Wallabies invite Pukpuks to high performance unit

By KYMLIE KARANI
THE Papua New Guinea Monier Puk­puks are set to tour the Gold Coast from April 24 after being invited by the Australian Rugby Union to train with their high performance unit at Bond University.
The squad of 35 will stay on the Bond University campus for 10 days while working with the ARU high performance unit and local club, Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators.
The tour culminates in two games against the ARU High Performance team on May 4 at the new Bond University campus rugby union ground, the home of the Bond University Gold Cost Breakers.
The second is a night match against a combined Alleygators side on Friday, April 26, at the Gold Coast Alleygators home ground at Bienvenue Road Currumbin.
Pukpuks head coach Alan Manning is excited about the prospect of going to Queensland and exposing the PNG players to a standard of training and game play that will be required to get the Pukpuks across the line for the Oceania Cup to be held in Port Moresby in July.
“The Pukpuks need to prepare well as we have a strong field of teams coming here in July to take our Oceania crown away from us. We have home ground advantage and need to make sure we win, and win well,” Manning said.
“We are fortunate enough to have been invited by the ARU to train with their High Performance Unit. Our players will be subjected to a high quality training environment and we are looking forward to seeing the results coming out of this camp.
“PNGRFU’s major sponsor Monier and minor sponsor Air Nuigini have been critical in the ability to get the Monier Pukpuks to the Gold Coast and without their continued support of rugby union in PNG, the tour would not have been possible.
“The Monier rugby programme this year is an exciting one and the boys will see plenty of international games in 2013 with the support of our major sponsors,” PNGRFU general manager Simon Kerr said.
“PNGRFU is again seeing a resur­gence in interest as one of the key sports. Players like Will Genia, Aiden Toea, Henari Veratau have all made their mark in the past 10 years in Super Rugby and or Wallabies le­vel. This year saw the emergence of another young Papua New Guinean in Pettowa Paraka who made the Junior Wallabies and looks set to make the successful transition to Super Rugby in the next couple of seasons along with Nigel Genia, who recently returned to Queensland after a stellar year in Perth.”