Nabbed!

Sport

he World Rugby Sevens could have us hooked

Davendra Sharma

808 Dwyer made a point hardly noticed before February 9’s Nissan World Rugby (league) Sevens: What can you expect if u put Australian netballers (world cup Iders) up against a women's basket -11 team?

Me was speculating on what to expect •m rugby’s newest converts, Fiji, mga and some players from Cook ands at the inaugural international iguc tourney.

Switching codes in rugby is not that igh, said Dwyer. But it’s usually jepting that there’s no going back to - foremost, but fmacially unattractive, *by union that is difficult.

Dwyer had predicted that Fiji disputed reigning world champions in sevens however would be npetitive. “But the obvious difficulty they’ve never played the game ague)”. f iji endorsed Dwyer’s belief. They lost first, but later won. After losing to the guc rules in preliminaries, they made

a surprise re-emergence in plate playoffs, ousting much more experienced but youth-packed France, American Patriots and later Gold Coasts - the only team to have beaten the eventual champions, top seed Wigann of England in the entire tournament. Fiji’s finest performance was against rated Canberra (12-8) and Gold Coast (18-14) in which most outstanding of the converts, Noa Nadruku (Fiji’s rugby union sevens idol from 1991), Niko Baleiverata, Etuate Waqa and promising Josefa Rabele starred. Fiji’s four-win, one-loss record was incomparable to either Oceania (Tonga, Samoa, and Cooks) or Port Moresby team’s achievements.

It has also prompted former Fiji

military strongman, Major-General Siti

veni Rabuka who has twice aspired for chairman’s job at the Fiji Rugby Union, to instigate talks of introducing the code in the rugby-fanatic country.

“The players have been banned from rugby union so now we can look at starting rugby league when we get back,” he said after an emotional prayer in the dressing room.

Newsmen appropriately dubbed Fiji as sentimental , “fabulous , “unpre dictablc” and “crowd-pleasers” for their |am e(lbrt in what H was ca ed .< the iggest rugby show on earth - he d a( Sydney Football Stadium, Fiji guaranteed a return invitation to nex , year’s tournament when more nation ', teams induding Soutl. Africa and the Wa , wou|d be s joining lhe top Australian sides. If performances last month are the sole basis for invitations next year, Oceania and Port Moresby may have seen the last of international league sevens.

Port Moresby, made up of six players from Papua New Guinea’s national Kumul side, failed to impress with a consolation win against Oceania in plate quarterfinals.

The Kaibel Kanaka-coached Port Moresby showed some promising talents including Luke Waldiat, Aquila Emil, Tuksy Karu and Richard Wagambie who contributed in the team’s points, Port Moresby were expected to be st , ron g, er as several Kumul reps had ph'jyed 111 England and France.

Dominated mainly by players from ? ° ok Islai l ds L and Ton S a with one bamoan (Robert Moimoi), Oceania lacked firepower and failed to click. Two

Picture: AFP

Samoan players withdrew last minute after the national rugby union threatened to do what Fiji did: impose a life ban.

Apart from Fiji and Cup winners, Wigan a Wellington side composed of several Pacific islanders and which qualified for the World Sevens after winning a 36-team national lournamment - did not win a match. • Wigan’s Martin Ofliah who was undoubtedly without a peer as an expert of league sevens was the lone choice for the man of the series award.

The Englishman scored 10 tries, including all ofWigan’s four in the final to beat Brisbane, 18-6. • Tonga’s Willie ’Ofahengaue is to be the first Tongan player to play rugby union in South Africa legally this year.

He has two chances to do that:first he can take up an invitation to play for the Transvaal Club against the South African Barbarians, or alternatively win selection in Dwyer’s Australian squad which will play Tests in that country, where players from Tonga, Samoa and Fiji have been part of two recent rebel tours.

Willie ’O injured his neck while playing for Sydney Downunders in a sevens tournament in Western Samoa last month and was to be sidelined for

a fortnight.

The backrow powerhouse was heavily tackled by three players at tempting to prevent him from scoring the second of his two tries in the match. □

Touchdown for Seville?

VISITORS to this year’s World Expo sition in Seville, Spain could be treated to a taste of South Pacific rugby union.

It is understood that Spanish authori ties have expressed interest in getting a team from Western Samoa and Fiji to play while Expo is on. Interest in South Pacific rugby was started among

Spaniards following Western Samoa’s

exciting performance in last year Rugby World Cup in France and the United Kingdom which saw Western Samoa reach the quaterfinals. □

Golf Classic prizes up

PRIZE money and amateur trophies have been increased for the 1992 Pacific Harbour Golf Classic.

Col. Paul Manueli, chairman of the sponsoring company, Cable and Wire less (Pacific) Ltd, said the prize money had been increased to $50,000 and a once only $25,000 hole-in-one for the first professional to achieve this distinc tion. There also is an amateur hole-in

one trophy.

Overall amateur trophies have been increased to 38 categories and the social programme is being expanded.

The field will be limited to 168 players. □