Papua New Guinea national rugby sevens team explained

Country:Papua New Guinea
Union:Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union
Nickname:The Pukpuks[1]
Captain:Bartholomew Levi
Coach:John Larry[2]
Top Scorer:Paul Joseph
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Rightarm1:FFFF00
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Bigwin:Papua New Guinea 62–0
(National Stadium, Honiara; 23 November 2023)
Bigloss:Papua New Guinea 0-64
(Wellington; 3 February 2006)
World Cup Apps:1
Sevens:yes
Year:2018

The Papua New Guinea national rugby sevens team competes in the Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games, Challenger Series and the Oceania Sevens. They finished third in 2009 and fourth in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2023 in the Oceania Sevens. They missed out on a maiden Olympic spot after being defeated by Samoa 24-0 in the 2023 Oceania 7s Olympic Playoff.[3]

Papua New Guinea has also played the Hong Kong Sevens World Series qualifier. In the 2015 edition, they went to the semifinals, where they lost to Russia. In 2016 they lost all matches in the group phase. In 2017 they reached the semifinals.

PNG qualified for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games.[4] Papua New Guinea made its first appearance at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018, following its fifth-place finish at the 2017 Oceania Sevens Championship.

Tournament history

World Cup Sevens

Rugby World Cup 7s
YearRoundPosition
1993Did not enter
1997Did not qualify
2001
2005
2009
2013
201821st playoff21st4220
2022Did not qualify
Total0 Titles1/84220

Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games
YearRoundPosition
1998Plate Final10th7430
2002Did not enter
2006
2010Bowl Final9th6420
201411th playoff11th5230
2018Group stage9th3120
2022Did not enter
Total0 Titles4/72111100

Pacific Games

Pacific Games
YearRoundPosition
1999Final5410
2003Plate Final5th5410
2007Bronze Final6420
2011Bronze Final6510
2015Bronze Final4th7430
2019Did not enter
2023Bronze Final4th6420
Total0 Titles6/73525100

Pacific Mini Games

Pacific Mini Games
YearRoundPosition
1997Did not enter
2009Bowl Final6th6330
2013Bronze Final4th8350
2017Did not enter
Total0 Titles2/414680

Oceania Sevens

Oceania 7s
YearRoundPositionRefs
2008Plate final5th5 3 2 0[5]
2009Third playoff8 4 4 0[6]
2010Third playoff4th6 3 3 0[7]
20117th playoff7th7 3 3 1[8]
2012Plate Final5th6 4 2 0[9]
2013Plate Final6th6 2 4 0[10]
2014Plate Final5th6 3 2 1[11]
2015Third playoff4th6 3 3 0 [12]
2016Third playoff4th6 3 3 0 [13]
5th playoff 5th 6 4 2 0
7th playoff7th5 2 3 0
5th playoff 6th5 3 2 0
did not attend
withdrew[14]
Olympic Qualifying Final4th6 4 2 0
Total0 Titles12/147237332

Oceania Sevens Challenge

World Rugby Sevens

World Rugby sevens series

The Pukpuks Sevens have participated as an invited team to selected tournaments across 10 seasons on the world series circuit since the inaugural season in 1999–2000. Historically, they have participated in 18 tournaments particularly the New Zealand Sevens (2000-2002, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2018), Australian Sevens (2000, 2002, 2011, 2017 and 2018), Fiji Sevens (2000), Japan Sevens(2000) and the Hong Kong Sevens (2002). To date, Papua New Guinea have played a total 127 matches accumulating 237 tries and 1507 points overall. Their best all-time season finish is 12th placing from the inaugural season in 1999-2000.

World Rugby Sevens Series record
SeasonRoundsPositionPoints
1999–004 / 1012th8
2000–011 / 90
2001–023 / 110
2003–041 / 80
2007–081 / 80
2010–112 / 80
2011–121 / 921st3
2014–151 / 921st1
2016–172 / 1018th2
2017–182 / 1017th6

Player records

The following shows leading career Papua New Guinean players based on performance in the World Rugby Sevens Series.[15]

+Tries scored
width=25 No.width=110 Playerwidth=45 Tries
129
212
12
49
9
9
+Points scored
width=25 No.width=110 Playerwidth=45 Points
1291
280
370
447
47
+Matches played
width=25 No.width=110 Playerwidth=45 Matches
133
229
325
420
20
20
20

World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series

Papua New Guinea have appeared in every edition of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series since the inaugural season in 2020. This was through qualification for being one of two highest ranked non-core World Rugby Sevens Series teams from the Oceania Sevens Championship.

World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series record
SeasonRoundsPositionPoints
20202 / 211th16
20221 / 111th
20232 / 29th9
20243 / 311th6

Current squad

Previous squads

Squad to the 2023 Pacific Games:

Players
Derrick Voku
Emmanuel Alfred
Benjamin Boas
Benson Hayai
Benjamin Kennedy
Mhustapha Kura
Kunak Late
Kadum Mais
Richard Mautu
Shaun Ongapa
Edward Ramit
Jacky Winas

Squad to the 2023 Oceania 7s:

Players
Derrick Voku
Emmanuel Alfred
Benjamin Boas
Benson Hayai
Benjamin Kennedy
Mhustapha Kura
Kunak Late
Kadum Mais
Richard Mautu
Shaun Ongapa
Edward Ramit
Jacky Winas

Squad to the 2022 Oceania 7s:

Players
Derrick Voku
Emmanuel Alfred
Benjamin Boas
Benson Hayai
Benjamin Kennedy
Mhustapha Kura
Kunak Late
Kadum Mais
Richard Mautu
Shaun Ongapa
Edward Ramit
Jacky Winas

See also

References

  1. News: Sport: Late coaching change disrupts PNG sevens team . 3 February 2015 . Radio New Zealand International . 2 May 2015 .
  2. Web site: 11 Newcomers in . 16 May 2024 .
  3. Web site: Samoa and Fijiana 7s qualify for 2024 Olympic Games . . 13 November 2023 .
  4. News: Aussies to face England in sevens. ABC News. Australia. July 2010.
  5. Web site: 2008 . Oceania Sevens women's final . Oceania Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150227071012/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/20080726_oceania_sevens_final.html . 27 February 2015.
  6. Web site: 2012 . New Zealand claim Oceania Women's Sevens Championship . Oceania Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131209234259/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/new_zealand_claim_oceania_womens_sevens_champions.html . 9 December 2013.
  7. Web site: 2012 . New Zealand claim Oceania Women's Sevens Championship . Oceania Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131209234259/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/new_zealand_claim_oceania_womens_sevens_champions.html . 9 December 2013.
  8. Web site: 2012 . New Zealand claim Oceania Women's Sevens Championship . Oceania Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131209234259/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/new_zealand_claim_oceania_womens_sevens_champions.html . 9 December 2013.
  9. Web site: 2012 . New Zealand claim Oceania Women's Sevens Championship . Oceania Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131209234259/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/new_zealand_claim_oceania_womens_sevens_champions.html . 9 December 2013.
  10. Web site: 2013 . Women's Sevens Statistics – Day 2 . Oceania Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131007104704/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/verve/_resources/2013_Womens_Sevens_Statistics_-_Day_2.pdf . 7 October 2013.
  11. Web site: 2014 . Fiji and New Zealand win the Oceania Sevens . IRB . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006072357/http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/regional/newsid=2073140.html . 6 October 2014 .
  12. Web site: 2015 . Australia and Fijiana Win Places at 2016 Olympic Games Sevens . Oceania Rugby . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20151115100833/http://www.oceaniarugby.com/pageitem.aspx?id=103745&id2=1&eID=66726&entityID=66726 . 15 November 2015.
  13. News: 12 November 2016 . Australian women win Oceania rugby sevens . Special Broadcasting Service . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309215957/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/11/12/australian-women-win-oceania-rugby-sevens . 9 March 2017.
  14. Web site: PNG withdraws from Oceania 7s, focused on HSBC Challenge . 22 June 2022 .
  15. Web site: worldrugby.org . Stats Centre HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series . 2023-03-05 . www.world.rugby.
  16. Web site: 11 Newcomers in . 16 May 2024 .
  17. Web site: PNG takes part in Challenger Series . 12 August 2022 .
  18. Web site: PNG takes part in Challenger Series . 12 August 2022 .

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