One of our most favourite days of rugby league is here, as Saturday sees the PNG v Fiji Pacific Test, the first of two mouth watering Pacific Nations battles.
This will be the fourth installment of this great concept, and is playing on the experimental new Origin standalone weekend. Given talk of the expansion of that Origin period to cover all of June (which we are major fans of) this weekend’s PNG v Fiji Pacific Test will hopefully turn into a full on Tri Series with Tonga and Samoa.
But onto this weekend and the anticipated PNG v Fiji clash, it will no doubt prove to be a highly entertaining clash, but the question is, can the PNG Kumuls win it?
We say of course they can, and will.
So we’ve offered up a few good reasons why the Kumuls can win the PNG v Fiji Pacific Test. Just in case you were wondering.
We have done a full preview of the game at Nothing But League which is more balanced than our usual PNG focused material. Click here to read the full preview.
1 – KUMULS HAVE TWO NRL QUALITY HOOKERS
The Kumuls may be low on NRL star names like Fiji, but they do have two high quality number nines in their team.
Starting will be James Segeyaro wo brings plenty to any rugby league party, and can spark a game into lie with one of his electric runs. And he has a real nose for scoring an unexpected try.
Kurt Baptiste is another welcome return for the Kumuls, his work at hooker is great, and they certainly lose nothing with him as number two. And he can play as a back rower if needed too, s great versaility from their number 14.
They could very well be the X Factor for the Kumuls.
2 – THE PNG HUNTERS CONNECTION
Very few international sides have the luxury of so many players who play alongside each other week in and week out, and this can be a major advantage for the Kumuls on Saturday.
The reigning Intrust Super Cup premiers might be struggling a little in the title defense season, but they have shown some good form at times, and
Throw in that the coach of the Kumuls, is the coach of the national side, and you have some real continuity in the PNG side. The players not involved in the Hunters side have either been through the Hunters system previously, or are a regular for the Kumuls.
Combinations are a great advantage in these one offs.
3 – FIJI HAVE JARRYD HAYNE
For all of his brilliance, and undoubted talent, Jarryd Hayne hasn’t had a great 2018. He has played a few positions now, and this weekend’s PNG v Fiji PAcific Test sees him notch up another position at halfback.
Hayne has played plenty of five eighth in the past, but halfback is a different role, and one wonders if his skills as an excellent outside back in the past are cut out for halfback.
Playing at halfback will put him clsoer to the middle of the defensive line too, something at times hes not known for to be the best. You can imagine hard running Kumuls like Rod Griffin, Thompson Teteh and Willie Minoga having a run at him.
There’s also the potential for a dummy spit. Although Hayne seems to quite enjoy stepping up to play for Fiji, I wonder if he’s thinking about where he was this time last year (e.g. playing for and costing NSW Blues the second State of Origin) and there’s a small demotivating factor. Very unliekly given his past appearance for Fiji.
4 – PNG’S HARD WORKING PACK EDGES FIJI’S BIG BOYS
Looking through the forward packs you can see that Fiji have some good size, especially in starting props Kane Evans and Tui Kamikamica. But the Kumuls have a hard working pack, that certainly doesn’t lack for power, and may well surprise the Fijians again on Saturday. Rod Griffin is a hard luck story when it comes to being given the NRL chance he deserves, but few would work harder than him on a rugby league field. His fellow back rower Rhyse Martin did get a taste of NRL this season, scoring on debut, and certainly not looking out of place in the top grade.
One could also suggest that the two starting Kumuls props have the measure of the Fijian two. Anyone who has seen Luke Page will be thankful that they are watching and not playing against him. Very few have the fire that is seen in Page, and you can tell he loves to put on the Kumuls jersey and power through some defensive lines. PNG are also lucky that Stanton Albert’s UK journey didn’t quite work, as he has returned to the Hunters and is in good form. Even scoring a couple of tries for Hunters.
Throw in the ever reliable Enock Maki and Nixon Putt, and there’s a real engine room to get the job done this weekend.
They will need to, as the Fijians backline looks superior on paper.
5 – WILLIE MINOGA
Any side with Willie Minoga is a better side. And the PNG v Fiji Pacific Test and Rugby League in general is better for the big man’s appearance. The man known to some as the Freight Train, to other as the Raging Bull, and to more as the Mack Truck is our man to watch for the big clash. Which should come as no surprise as a multiple Person of the Year winner on our website’s annual poll.
He has yet to capture the imagination on the international stage so far, although some may remember him on the receiving end of a huge Marika Koroibete hit in this very fixture back in 2015, but we’re sure that Willie is a big time player and is ready to explode this weekend. Look at how he handled the pressure of an Intrust Super Cup Grand Final – a last minute winning try no less. And, he was actually very good in the World Cup, and went under the radar a bit. Not with us of course.
He should be patrolling the centres, and one can only imagine the first clash between him and Uate or even better a Hayne-Minoga hurt sandwich.
Who knows how many more chances Willie will get to show the rugby league world his best with just the one international this year. Go on, give the world a little Minoga Magic.
AND A BONUS….LACHLAN LAM
Lachlam Lam shone when given a chance at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, and he gets a chance again in this weekend’s PNG v Fiji Pacific Test. Ahead of the main man for PNG in the halves in recent years Ase Boas, who is on the bench, coming from time off for the Hunters.
AND THE FINAL PNG v FIJI PACIFIC TEST PREDICTION….
PNG KUMULS 18 def FIJI BATI 14
TEAMS
Papua New Guinea v Fiji, Saturday 4pm at Campbelltown Stadium
Papua New Guinea: 1 Justin Olam, 2 Junior Rau, 3 Thompson Teteh, 4 Willie Minoga, 5 Richard Pandia, 6 Lachlan Lam, 7 Watson Boas, 8 Stanton Albert, 9 James Segeyaro (c), 10 Luke Page, 11 Rhyse Martin, 12 Nixon Putt, 13 Rod Griffin
Interchange: 14 Kurt Baptiste, 15 Rhadley Brawa, 16 Enock Maki, 17 Ase Boas
Reserve: 18 Nene Macdonald
Fiji: 1 Kevin Naiqama (c), 2 Suliasi Vunivalu, 3 Akuila Uate, 4 Tyrone Phillips, 5 Marcelo Montoya, 6 Henry Raiwalui, 7 Jarryd Hayne, 8 Kane Evans, 9 Joe Lovodua, 10 Tui Kamikamica, 11 King Vuniyayawa, 12 Junior Salesi Fainga, 13 Jayson Bukuya
Interchange: 14 Eloni Vunakece, 15 Pio Seci, 16 Sitiveni Moceidreke, 17 Pio Sokobalavu.
Reserves: 18 Mikaele Ravalawa, 19 Junior Roqica
