Promising signs for rugby: Coach

AS the Export Rugby Championship drew to a close yesterday with the grand final match between the Port Moresby Boromas and Lae Hammerheads, national coach Sydney Wesley was optimistic about the future of rugby in the country.
During the course of the tournament, Wesley observed matches in Lae, Rabaul and Port Moresby.
He hopes that competitions like the Export Rugby Championship will promote and lift the standard of rugby 15s in the country.
“This is because most rugby union competitions in the country have been playing sevens for the last couple of years,” Wesley said. “Export Rugby currently stands to push for a higher level of rugby, and 15s is the level to play at.”
“In a positive development, players from centres such as the New Guinea Islands and the Northern conference, displayed brilliant rugby skills and have proved competitive in 15s, despite playing predominantly 7s rugby in their normal competitions,” he said.
“These are promising signs for the Papua New Guinea Rugby Union, as they continue to roll out programmes and competitions across the country to promote and strengthen the code while at the same time strengthen the player base.
“This is a promising outcome as this shows they can be able to take rugby union to another level,” the national coach said.