Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 09 Episode 32 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Wednesday morning 08 May 2024.
 
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent.
                                                                  
In rugby union: The Top 8 for the SVNS 7s League Grand Finals in Madrid at the end of May:

• Pool A Women sees New Zealand, USA, Canada and Great Britain.
• Pool B Women includes Australia, France, Fiji and Ireland.
• Pool A Men sees Argentina, Australia, France and Great Britain
• Pool B Men includes Ireland, New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa.

In rugby league: The Rabbitohs have named two debutants in their new-look outfit that includes the returning Latrell Mitchell who has served his suspension.

Dion Teaupa makes his NRL debut at halfback, while mid-season recruit Gehamat Shibasaki will make his debut on the Wing.

Kevin Walters has solved his halves headache by naming one-game rookie halfback, Joshua Rogers to take over from Adam Reynolds, playing alongside Ezra Mam.

Meanwhile, Brad Arthur has called upon one of the Eels rising stars - Blaize Talagi to replace the injured Clint Gutherson.

In Football: Manchester United Manager Erik Ten Hag has vowed to ‘keep fighting’ despite his side staring down the barrel of a worst-ever Premier League finish after a 4-0 thumping by Crystal Palace.
 
United has now lost 13 games in the league this season, their most ever in the Premier League era, and their 81 goals conceded across all competitions – so far – is the worst since 1976.

In combat sports: George Kambosos Jr boldly declared Vasiliy Lomachenko no longer “has that dog inside of him” as the two prepare to throw down for the vacant IBF Lightweight World title on Sunday at the RAC Arena in Perth.

It will be Kambosos Jr’s first fight since a contentious victory over England’s Maxi Hughes in which he took home the IBO world title.

Finally, in SportsBiz: What a finish to the 2024 Kentucky Derby!

Mystik Dan, an 18–1 long shot going into the race, won in what was the Kentucky Derby’s first three-horse photo finish since 1947.

Marking a significant contrast from a 2023 event that was marred by seven horse deaths leading up to the race and several more thereafter - ultimately leading to a suspension of operations at Churchill Downs for more than three months and an extended investigation.

This year’s event was a massive hit in person, on television, and on betting platforms:

• A Churchill Downs attendance of 156,710, up 4.2% from a year ago and the highest total since 2018.
• An average audience of 16.7 million on NBC Sports platforms, peaking at 20.1m, the most ever for an NBC Sports presentation of the Kentucky Derby.
• A record US$320.5Million bets on the Kentucky Derby, up 11% from last year.

 And that’s a wrap!
 
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Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
 
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