Capital Rugby Union ends sevens tournament

THE Capital Rugby Union (CRU) ended its sevens tournament following three weeks of competition in the Under-17, U19, U23 and the men’s divisions.
CRU match coordinator Pepe Gotaha told The National that the sevens was to help clubs consolidate their numbers while getting themselves prepared for the 15-a-side preseason.
“This weekend, we’re going into our pre-season 15s while the sevens was a notice for teams to get their numbers ready. We gave them three weeks to prepare,” he said.
“During the first weekend, there was a slow turnout for the U23s. But as word got out, many people came to play and we had all the clubs showing up by the third weekend.
“The highlight we had during the three weekends was the introduction of the U17s boys division.
“We started late with this division but there was a good turnout. For me and the other officials, we saw potential in this division and now we’re looking into the possibility of endorsing an U17 division for the regular 15s season.”
Gotaha said the interest from the U17s was a standout during the sevens, a matter CRU will consider as part of rugby development.
He said it was important that rugby players in PNG started at an early age as it helped in grooming them from the development phase to the elite and representative level.