid from racetrack commentary duties! A first time for everything.

Watson and Ryan Taylor (Suzuki GSX-R1100) completed the podium in race one, and in race two McCoy was runner-up ahead of Taylor. McCoy had earlier fluffed the race one start on the big two-stroke before slicing his way back to fourth.

Meanwhile, Corser had braking gremlins in both races but managed to make the finish line in the second.

Excerpt from:

Australian Superbike: Herfoss Earns Pole Position At "The Bend" - RoadracingWorld.com

By Joan Grey

Within a year, Waikato teenager Manaia Elliott has been catapulted from playing NRFL U-17 boys league for Melville United to earning her first selection to the Football Ferns.

Shes in the national squad for their two-match series against Colombia in Bogata, one of six uncapped players in the 24-player group.

Wellington Phoenix winger Elliott (18) got the call-up from Ford Football Ferns head coach Jitka Klimkov as an injury replacement for 63-cap defender Mikayla Moore.

READ MORE: Uncapped teen added to Ferns squad for two-game series against Colombia >>>>

Instead of flying home to the Phoenix womens team base in Wellington after Saturdays 2-1 A-League victory over Perth Glory at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart in Auckland, she was on a flight to South America.

Only last year, Elliott was playing in the U-17 NRFL boys league for Melville United in Hamilton.

This weekend shell be sharing the field with her Ferns idols in Colombia.

Theyre all such experienced players who Ive looked up to for so many years, Elliott says.

Main photo: Manaia Elliott playing for New Zealand at the OFC U-19 Womens Championship. Photo: Kirk Corrie / Phototek.

In July, Elliott captained the New Zealand team that won the Oceania Football Confederation U-19 Championships in Fiji, securing a spot at next years FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Last year, she led the New Zealand team at the FIFA U-17 Womens World Cup in India.

Following her experience at age group international level, Elliott signed a three-year deal with the Wellington Phoenix and has made a roaring start to the Liberty A-League.

She has played in all six matches and she scored her maiden A-League goal in the Phoenixs 2-0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in October.

Im really enjoying being around the Phoenix girls. I just love the environment so much.

Elliotts experience travelling back and forth from Australia with the Phoenix has helped her adjust to the travel demands of international football.

The A-League trips to Australia have definitely helped me prepare for this long-haul flight to Colombia. When travelling to Australia, the change in time zone was difficult to get used to at the start.

The young winger has had to adjust to the pressure of playing A-League football in front of large crowds.

I think it all comes down to mindset. Youve just got to make sure youre in the right space and focus on your job and how you can help the team perform on the day, Elliott says.

Sometimes you just have to shut out everything else thats happening around you to be able to put your best performance forward.

To budding female footballers eyeing a similar path to Elliott, she advises: Keep working hard and just be yourself when youre playing because everyone will bring something different to football. I think its important that everyone showcases their own abilities, and thats something that makes you stand out.

The Ford Football Ferns squad is:

Mackenzie Barry (7 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Katie Bowen (98 caps) Inter Milan, Italy Daisy Cleverley (31 caps) HB Kge, Denmark Ava Collins (11 caps) St Johns University, United States Brianna Edwards (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Manaia Elliott* (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Victoria Esson (20 caps) Rangers, Scotland Michaela Foster (8 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Ally Green (5 caps) AGF, Denmark Jacqui Hand (17 caps) land United, Finland Betsy Hassett (150 caps) Stjarnan FC, Iceland Grace Jale (21 caps) Perth Glory, Australia Aniela Jensen* (0 caps) University of the Pacific, United States Katie Kitching* (0 caps) Sunderland AFC, England Anna Leat (11 caps) Aston Villa, England Ruby Nathan* (0 caps) Canberra United, Australia Grace Neville (6 caps) London City Lionesses, England Ali Riley (159 caps) Angel City, United States Indiah-Paige Riley (14 caps) PSV Vrouwen, Netherlands Paige Satchell (46 caps) London City Lionesses, England Malia Steinmetz (25 caps) FC Nordsjlland, Denmark Rebekah Stott (95 caps) Melbourne City, Australia Kate Taylor (10 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Marisa van der Meer* (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand

*Debut Ford Football Ferns call-up.

Game to be played on Sunday December 3, 2023 (NZT)

Colombia v New Zealand Estadio El Campin, Bogot, Colombia, 10am (NZT)

Game to be played on Wednesday December 6, 2023

Colombia v New Zealand Estadio Metropolitano de Techo, Bogot, Colombia, 9am (NZT)

Friends of Football writer Joan Grey loves playing and writing about football. She plays football for Franklin United.

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From boys' football to the Ferns in a year the rapid rise of winger ... - Friends of Football

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS Unfavorable market conditions persist, but the growth of animal protein production continues, although at a slower rate, according to Rabobanks annual Global Animal Protein Outlook report.

After four years of global production growth, producers and processors need to adapt to sustain success, Rabobank said, while margins remain tight in 2024.

Its a testament to the resilience and flexibility of companies along animal protein supply chains that they continue to grow production and deliver on customer expectations amid such challenging market conditions, said Justin Sherrard, global strategist of animal protein at Rabobank. Despite a cost of living crisis putting pressure on consumer finances, there continues to be demand for animal protein, and companies have been able to overcome challenges, from high costs to regulatory uncertainty and disease, to capitalize on it.

According to the report, higher production costs and tighter supplies will push animal protein prices up and constrain global consumption in 2024.

While still higher than pre-pandemic levels, input costs and inflation are expected to fall slightly. Growing accustomed to higher prices, some consumers are willing to pay a premium for quality, Rabobank added.

Not all structural changes in the market are detrimental many present new opportunities for businesses to improve their processes and products, Sherrard said. Those companies that can demonstrate agility in adapting to the new environment and navigate consumer willingness to pay for certain preferences will be able to take advantage of the tighter market and come out on top.

Sherrard recommended companies double down on improving their productivity, review their existing portfolios, strengthen supply chain partnerships, increase investment in new product development, and adjust their pricing strategies to navigate the coming years challenges.

Rabobanks analysts forecast marginal year-over-year production growth in the major markets of North America, Brazil, Europe, Oceania, China and Southeast Asia by 0.5% to 247 million tonnes next year.

Only poultry and aquaculture are anticipated to see production growth in 2024. Beef will continue to decline, as has been the trend in 2023, while pork will also contract modestly, Rabobank said.

Demand for plant-based meat alternatives is expected to continue dropping among customers and investors. Rabobank said foodservice is likely the key buyer for players in the category in 2024.

For companies to sustain the success of the past few years, its essential that they adapt to the structural changes in the market, Sherrard said. Instead of simply riding out the storm, animal protein businesses need to take stock of their strengths and prepare to transition their supply chains to operating in an environment with high costs and tight margins.

On a regional level, production growth for poultry and meat in Brazil will remain relatively robust, while it will also likely accelerate in Southeast Asia. China and the Oceania countries of Australia and New Zealand will see marginal growth. Meanwhile, Europe and North America will see an overall production contraction.

Read more:

Global protein production expected to slow, but persist in 2024 - MEAT+POULTRY

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Wednesday December 6 (9am NZT): Colombia v Football Ferns, Estadio Metropolitano de Techo, Bogot (click here for details)

December 7-11: National U-17 mens and womens tournament, Seddon Fields, Auckland

Wednesday December 13 (6am NZT): Auckland City v Al-Ittihad, FIFA Club World Cup, King Abdulah Sports City Stadium, Saudi Arabia (click here for details)

December 14-17: National Youth Futsal Championships, Wellington

February 7-19: OFC Womens Olympic qualifying tournament, Samoa (click here for details)

Wednesday February 7 (3pm NZT): New Zealand v Tonga, OFC Womens Olympic qualifier, Apia, Samoa (click here for details)

February 8-March 16: National play-off, OFC Mens Champions League (click here for details)

Saturday February 10 (7pm NZT): New Zealand v Samoa, OFC Womens Olympic qualifier, Apia, Samoa (click here for details)

Tuesday February 13 (7pm NZT): New Zealand v Vanuatu, OFC Womens Olympic qualifier, Apia, Samoa (click here for details)

February 17-23: OFC Mens Champions League, qualifying tournament, Tonga (click here for details)

March 10-23: OFC Womens Champions League, Solomon Islands (click here for details)

March 18-26: Two-match international window for the All Whites.

March 20-26: OFC Mens Nations Cup qualifying tournament, Tonga

April 9-15: OFC U-19 Mens Championship, qualifying tournament, Vanuatu

April 13-19: OFC U-16 Mens Championship, qualifying tournament, Tonga

April 23-28: OFC Futsal Mens Champions League, New Caledonia

Thursday May 9: Friends of Footballs annual Golf Day, Huapai Golf Club, Auckland

May 11-24: OFC Mens Champions League, Tahiti (click here for details)

June 14-20: OFC U-16 Womens Championship, qualifying tournament, Auckland

June 15-30: OFC Mens Nations Cup, Vanuatu

July 7-20: OFC U-19 Mens Championship, Samoa

July 28-August 10: OFC U-16 Mens Championship, Tahiti

August 18-24: OFC Futsal Womens Nations Cup, Solomon Islands

August 31-September 22:FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup, Colombia (click here for details)

September 2-10: FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania Qualifiers Matchdays 1 and 2, Samoa (click here for details)

September 8-21: OFC U-16 Womens Championship, Fiji

October 7-15:FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania Qualifiers Matchday 3, New Zealand and Vanuatu (click here for details)

October 16-November 3: FIFA U-17 Womens World Cup, Dominican Republic (click here for details)

October 20-26: OFC Beach Soccer Mens Nations Cup, Solomon Islands

November 11-19: FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania Qualifiers Matchdays 4 and 5, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (click here for details)

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Catching up after the weekend? Heres all the top results and all on ... - Friends of Football

It may be an Olympic Games year for the All Blacks Sevens, but it will be a case of first steps first, for the side when opening their HSBC SVNS Series in Dubai at the weekend.

New head coach Tomasi Cama said a lot of work had been done in the pre-season, and it was now a case of getting into action.

"Training has been good. We had a lot of boys coming back from playing (Bunnings) NPC and they have been training since the start of pre-season. It was a good opportunity to play the Oceania tournament, but we are looking forward to this to start off the season and see where we are at."

The All Blacks Sevens won the Oceania tournament when they beat Samoa in extra time in the final 24-19 earlier this month.

The tournament has been revamped, with participating teams in each round reduced to 12 from 16 to align with the Olympic Games format. The top eight teams at the end of the series will play in a 'grand final' in Madrid, while the teams from nine to 12 will play off against the top four teams in the Sevens Challenger Series in promotion-relegation for the 2024-25 season.

Cama said there would be no easy games in the World Series, and New Zealand would need to be on their A game from the outset and avoid having to come from behind to qualify for the playoff stages.

There was also pressure to score the most points available to qualify.

"There's going to be some exciting pool games, and come the quarterfinals, the quality of the games is going to be higher than expected."

Cama said the All Blacks Sevens took a lot of lessons from their successful season last year. They hadn't started well, but they improved with quick changes and finding consistency in performance.

Preparation was essential, and looking at every game as a final had contributed to their success.

There is no pressure on the side as defending champions; they want to start again.

"We're not here to defend anything. We're going to play each game, and each tournament, as we go. Hopefully, we do well in each tournament."

Dubai had its attractions, but from a Sevens perspective, it was about how teams handled the heat.

"Most teams prepare well, and with it being the start of the series, everyone wants to start well. You don't want to chase the series down the line."

The Olympic Games are the end goal for the side, but before they can think about them, they have to take their first steps of the season.

"We can't really focus too much on what is at the back of this season. We want to make sure that we don't miss a beat or a step along the way, and this is the first step for us.

"We've done our camp, we've done a lot of good things at our camp on where we want to get to and how we want to start on and off the field.

"We've challenged ourselves on a few things we can do better, things we can check along the way to make sure these things are aligned. If they are aligned, then things are on the right track come the Olympics.

"This is the first step. It will be interesting to see, and if we make that first step, hopefully we will step in the right direction whatever the outcome this week and I'm pretty sure it's the right step towards that goal."

Read the rest here:

All Blacks Sevens chart new beginnings in the HSBC SVNS Series - allblacks.com

WBSC Americas announced that the Dominican Republic will host the U-15 Baseball World Cup Qualifier.

The announcement came after WBSC Americas President Aracelis Len met the Dominican Baseball Federation (FEDOBE) president Juan Nuez in the Dominican Republic.

The host city and the final dates will be announced at a later date. WBSC Americas revealed in a press release that 12 National Teams will participate in the event and that the opening day will be in late February.

"It will be one of the top events of the year," stated the release. "The Dominican Republic is a baseball country and we anticipate an event to remember."

It will be the fourth qualifying event for the VI WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup.

The European Championship qualified World No. 7 Netherlands and No. 14 Italy last July.

The Asian Baseball Championship qualified No. 5 Chinese Taipei and No. 1 Japan the following month.

World No. 34 Guam and No. 40 New Zealand are playing for the Oceania spot in a best-of-five series which opened on 30 November.

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The Dominican Republic to host WBSC Americas U-15 Baseball ... - World Baseball Softball Confederation

Following an emotional official opening ceremony on Saturday, the Taipei Dome will host the XXX BFA Asian Championship, which is set to begin on Sunday, 3 December, at 18:00 local time. The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) will host the tournament for the 10th time.

The hosts and defending champions world No. 5 Chinese Taipei will face No. 4 Korea. The game is already sold out.

Chinese Taipei picked one of the rising stars of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) Jo-Hsi Hsu of the Weichuan Dragons. The team relies on a solid pitching staff and the line-up can guarantee power and speed. According to local press, the hosts lack international experience at catcher.

Heon-Min Shin (SSG Landers) is expected to start for Korea on the opening night. Shin was the 2nd overall pick in 2022 KBO draft and made 11 appearances, all from the bullpen, in the 2023 season with 6.00 ERA. Chinese Taipei manager Kuo-Lee said, We anticipated that he is going to start against us.

Despite averaging 21.2 years, the Korean roster showcases impressive talent. Byeong-Hyeon Jo collected 17 KBO saves for the SSG Landers. Corner infielder Seung-Yeup Na finished the KBO season with a .312 batting average. First baseman Beom-Seok Kim (LG Twins) and outfielder Jun-Young Jeong (KT Wizards) played for the U-18 National Team.

Chinese Taipei and Korea will compete in Group A with world No. 37 Hong Kong and No. 55 Palestine. After the opening game, Group A will move to the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium.

World No. 1 Japan is the favourite in Group B. The roster's core played at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship and earned bronze at the Asian Games. Shoichirou Kayo, who won the Asia Games bronze medal game, is the team's ace.

The pitching staff also features players who helped Japan win the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2022, such as hard-throwing pitcher Raiku Katayama, All-World Team designated hitter Ren Onishi and slugger Yuto Hirano. Power-hitting catcher Tatsuya Shirono is also a player to watch.

Japan, who has won the BFA Asia Championship 18 times, plus one (1983) shared with Chinese Taipei and Korea, will face world No. 32 and the winner of the inaugural edition in 1954, the Philippines, No. 43 Thailand, and No. 49 Pakistan. Group B action will begin on Monday, 4 December. The games are scheduled at the Taipei Dome.

The top two finishers of each group will compete in the Super Round on 8 and 9 December. At the end of the Super Round, the first and second-place teams will play for the title and earn a spot in the V WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup. The bronze-medal game between the third and fourth-place finishers will award the third U-23 Baseball World Cup spot. The Taipei Dome will host the Super Round and the finals. The finals are scheduled for Sunday, 10 December.

The BFA Asia Championship will take the number of teams qualified for the V WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup to 11.

Africa (1): Asia (3): The top three finishers of the BFA Asian Baseball Championship Americas (4): No. 6 Venezuela, No. 12 Puerto Rico, No. 13 Colombia, No. 20 Nicaragua Europe (2):No. 7 Netherlands and No. 18 Great Britain Oceania (1): No. 11Australia Wild Card (1): China (Host Nation)

World No. 1Japanis the defending U-23 World Champion.

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XXX BFA Asian Championship starts Sunday, qualifies three teams ... - World Baseball Softball Confederation