Vipers bounce back with win over Mioks

By SULI SULI
PORT Moresby Vipers beat Enga Mioks 16-12 in round seven of the Digicel Cup at the Santos National Football Stadium in the nation’s capital yesterday.
The win was a relief for the Moni Plus-sponsored Vipers after their round-six loss to Goroka Lahanis.
Both teams were not able to score points in first 20 minutes despite a number of opportunities.
The Mioks looked dangerous in attack, but the hosts held firm. Both sides went into halftime levelled at 4-4.
The second stanza was in favour of the home side as the Joe Sipa-coached Vipers gained momentum in attack through halves Yunny Patrick and Simon Arana.
Arana’s move on the right edge seven minutes into the second half saw centre Willie Tirang crossed over to give the Vipers a 10-4 lead.
Vipers were unable to defend the six-point margin in their own territory as the Mioks capitalised on a dropped ball and quickly responded with a try.
Despite trailing by two points, Mioks were relentless in attack.
Playmaker Noel Joel stepped up from a dummy-half play with a smart move and created an overlap on the Vipers’ left edge which saw Junior Bobby score an unconverted try.
The Vipers then kept the Mioks in their own territory as they continued to build pressure in the dying minutes.
Five minutes from fulltime, the Vipers forced an error inside the Mioks’ 20m.
The Vipers used the opportunity from a scrum play and sent fullback Manu Soli over for the winning try next to the uprights, courtesy of a Patrick inside ball.
Sipa said the win was a good rebound.
“It was a narrow win, but a relief for the team,” he said.
“The win will boost our morale for the next round.”