PNG 7s road to World Cup begins with Cook Island

PAPUA New Guinea’s rugby sevens side will kick off the Federation of Oceania Rugby Union (FORU) sevens tournament against regional nemesis Cook Islands tomorrow at 11am at the North Sydney Oval.
PNG’s  14-minute grudge match will also be the first Pool A match for the team.
Cook Islands held PNG out of the Wellington Sevens last year after finishing fourth overall, behind Australia, Samoa and Tonga, so the opener will be a big one for the national side.
Radio New Zealand International reported that PNG’s rivals were hoping to spring a surprise at the tournament.
Coach Ramsay Tomokino admitted that his side’s target was at their big chance of upsetting Samoa, who have already qualified for every major tournament and the Russia sevens World Cup.
The Cook Island ‘target’ shines a lot of light on what Tomokino really feels about the threat PNG has on his side’s chances of qualification, and will be motivation enough for Warren Jennings ‘fitness factory’ in game number one.
With two spots up for grabs in the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) World Cup, Australia are considered near certainties for one spot, while the Pukpuks, Tonga and Cook Islands may be left to contest the other.
The qualifiers will also decide who goes to the Wellington, Gold Coast and Hong Kong legs of the World Series.
PNG will need to finish the tournament in any of the top three places pending Samoa finishing among the three, to qualify for all three world series legs, and the sevens World Cup in Moscow.
The sides second match is against Tahiti at 12.37pm, and the last against Samoa at 2.36pm.
The national side left last Friday for Sydney, and have spent the week at the Narabeen Rugby Academy leading into tomorrow’s start. 
 Likely run on side for the first match is Monty Diave, Billy Torea, Gairo Varo, Douglas Guise, Tisa Kautu, Henry Liliket and Hubert Tseraha. Reserves – Chris Kakah, Albert Levi Junior, Jason Missian,Timothy Pola, and Hensley Peter.