University upset Harlequins

By JELILAH KUM
UNIVERSITY handed the Harlequins their first loss of the season with a 7-3 victory in the Capital Rugby Union competition at Bava Park in Port Moresby on Saturday.
It was a tight game as both sides played out a scoreless first half.
But both sides regrouped and stepped up in the second half as they searched for opportunities to break the deadlock.
Fifteen minutes from fulltime, the Credit Corporation-sponsored Harlequins were awarded a penalty after University were ruled to have made the dangerous tackle.
Harlequins flyhalf Sawi Sakumbal converted the penalty to take a 3-0.
Refusing to give up, University fought valiantly and were rewarded with a try through forward Semion Kula 20 seconds from fulltime.
Royce Bua made sure of the conversion to seal the match.
“Obviously, teams want to beat the Harlequins because they’ve been the benchmark this season,” University assistant coach Willie Rikis said.
“The boys are thrilled and the win is a bonus for the team because University and the Harlequins are traditional rivals.”
He said despite the win, they needed to improve in the ruck area for the last two games of the season.
In the other matches, Juggernauts beat the Wanderers 25-17, Crusaders drew 29-29 with Moniplus Nova and Brothers defeated Valley Hunters 37-6.