Papua New Guinea have taken the next step towards a quarter-finals berth with an eight-point win over Ireland in the second week of the Rugby League World Cup.
The home crowd in Port Moresby turned up to cheer on their heroes, expecting a comfortable victory that would see their team through to the quarter-finals.
What they ended up seeing was a mistake-ridden match with little composure shown by either team and a disappointing spectacle all-round.
Ireland were impressive early, grabbing the first try and the conversion with a strong wind at their back. Scott Grix was again the inspiration and the early cracks in the Kumul’s composure were evident.
Looking fragile due to countless errors and unstructured attack, Papua New Guinea found the line twice and managed to head to the break with a slender lead despite not being able to convert either try.
The second half was a continuation of the error-ridden first with neither team seemingly able to take control, grind out sets and put their stamp on the game.
Looking like scoreless second period, it was somewhat fitting that a dropped ball at the death led to a Watson Boas toeing through and a try in the 79th minute.
While an exciting contest, PNG would have been hoping for a little more quality in their performance.
With almost forty errors from both teams and twenty from the Kumuls, there is much to work on as they march toward a quarter-final against a much stronger opponent than the Irish.
Final score
Papua New Guinea 14
Ireland 6
Cathal
Guest
Why does Thomas have 'expert' written under his name after how badly wrong he had gotten the Irish scores? Next he will be backing Wales to beat Ireland.
Mikail-Eagle
Guest
You are right about Segs. I think Puara needs to come back in and start at Hooker. His combination with the Boas brothers was really missed. When ever Ase Boas calls for the ball Puara always gives it him without hesitation. But on the weekend Segs was overplaying his hand too much and not delivering early ball to Ase. There were periods in the 2nd half when the guys outside Ase in Rhyse Martin, Nene and Olam would throw their hands in the air because Segs would either dummy and go himself, take one step too many before passing a hospital ball to Ase or go left to Watson Boas.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
The Australian media generally have no clue about rugby league outside of Sydney and Brisbane. It's another sign of the times where lazy journalism and the need for click baiting see unconfirmed 'facts' being copied and pasted in each article.
mailman
Guest
Last time I checked the world rugby league rankings, Ireland were 7th and Papua New Guinea15th (http://www.nrl.com/world-rankings-released/tabid/10874/newsid/106776/default.aspx). So what ever the hype and assumptions surrounding certain teams beating others with ease (yes, home ground advantages are always a bonus), its obvious on the face of previous world rugby league match ups, that so far in this cup Papua are improving and seems most didn't realise Ireland were any good at all- their first 10 minutes was really impressive (not to mention nearly their entire match against Italy).
Roknrol joe
Guest
PNG will need to hire at least 3 nrl coaching staff for the reminder of the world Cup
Albo
Guest
I was disappointed by the PNG boys. After their first match against Wales they looked to be quite professional and well organised. But all this disappeared this week. They should have easily accounted for the Irish, but for continual errors and jolting of the attack from dummy half. Throw in 20 errors , no use of a gale behind them in the 2nd half and poor game management, they kept the Irish in the match till the end. Segeyaro needs to spend more time on the bench or at least out of the dummy half area. As he showed at Penrith & now with the Sharks his dummy half work is poor and jolts the teams attack. Every play the ball he takes a step to the left or the right , then looks what's in front of him, to see if a scamper is on, and then passes to runners trying to time their runs with the hope they coincide with Segy's pass ! The result is usually no room for the runners as the defence is on them or forward or hospital passes become the order of the day. The Irish forwards had a field day in defence around the rucks. More Kurt Baptiste at dummy half would help the Kumuls cause, along with the Boas boys demanding more control of the play.
Andrew
Guest
If you were watching NRL side A play NRL side B at ANZ Stadium on a Sunday afternoon in July and there were 30+ errors (despite it being a clear day), you would have switched over to Pawn Stars at half time. But it shows what a difference atmosphere can make. The play was terrible, but the atmosphere and commitment of players from both teams was captivating. NRL need to take learnings from these matches.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
I'm loving watching our Pacific neighbours play footy. Pretty scrappy, but still entertaining. Ireland : 1 point PNG : 1 point Crowd : 3 points
The Koomz
Guest
Garry Lo should be in the team of tournament for sure. Not bad for a tier 2 championship side player.
Rabbits
Guest
You have to respect the Irish. They're a tough ask for any team. They just don't know when to quit. Fearless.
Gary Harvey
Guest
Wolfhounds didnt take a backwards step. Great effort by them especially their forwards against some big PNG boys. This type of gritty game also a great workout for the Kumuls. The mudmen dancers from Mt Hagen warming up the crowd were also in good form, and the way that all the Pacific countries are embracing this world cup is amazing.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Very well said and a great atmosphere. you are spot on about the two passes, they have the talent yet played far too structured. their greatest attribute is their unpredictability.
Dan
Guest
I thought if PNG went two passes before hitting their forwards they would have found a lot more space. What about that crowd? It was fever pitched. You could hear them through the TV were they that loud or did 7 fail to muffle them out very well?. Carried PNG to victory no doubt.
Justin Kearney
Guest
Another excellent game. Irish were surprisingly good. The crowd was electrifying. Good old fashioned biff and barge. Loved it.