Pukpuks struggle at 7s

By HUXLEY LOVAI
THE Papua New Guinea Pukpuks ended their Sydney sevens campaign with a 24-5 loss to Wales in the trophy challenge quarterfinals yesterday.
The Pukpuks qualified for the trophy challenge via a last-minute 21-17 win over Spain in their final Pool C match on Saturday.
The win displayed the grit and determination of the Pukpuks team that suffered big losses in their first two matches.
In their first Pool C match against the defending HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champions South Africa, the Pukpuks were simply outclassed 50-0. Things did not get any easier for the Pukpuks as they faced fourth-placed England going down 35-5.
However the win against 10th-placed Spain showed the true spirit of the team, as the Pukpuks were able to secure an upset win over a team that plays in the full HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series circuit.
Pukpuks coach Douglas Guise, pictured, speaking to the media about the earlier results said he was disappointed that his men did themselves no favours when up against world class opposition. “It was disappointing the effort from the boys,” Guise said.
“I thought we could have done a lot better.
“A few areas there that we have really worked on over the last couple of weeks, they threw that out of the window.
“Of course South Africa are the defending series champions and they would dominate the game. But I think the team didn’t try hard enough to stay competitive,” he said.
“It was a good challenge, but we were not up to it.”
Following the team’s win over Spain in their final pool match Pukpuk Himah Alu told the media that the team was in good spirits, getting the most of the much needed experience and game time.
“It feels pretty good to finally get a win and the way we did it with a try on full time, especially after playing against the top teams in the world South Africa and England early on,” Alu said.
“All the players are looking forward to the next tournament in Hamilton, playing against the top teams in the world.
“We are using these games as perpetration for Hong Kong.”
Results: South Africa 50 PNG 0, England 35 PNG 5, PNG 21 Spain 17, Canada 31 PNG 14, Wales 24 PNG 5.