PAPUA New Guinea Rugby Union has been given a lifetime opportunity to have the first Under-19 Pukpuks team to qualify for the World U19 Championships

PAPUA New Guinea Rugby Union has been given a lifetime opportunity to have the first Under-19 Pukpuks team to qualify for the World U19 Championships in Ireland in April.

PNG Rugby Football Union chief executive officer Peter Tsiamalili Jnr said the invitation comes after the International Rugby Board (IRB), the mother body of rugby union, decided to create one more space for the Oceania region after Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Tonga.

This opportunity to qualify will be against our arch rival, the Cook Islands. The one-off qualifier will be held in Brisbane this Saturday.

“In our endeavor to ensure that we get the best players possible, we have to also select PNG blood players playing at school level and colts in Brisbane, Australia,” he said. “This qualifier is a lifetime opportunity for PNG Rugby and our Under-19 players,” he said.

““In this case, Rugby PNG is proud to announce Pacific MMI and MVIL as the major sponsors of the PNG Junior Pukpuks,” he added. Trukai Industries contribution is about K4600 with K1200 worth of promotional merchandise.