Niue edge Solomons in Oceania Cup opener

IN a thrilling start to the Oceania Rugby Cup in Port Moresby, Niue edged the Solomon Islands 19-17 at the Papua New Guinea Football Stadium on Friday.
With Niue returning to the international 15s scene after eight years, the group who consisted of both experienced and new players saw a tightly contested first half with a 7-7 scoreline.
Niue would take an early lead in the second half with captain Luke Gibbs and winger Nicholas Laufoli crossing over for a 12-point lead.
A late surge from a recharged Solomons side saw them post two tries via skipper Paul Tema and centre Timo Sanga. However, a difference in conversions saw Niue grab the win after making two from three attempts while the Solomon Islands converted just one from three.
Tema said it was a hard loss to take. He said there were a lot of areas to work on in the next two games.
“It’s a hard loss because it’s only two points, but the potential is there. The boys are really young so I hope they keep their heads up,” Tema said.
Niue captain Luka Gibbs said their indiscipline almost cost them the game, but were lucky to come away with the victory.
“It was a hard game and that’s what we expected from Paul and his team. Last time we were here, they beat us,” Gibbs said
“We were prepared for a physical encounter and it was pretty much what we got.”