PAPUA NEW GUINEA 58 FRANCE 4
STEPHEN IBBETSON, Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Saturday
PAPUA NEW GUINEA put on a show in their first ever Women’s World Cup match on home soil, efficiently picking apart France.
Powerful winger Naomi Kelly scored four tries on debut, equalling the national record of Belinda Gwasamun who achieved the feat against Brazil in the last World Cup.
It’s another harrowing result for the French game after their men’s side were thrashed by Samoa a day earlier.
There was no lack of effort but it couldn’t be sustained for long enough, and they must somehow recover for the even more daunting challenge on Sunday of facing New Zealand in Christchurch.
Their superior strength and speed was evident in the opening try after seven minutes, when centre Relna Wuruki-Hosea brushed aside one defender and eased past another to find the whitewash.
France otherwise held out well in the opening quarter, but as they tired the Orchids took a firm grip with five tries in quick succession.
Back-rower Shellie Long sparked that run with a powerful drive from 20 metres out, followed by stand-off Fleur Ginn floating through a gap out wide.
Their backs were then provided all the space they needed, with centre Tia Molo and wingers Kelly and Ivania Wong all profiting to build up, with four Emily Veivers conversions, a 32-0 lead at the break.
If Wiganer Alan Walsh’s half-time message was whatever ‘get the next try’ is in French, they at least obliged with Stecy Bessière’s offload putting her fullback Manon Samarra in.
But that proved their only points, with Kelly resuming normal service on the end of a switch play.
Ginn then made another elusive run through the France defence and former Wigan forward Veivers kicked her fifth and final successful conversion.
Molo’s dummy-half try and Kelly’s hat-trick score off an unusual drilled kick were both painfully soft although the fourth from Kelly, putting on the afterburners to round the defence, was impressive.
Long forced her way over for the final try six minutes from time and PNG will now look to clinch a semi-final spot when they welcome Fiji to Port Moresby on Saturday.
GAMESTAR: Naomi Kelly showed speed and power out wide in scoring four tries on her international bow.
GAMEBREAKER: The physical toll of the opening quarter told on France thereafter as Shellie Long’s try opened the floodgates.
MATCHFACTS
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
1 Anika Butler
2 Ivania Wong
3 Relna Wuruki-Hosea
4 Tia Molo
5 Naomi Kelly
6 Fleur Ginn
7 Cynthiah Peters
8 Elsie Albert
9 Ua Ravu
10 Jafinda Sap
11 Belinda Gwasamun
12 Shellie Long
13 Emily Veivers
Subs (all used)
14 Thesere Aiton
15 Essay Banu
16 Jenny David
17 India Seeto
Tries: Wuruki-Hosea (7), Long (19, 64), Ginn (21, 47), Molo (25, 49), Kelly (29, 44, 52, 62), Wong (33)
Goals: Veivers 5/10; Butler 0/2
FRANCE
1 Manon Samarra
2 Perle Ramazeilles
3 Melissa Medina
4 Amaël Vilanove
19 Margot Canal
6 Camille Boudaud
7 Lisa Diraison
8 Elisa Akpa
9 Cristina Song-Puche
10 Élodie Pacull
11 Perrine Monsarrat
12 Stecy Bessière
13 Leïla Bessahli
Subs (all used)
15 Fanny Ramos
16 Tallis Reanossian
16 Salomé Segala
17 Louisa Tooman
Tries: Samarra (37)
Goals: Diraison 0/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0, 22-0, 28-0, 32-0; 32-4, 36-4, 42-4, 46-4, 50-4, 54-4, 58-4
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
Papua New Guinea: Naomi Kelly; France: Leïla Bessahli
Penalty count: 7-4
Half-time: 32-0
Referee: Liam Moore
