Women’s sevens team named

PAPUA New Guinea Rugby Union has named the national women’s sevens team for next month’s Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
Chairman Syd Yates said coach Paul Tietjens had given the wider squad, which have been in intense training since returning from the April Hong Kong 7s, every opportunity to make the final team.
Among the factors used to pick the team were injuries, fitness, performance, attitude and commitment.
The team, like all the others who will be competing at the Games, also had to come under scrutiny from the PNG Olympic Committee Justification Committee before they were accepted to represent the country.
PNG are grouped in Pool B alongside Fiji, Nauru and the Solomon Islands.
Pool A has Australia, Samoa, New Caledonia and American Samoa.
Yates said their high performance programme had been ongoing since last November and sponsors had been an integral part of building the team.
“Naming right sponsor ICTSI South Pacific has been absolutely fantastic and we are truly grateful to Anil Singh and his hard working staff in Port Moresby and Lae for their continuous commitment to the women’s sevens rugby high performance programme,” Yates said.
“Our support sponsor G4s have taken care of our transportation moving the players, and the coaching and management staff to the early morning trainings and other activities.
“The National Gaming Control Board, Credit Corporation, TNT, Club Pukpuk, High Performance Centre, National Sports Trust Ltd, KPMG, PNGOC, the PNG Sports Foundation and the Government are our partners. Without their assistance, our programme would not be possible.
“Our ICTSI Palais just recently returned from a tournament on the Gold Coast in Australia and some of the players who took time off from work or studies are in Lae involved in a series of coaching clinics for schools which ICTSI has organised in conjunction with rugby partners Scrum.”
The full team, with those from Australia, will assemble in Port Moresby joining the rest of the Team PNG contingent to leave for Apia on July 5. The sevens tournament is from July 12-13.
Palais: Kymlie Rapilla (captain), Helen Abau, Lynette Kwarula, Melanie Kewa, Yolanda Gittins, Fatima Rama, Taiva Lavai, Gemma Schnaubelt, Marlugu Dixon, Alice Alois, Gwen Pokana, Marie Biyama, Paul Tietjens (coach), Ann Mooney (team manager).