PNG Orchids Outplayed by Cook Islands Moana in Santos Stadium Clash
The PNG Orchids were overpowered 34–6 by the Cook Islands Moana in their Pacific Championships Women’s Round 1 clash at Santos National Football Stadium on Saturday.
Emily Veivers gave Papua New Guinea an early glimmer of hope, scoring and converting in the opening minutes. However, the Cook Islands found their rhythm soon after, with Paulina Morris-Ponga and Chantay Kiria-Ratu dictating play.
Morris-Ponga bagged three tries, while Kiria-Ratu contributed two and landed three conversions. Additional tries from Hannah Makira, Memory Paitai, and Kerehitina Matua sealed the commanding victory.
The Orchids trailed 20–6 at halftime and failed to register points in the second stanza, as Moana’s defense proved too difficult to breach.
It was a clinical performance from the Cook Islands, who capitalized on every opportunity and punished PNG’s handling errors.
With this defeat, the PNG Orchids will look to bounce back stronger in their next outing of the regional tournament.
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