Pukpuks, Palais prepare for Oceania 7s

By HUXLEY LOVAI
The PNG Pukpuks and Palais rugby union sevens teams have been in training for the past couple of weeks in Port Moresby as they prepare for the upcoming Oceania Sevens tournament in Suva, Fiji, from Nov 10-11.
Following their invitational appearance at the 2017 HSBC women’s sevens series Sydney leg, the Palais will be looking to make a strong start in the first match of the tournament against the Cook Islands on Nov 10. Starting this week, the teams will be training at the Murray Barracks Oval twice a day.
Both teams are on a tight schedule as they race against time to get match ready before departing for Fiji in two weeks time.
Palais coach John Larry said preparations had been less than ideal in the lead up to the Oceania Sevens.
“We have been in preparation for the past five weeks, we will be retaining the bulk of the team from earlier tournaments. The combinations are there and they know how to play, we just need to get fit,” Larry said.
It will be a new look team with the inclusion of a new playing group into the national squad.
Larry said the unavailability of senior players opened the door for a new group of young players.
“We have a new group of young girls coming into the team, they have been knocking on the door for some time now,” he said.  The Oceania Sevens tournament will determine who qualifies to play as an invited nation in certain legs for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
A spot in the Hong Kong qualifiers will also be up for grabs as the Pukpuks and Palais aim for a top-four finish in Fiji.
The Pukpuks are placed in Pool D alongside Samoa, Vanuatu and Tuvalu while the Palais are in Pool A with New Zealand, Cook Islands and Tahiti.