A 26-year-old Fijian rugby player has died in Japan after suffering suspected heat stroke during training amid an intense nationwide heatwave.

Simonyi Vunilagi, a back-row forward with Fukuoka-based Kyushu Electric Power, was reportedly taken to hospital after developing symptoms consistent with severe heat stroke while training on Monday. He died on Friday morning.

His club said players, staff and associates were devastated by his sudden death.

The tragedy comes as Japan experiences extreme temperatures, with some areas recording temperatures above 40°C. Fukuoka recorded a high of 35°C on Monday.

According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, nearly 18,600 people were hospitalized for heat stroke between July 20 and 26, with 45 people pronounced dead on arrival.


Japan Heatwave Tragedy | Fijian Rugby Player Dies After Suspected Heat Stroke During Training

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones admitted on Saturday that his flailing team were "massive underdogs" against the "red hot" All Blacks next weekend, but said it could work in their favour.

Australia head into the Melbourne Cricket Ground clash in a hole after consecutive Rugby Championship defeats to South Africa and Argentina, leaving the former England boss with back-to-back losses since taking over.

In contrast, New Zealand romped to victory over the Springboks and Pumas, making them heavy favourites to win again as they build up to the World Cup in France.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/psg-ready-to-sell-kylian-mbappe-this-summer-as-star-striker-left-out-of-29-man-squad-for-japan-tour-618312">PSG ready to sell Kylian Mbappe this summer as star striker left out of 29-man squad for Japan tour</a>

"In this situation this week we're massive underdogs," Jones said on a Zoom call from Australia's training base in Queensland. "But that creates an opportunity for us.

"We know that if we can put pressure on a&nbsp;team that is red hot favourites, sometimes that pressure can turn into increased pressure on them and stress in the team, and that's our aim.

"If you look at Australia at the moment, probably no one outside our immediate squad thinks we've got a chance of winning, which sometimes can drive a bit more closeness within the team, a bit more purpose about what we're doing," he added.

Jones was brought in to replace the axed Dave Rennie this year after the team lost nine of 13 internationals last season.

But it has been a rocky start to his second stint in the job, crashing 34-31 to Argentina on the back of a 43-12 thrashing by world champions South Africa.

He admitted they&nbsp;had fallen short of expectations, but suggested it could prove beneficial for the September-October World Cup, as the "teething problems" had been identified now.

"I've got no doubt we're not as clear about how we want to play as we want to be. The only problem I see with that is we're not performing as we'd like to perform," he said.

"But in a build-up to a World Cup these sorts of teething problems are sometimes the best problems to have.&nbsp;

"And sometimes you find out more about your team in these situations than you do when you think things are going along swimmingly. And they're not getting along swimmingly."

Jones is still experimenting, trying to determine the best squad to take to the World Cup, with backs Tom Wright and Reece Hodge among those dropped for the All Blacks match.

He noted that the team lacked alignment in defence and attack around the breakdown against Argentina.

"That's part of the issues we've got at the moment," he said. "It's an understanding issue -– understanding what we need, what decisions need to be made by the players."

Co-captain Michael Hooper missed the Pumas match with a calf injury and is racing the clock to be fit.

"Calf injuries, we tend to be more careful with their rehab than other injuries so medical staff are being pretty careful with him," said the coach.

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Wallabies coach Eddie Jones admitted on Saturday that his flailing team were "massive underdogs" against the "red hot" All Blacks next weekend, but said it could work in their favour.

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones admitted on Saturday that his flailing team were "massive underdogs" against the "red hot" All Blacks next weekend, but said it could work in their favour. Australia head into the Melbourne Cricket Ground clash in a hole after consecutive Rugby Championship defeats to South Africa and Argentina, leaving the former England boss with back-to-back losses since taking over. In contrast, New Zealand romped to victory over the Springboks and Pumas, making them heavy favourites to win again as they build up to the World Cup in France. Also Read: PSG ready to sell Kylian Mbappe this summer as star striker left out of 29-man squad for Japan tour "In this situation this week we're massive underdogs," Jones said on a Zoom call from Australia's training base in Queensland. "But that creates an opportunity for us. "We know that if we can put pressure on a team that is red hot favourites, sometimes that pressure can turn into increased pressure on them and stress in the team, and that's our aim. "If you look at Australia at the moment, probably no one outside our immediate squad thinks we've got a chance of winning, which sometimes can drive a bit more closeness within the team, a bit more purpose about what we're doing," he added. Jones was brought in to replace the axed Dave Rennie this year after the team lost nine of 13 internationals last season. But it has been a rocky start to his second stint in the job, crashing 34-31 to Argentina on the back of a 43-12 thrashing by world champions South Africa. He admitted they had fallen short of expectations, but suggested it could prove beneficial for the September-October World Cup, as the "teething problems" had been identified now. "I've got no doubt we're not as clear about how we want to play as we want to be. The only problem I see with that is we're not performing as we'd like to perform," he said. "But in a build-up to a World Cup these sorts of teething problems are sometimes the best problems to have. "And sometimes you find out more about your team in these situations than you do when you think things are going along swimmingly. And they're not getting along swimmingly." Jones is still experimenting, trying to determine the best squad to take to the World Cup, with backs Tom Wright and Reece Hodge among those dropped for the All Blacks match. He noted that the team lacked alignment in defence and attack around the breakdown against Argentina. "That's part of the issues we've got at the moment," he said. "It's an understanding issue -– understanding what we need, what decisions need to be made by the players." Co-captain Michael Hooper missed the Pumas match with a calf injury and is racing the clock to be fit. "Calf injuries, we tend to be more careful with their rehab than other injuries so medical staff are being pretty careful with him," said the coach. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Rugby Championship: Australia 'underdogs' against All Black, says Wallabies coach Eddie Jones

The National Football League has stepped up its pandemic protocols with tougher restrictions going into effect on Saturday to try and mitigate the spread of coronavirus on the same day the Las Vegas Raiders found themselves in the midst of another outbreak.

The stricter measures, which will last until the end of the season, include forcing players to wear masks during practice sessions, a strict 15-minute time limit per person in the dressing room, and making sure all players and coaches have a negative test from the previous day before being allowed into the club's facilities.

"It has been said many times that our 2020 season cannot be 'normal' because nothing about this year is normal," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a memo to all the teams on Wednesday.

"Flexibility and adaptability have been critical to our success to date and we must continue with that approach."

The league also said in the memo that 28 of the 32 teams had already been slapped with temporary stricter measures for Covid-19 reasons. Of those 28, a total of 16 had been on them more than once.

"The upcoming holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving next week, will introduce new risks of exposure that we need to address now," Goodell said in the memo.

"Because we have a highly sophisticated program of daily testing, we know when the virus enters our facilities, which underscores the importance of contact tracing and other steps to minimize close contacts within a facility."&nbsp;

Other protocols include: all meetings held virtually unless outdoors or with pre-approval for indoors; locker room usage discouraged on non-game days; meals served on a grab-and-go basis; limits of 10 players in the weight room at one time.

According to the latest test results announced by the league earlier this week, 95 players and 175 team personnel had tested positive through November 14 since monitoring began in August.

Teams across the league have continued to report cases of Covid-19 despite safety protocols put in place this season.

On Wednesday, the Raiders placed seven more players on the Covid-19 reserve list, four days before the team is due to host the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Eleven Raiders players are now on the Covid list, although&nbsp;the game is expected to go ahead.

In a separate development, the Los Angeles Rams also confirmed a Covid-19 case -- the first positive case found by the team this season. The Rams said Wednesday the team had placed tight end Kendall Blanton, defensive back Jake Gervase and wide receiver J.J. Koski on the Covid-19 reserve list.

The National Football League has stepped up its pandemic protocols with tougher restrictions going into effect on Saturday to try and mitigate the spread of coronavirus on the same day the Las Vegas Raiders found themselves in the midst of another outbreak.

The National Football League has stepped up its pandemic protocols with tougher restrictions going into effect on Saturday to try and mitigate the spread of coronavirus on the same day the Las Vegas Raiders found themselves in the midst of another outbreak. The stricter measures, which will last until the end of the season, include forcing players to wear masks during practice sessions, a strict 15-minute time limit per person in the dressing room, and making sure all players and coaches have a negative test from the previous day before being allowed into the club's facilities. "It has been said many times that our 2020 season cannot be 'normal' because nothing about this year is normal," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a memo to all the teams on Wednesday. "Flexibility and adaptability have been critical to our success to date and we must continue with that approach." The league also said in the memo that 28 of the 32 teams had already been slapped with temporary stricter measures for Covid-19 reasons. Of those 28, a total of 16 had been on them more than once. "The upcoming holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving next week, will introduce new risks of exposure that we need to address now," Goodell said in the memo. "Because we have a highly sophisticated program of daily testing, we know when the virus enters our facilities, which underscores the importance of contact tracing and other steps to minimize close contacts within a facility." Other protocols include: all meetings held virtually unless outdoors or with pre-approval for indoors; locker room usage discouraged on non-game days; meals served on a grab-and-go basis; limits of 10 players in the weight room at one time. According to the latest test results announced by the league earlier this week, 95 players and 175 team personnel had tested positive through November 14 since monitoring began in August. Teams across the league have continued to report cases of Covid-19 despite safety protocols put in place this season. On Wednesday, the Raiders placed seven more players on the Covid-19 reserve list, four days before the team is due to host the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Eleven Raiders players are now on the Covid list, although the game is expected to go ahead. In a separate development, the Los Angeles Rams also confirmed a Covid-19 case -- the first positive case found by the team this season. The Rams said Wednesday the team had placed tight end Kendall Blanton, defensive back Jake Gervase and wide receiver J.J. Koski on the Covid-19 reserve list.

NFL bumps up Covid-19 protocols for remainder of the season

Rugby Australia agreed Friday to test new rules in its domestic Super Rugby competition in a bid to liven up the game, including goal-line dropouts and a 10-minute golden point period if matches are tied.

Seven new laws will be trialled when the tournament featuring Super Rugby sides the Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels, plus Perth-based Western Force, kicks off on July 3.

Similar innovations will be used in New Zealand when its domestic tournament gets underway on Saturday after the original 15-team Super Rugby season across five countries was halted by the coronavirus pandemic.

RA director of rugby Scott Johnson said the changes followed talks with coaches and players on ways to deliver more entertaining games. Rugby union struggles for visibility in Australia, where rugby league and Aussie Rules dominate.

"We assembled some of the best minds in the game from a range of different roles to look at adding some new attacking dimensions to the game while at the same time sticking to some key principles to preserve the fabric of the sport," Johnson said.

One key change will see dropouts taken from the try line instead of the 22-metre if the defending player touches the ball down inside the goal area.

There are also variations on the 50/22 and 22/50 laws.

Under the new-look rules, a kick taken from within the defending team's 50m area that goes into touch within the opposition's 22 after bouncing will earn a lineout for the kicking team.

Similarly, a kick taken inside the 22 that travels into touch within the opposition's 50 after bouncing will be rewarded with a lineout to the kicking team.

Other innovations will allow red-carded players to be replaced after 20 minutes, and two five-minute periods of 'super time' tacked on to the end of games if drawn, with the first team to score points winning.

Referees will also crack down on policing the breakdown, while limiting the number of scrum resets.

"Throughout the process we stuck to the principle that whatever we changed, the game still had to be rugby, and nothing could compromise the Wallabies' preparation for Tests," Johnson said.

"In fact, I believe the changes we have implemented will broaden and enhance the capabilities of our players."

Rugby Australia agreed Friday to test new rules in its domestic Super Rugby competition in a bid to liven up the game, including goal-line dropouts and a 10-minute golden point period if matches are tied.

Rugby Australia agreed Friday to test new rules in its domestic Super Rugby competition in a bid to liven up the game, including goal-line dropouts and a 10-minute golden point period if matches are tied. Seven new laws will be trialled when the tournament featuring Super Rugby sides the Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels, plus Perth-based Western Force, kicks off on July 3. Similar innovations will be used in New Zealand when its domestic tournament gets underway on Saturday after the original 15-team Super Rugby season across five countries was halted by the coronavirus pandemic. RA director of rugby Scott Johnson said the changes followed talks with coaches and players on ways to deliver more entertaining games. Rugby union struggles for visibility in Australia, where rugby league and Aussie Rules dominate. "We assembled some of the best minds in the game from a range of different roles to look at adding some new attacking dimensions to the game while at the same time sticking to some key principles to preserve the fabric of the sport," Johnson said. One key change will see dropouts taken from the try line instead of the 22-metre if the defending player touches the ball down inside the goal area. There are also variations on the 50/22 and 22/50 laws. Under the new-look rules, a kick taken from within the defending team's 50m area that goes into touch within the opposition's 22 after bouncing will earn a lineout for the kicking team. Similarly, a kick taken inside the 22 that travels into touch within the opposition's 50 after bouncing will be rewarded with a lineout to the kicking team. Other innovations will allow red-carded players to be replaced after 20 minutes, and two five-minute periods of 'super time' tacked on to the end of games if drawn, with the first team to score points winning. Referees will also crack down on policing the breakdown, while limiting the number of scrum resets. "Throughout the process we stuck to the principle that whatever we changed, the game still had to be rugby, and nothing could compromise the Wallabies' preparation for Tests," Johnson said. "In fact, I believe the changes we have implemented will broaden and enhance the capabilities of our players."

Golden points, red-card replacements: new rules as rugby returns in Australia

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Japan Heatwave Tragedy | Fijian Rugby Player Dies After Suspected Heat Stroke During Training

Rugby Championship: Australia 'underdogs' against All Black, says Wallabies coach Eddie Jones

NFL bumps up Covid-19 protocols for remainder of the season

Golden points, red-card replacements: new rules as rugby returns in Australia