Women’s rugby team off to Malaysia

PAPUA New Guinea Rugby Football Union yesterday sent its national women’s team off to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, for the Asia Pacific women’s sevens tournament.
The two-day event starts on Friday and ends on Saturday.
The challenge is organised by the Asian Rugby Football Union, and PNG has been invited as part of unions from the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU), which includes Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
The other rugby unions from Asia region include India, Kazakhstan, Singapore and hosts, Malaysia.
The PNG women’s team was selected from the inaugural national women’s club championships in Port Moresby on Sept 16, which was an initiative of the PNGRFU.
It is a wholly Port Moresby side, the only active women’s rugby competition in PNG.
Following the return of the men’s side from successful campaign at the Oceania Sevens in Darwin and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the women’s side, aside from less than six weeks to get together are determined to perform well.
PNGRFU sees the women’s participation at this weekend’s meet as another way of exposing up and coming talents and making a difference at the top level.
The side is coached by John Larry of Port Moresby’s Defence club, assisted by Cecil Davani of the Brothers club.
The team: Debbie Kaore, Geua Larry, Dulcie Bomai, Margaret Naua, Yarowena Morofa, Joan Wari, Susan Kararau, Cassandra Sampson, Ethel Kanana, Patricia Torea, Cathy Neap, Lyneth Henry and Esther Nombri is team manager.