Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 74 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Wednesday morning 20 March 2024.
                                                                  
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent. 
 
In rugby union: A revamped Rakavi Trust with new Trustees will be re-launched at the Marist 7s this weekend with a “Go Fund Me” Promotion. With the support of the Fiji Rugby Union, The Rakavi Trust is a platform for individuals and corporate support for their main project – “The Road To Paris”.
 
In football: In the UEFA Womens Champions League Quarter-finals: Chelsea are leading Ajax two nil in the second half, next Benfica vs Lyon, Hacken vs PSG and Brann vs Barcelona.  
 
In SportsBiz: The Houston Cougars Men’s basketball team is +600 at most sports betting agencies to win the NCAA tournament as No. 1 seed for the second straight year, and chances are you’ve probably heard of the school’s biggest backer.

Jim McIngvale, better known as “Mattress Mack,” has bet US$1Million on the Cougars to cut down the nets at the end of March Madness and win their first national championship.

The Texas-based business mogul, owner of the Gallery Furniture retail chain, routinely makes headlines around big sporting events for his big bets—but in reality his wagers carry far less risk than it might seem, thanks to a fairly simple scheme.

Here’s how it works:
· Gallery Furniture is running a promotion: Customers who purchase a mattress of US$4000 or more get it for free if Houston wins the NCAA tournament.
· Once enough mattresses are bought, McIngvale then places a bet on Houston to cover his potential losses.
· This year’s US$1M bet was placed at +750 odds, meaning McIngvale could profit US$7.5M. 
· If Houston wins, Gallery Furniture has enough winnings to refund up to a max 1,875 mattress purchased @ US$4000.
· As long as at least 250 mattresses are purchased, those sales would cover “Mattress Mack’s” bet.
· If Houston loses, he’s out his US$1M, but he’s also sold a truckload of mattresses with the enticing deal.

For the record: McIngvale bet US$4.1M on Houston to win last year’s NCAA tournament and they lost.
 
In rugby league: Welcome to the NRL Multicultural Round where Souths and the Knights have hit the panic button, axing their respective halfbacks after just two rounds, with Lachlan Ilias and Jackson Hastings dropped to the reserves this weekend.
 
Injuries have also forced the Broncos and Roosters to make big changes in the halves, while Manly and the Tigers have had to dig deep in their backline stocks.

Elsewhere, the Bulldogs, Titans and NZ Warriors have received a much-needed boost with all three teams welcoming back key players.

The Dragons have handed NRL debuts to Jesse Marschke and Blaize Talagi respectively and Jack Wighton will make his official club debut for the Rabbitohs.

In Boxing: Top Promoter, Eddie Hearn has outlined a potential two-fight schedule between WBC World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and contender Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia and Wembley.
 
"There is a gentleman called Turki Al-Sheikh, who is obviously a very influential figure in sports and entertainment in Saudi Arabia," Hearn said.
 
"He's also the biggest fight fan I've ever met. And quite amazingly, he's now talking about staging two Fury vs AJ fights - one in Saudi Arabia and one at Wembley Stadium."
 
“Money, money, money!”
 
And that’s a wrap!
 
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Mahalo and Ka kite; for Teivovorugby.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
 
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