The PNG 7s team has booked a spot in the HSBC Hong Kong 7s tournament in April 2016 after beating Cook Islands 19 points to 7 in the Oceania 7s in Auckland, New Zealand.
The team, led by skipper Tisa Kautu, also featured debutants Robin Loma, Paul Nelson and Desmond Korpok who made their first international appearance at the tournament.
The PNG outfit beat American Samoa and Solomon Islands and was in the semi-finals for the Cup and a place in the Rio 2016 Olympics but lost to Australia, finishing 4th on the ladder after Australia, Tonga and Samoa respectively.
“Our main aim was to qualify for the Hong Kong Sevens tournament which is the launching pad for the World Series. This is the first time PNG is playing back to back in the HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament. Considering the top tier teams we were up against in Tonga, Samoa and Australia, the boys did exceptionally well and it was a deserved achievement despite the fact that we played with only eight players on Day 2 of the tournament,” said coach Dougie Guise.
Guise said that though the result against Australia was disappointing, he was satisfied with the effort the boys put in after a setback with injuries to Billy Torea, Manu Guise, Arthur Clement and a suspension served on Wesley Vali.
“We couldn’t risk playing the injured players as the injuries could be permanent and I also considered the depth of players we have for this level at this point in time,” said Guise.
The team arrived yesterday (Monday 16th Nov )
Photo: PNG Pukpuks 1: PNG 7s Desmond Korpok made his debut appearance during the Oceania Sevens Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. He is pictured here with young fans.