One rugby training session changed Melanie Kawa's life forever and since then Kawa has represented Papua New Guinea, captained the Melbourne Rebels and become a mother. Sam & Tinirau chat to the trailblazer about her simple and beautiful upbringing in PNG, how she managed to come back to rugby after child birth and play in front of her little girl and what her calling is next.

Described as Payne Haas but with headgear, 19-year-old Samoan giant De La Salle Va'a is a star on the rise. Brought up on a healthy diet of boxing and rugby league, Va'a tells Sam & Tinirau about his journey to now and why he couldn't resist signing with the Roosters after one special dinner.

There's a heap of Rugby Union to chat about including a win for Fiji and a loss for Tonga, some Golden Boot nominees in League plus Tinirau will grade a few of the teams from the Pacific Championships.

Will Hopoate left Rugby League at age 19 after winning an NRL premiership to go on his Mormon mission and he doesn't regret it one bit. In the first episode of Sam & T's Summer Sitdowns, Will Hopoate talks about the "organised chaos" of his upbringing, the challenges and rewards of his Mormon mission and why he'll never forget the pre-World Cup Tonga camp in 2017.

He's one of the most recognisable names in Pasifika footy and Will Hopoate shares some profound, funny, moving and unbelievable stories from his life on and off the field.

If it was any other game, Lachlan Lam says he might turn it down, but playing for the PNG Kumuls is something Lam never wants to miss. Having captained Papua New Guinea this Pacific Championships, the son of a gun chats to Sam & Tinirau live from Fiji about his ties to his culture, what it's like seeing the local PNG players grow and his hopes for the future of their national game.

Sam, Tinirau and Shellie also wrap up the last of the Pac Champs plus the Rugby Union spring tours dish up some winners and losers for the Pasifika teams.

Ahead of the massive weekend of Pacific Championships finals and promotion/relegation games Sam, Tinirau and special guest Jillaroo Sala Togatuki break down the games, what's at stake and who will be victorious. There's also big Wallabies news for some new Nesian faces, Fiji and Tonga are in action in Europe too and it's the final Professor Paulo of 2024 so who will have to shout our end of year lunch?!

Just as Christian Pio was about to debut for Fetu Samoa in 2023 her Dad tragically fell ill and passed away, so her first game in blue in the Pacific Championships this year was extra special. We chatted to Pio in Suva and she tells us about representing her motherland and her family, learning more about her Samoan side and why she ghosted Tinirau a year ago.

Sam & Tinirau discuss the last of the Pac Champs games before the finals and promotion/relegation matches plus Fiji's first hit out against Scotland on their Europe rugby union tour. Shellie Long also joins us from the airport upon return from Port Moresby after being part of the PNG Orchids camp for the past week.

There's plenty at stake this weekend in the Pacific Championships with spots in the finals and in the World Cup up for grabs! Sam & Tinirau look ahead to the games as well as the Rugby Union internationals which kick off this weekend too. Plus Sala Togatuki is back to tell us all about her Jillaroos experience and how much it has meant to her.

Kevin Naiqama has been playing for the Fiji Bati for 15 years and as he lines up for the final time in Fijian colours in the Pacific Championships, we look back with Naiqama on his special career. Rugby League has taken him from Fiji to Australia to the UK and more and we hear about what's changed, what the future looks like and why it's extra meaningful to end his career with games in Suva.

Sam & Tinirau cover all things Pac Champs and Shellie Long is here too for the women's game, an update on her knee surgery and an upcoming trip to Port Moresby.

From 'walk the line' to devotion to new leaders emerging, Tongan stars Emmanita Paki and Tegan Dymock give us a close look at their camp this year for the Pacific Championships.

Plus, Fiji take on the Cook Islands and the Aussies do battle with NZ this weekend in the men's and women's Pac Champs, so we unpack all four games as well as the squads for the Rugby Union teams heading to Europe for their Spring tours.

We take you to Suva to hear all the best bits from the Pacific Championships weekend in Fiji including chats with Nene Macdonald, Monalisa Soliola, Sunia Turuva, Pauline Piliae-Rasabale, Frank Pritchard, Jason Demetriou, Tegan Dymock and more. 

Sam is also joined by Will Hopoate who steps in for Tinirau, so we head inside the Tonga camp after their loss to the Kangaroos. If you weren't in Suva, you've simply got to get around this episode!