Member for Moresby North West Lohia Boe Samuel has been charged with murder and appeared at the Waigani Committal Court yesterday along with his alleged accomplice, his protocol officer Fabian Hera. Samuel, 52 and Hera, 26 both from Motu Koitabu villages were charged with one count each of murder after the shooting of Robert Jerry, 38 from Morobe at the Fusion 2 restaurant in Port Moresby on March 11, 2022. Both remain in police custody at Boroko Police Station cells. Police say on March 11 between 7:15pm and 8pm, both men were having dinner with the victim and were discussing when an argument arose. During the course of the argument, Samuel drew his licensed firearm and shot Jerry on the right side of his neck below the ear, killing him instantly. Police say Samuel then placed the weapon on the table, slammed the table and yelled at Hera “Fabian why did you do that, why?” before walking out. Meanwhile Hera was granted bail by the National Court last Friday but has yet to raise up the amount of K5000. The matter returns to court on May 10.

The Brisbane Broncos have released Jamayne Isaako to the Gold Coast Titans immediately. It had been heavily reported Isaako would join the Parramatta Eels for the remainder of the 2022 season, however, the Titans released a statement on Tuesday morning confirming the winger would join the Queensland rivals for the remainder of the year. Isaako is signed on with the Dolphins from 2023. While the Eels are in a backline crisis dealing with multiple injuries, having already been short on depth at wing and centre at the back end of 2021, the now ex-Bronco was reportedly against moving to Sydney. That seems to now be the case, and while out of favour at Brisbane, he has secured a move elsewhere in the state. Titans coach Justin Holbrook said he would add plenty of depth to the club. “Jamayne is experienced at NRL level and has played on the international stage,” Holbrook said. “He adds great depth to our outside backs and provides us with coverage across both the fullback and wing positions. “We’ve got strong competition across a number of positions and adding Jamayne gives us another exciting option to choose from in our backline. “We had kept a spot on our roster open and we’re thrilled that we are now able to add Jamayne to our team. “With a number of talented young backline players on our roster, Jamayne will no doubt be able to help with their development during his time with the Titans.” The Broncos have confirmed on Tuesday Morning that Isaako has been released with a brief statement. "The Broncos have granted Jamayne Isaako an immediate release from his contract with the club," the statement read. The Broncos were happy to facilitate the request and wish Jamayne and his young family all the best in the future, both on and off the field." Isaako's release to the Eels was first reported as likely after the Dunster injury, and with the youngster now finding himself on the outer at Brisbane, it's a move which makes sense to both clubs. He is set to join the Dolphins next year and missed Brisbane's team for Round 2 after playing at fullback in Round 1. Tesi Niu's return, as well as the form of Selwyn Cobbo and Corey Oates, with Jordan Pereira also reportedly in good touch, means Isaako may be a long way away from first-grade at Red Hill in Kevin Walters' side who have started the year with two wins from two games over the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs. The Titans, with Corey Thompson, Greg Marzehew and Phillip Sami on their books as wingers, Jayden Campbell at fullback and Patrick Herbert and Brian Kelly in the centres, are unlikely to call on Isaako to play first grade anytime soon.

A Ukrainian girl who gained worldwide attention for singing "Let it Go" while in hiding from Russian attacks is now singing her country's national anthem in Poland. The girl, 7-year-old Amellia Anisovych, sang the Ukrainian national anthem Sunday night at a charity concert in Poland that raised more than $380,000, according to The Associated Press. Amellia wore a traditional Ukrainian dress with her hair in pigtails when she sang the anthem at the "Together for Ukraine” concert in Lodz, Poland. The girl is now a refugee in Poland, along with her grandmother and brother. Her parents remain in Kyiv, according to the AP. Last month, near the start of Russia's attacks on Ukraine, Amellia was sheltering in a safe-room bunker in Kyiv when she began to sing "Let it Go," from the popular Disney movie "Frozen." Amellia's singing quickly quieted the room and then went viral when a video of her singing was shared online. [caption id="attachment_19910" align="aligncenter" width="887"] Seven-year-old Amellia Anisovych, a refugee from Ukraine, stands to the right of the Ukrainian and Polish flags in the finale of a fund-raising concert in Lodz, Poland, March 20, 2022. Anisovych opened the concert by singing Ukraine's national anthem. She became widely known for singing of a song from the movie "Frozen" in a bomb shelter in Kyiv in early March.[/caption] The video even reached two stars of "Frozen," Idina Mendal and Josh Gad, who each sent tweets of support to Amellia. "We see you. We really, really see you," Mendel, the voice of Elsa in the movie, wrote on Twitter, alongside two hearts in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Gad, who voices Olaf in "Frozen, wrote on Twitter in part, "I want to hug and protect this and every other child in danger right now and I feel helpless." Since the start of the Russian invasion, more than 3.4 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. UNICEF told ABC News that half of the internally displaced Ukrainians and half of those who have fled are children. SOURCE: ABC NEWS

After a couple of days of disruption, the on field action returned to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Oceania Qualifiers in Doha, with Papua New Guinea beating New Caledonia 1-0 in a physical but wildly entertaining encounter at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium. Both sides made several changes to their starting XI’s after first round losses, Papua New Guinea holding tournament favourites New Zealand to a solitary goal while New Caledonia went down 2-1 to an impressive Fiji. The intent on attack was evident right from the kickoff, with a fourth minute volley by New Caledonia’s Jordan Wetria forcing a good diving save by Papua New Guinea keeper Ronald Warisan. But it was the Papua New Guinea side that cashed in on their first real chance, as the ball was lofted down field to Tommy Semmy in the eighth minute. Semmy showed excellent composure to beat defender Jean-Brice Wadriako with a nice touch and then slam home a right footed shot from the edge of the box. The attacking intent continued in the perfect conditions as New Caledonia looked to equalise, creating several chances with the best being a flick on from a corner that was smartly defended by PNG defender Stahl Gubag. The ball seemed destined for the back of the net but Gubag managed to parry it to the safety of Warisan’s grasp. Referee Joel Hopken from Vanuatu was kept busy as both teams kept up the breakneck pace throughout the first half, giving a number of free kicks. New Caledonia had a great chance as Morgan Mathelon beat the offside trap, but Georges Gope-Fenepej had the ball taken away from him in a beautifully timed challenge by Felix Komolong, despite the New Caledonian striker’s claims for a penalty. New Caledonia kept pressing, especially down Wetria’s wing, but couldn’t find a way through the stubborn Papua New Guinea defence as they searched for a goal. The second half saw the hard-working Warisan back in business early as New Caledonia picked up where they left off, but he and the Papua New Guinea defenders did well to withstand a long period of pressure. The influential Richard Sele, who was so impressive against Fiji, was introduced for New Caledonia in the 64th min, a move that almost paid off straight away as they manufactured a terrific break. But it was diffused by Emmanuel Airem’s stunning tackle on Joris Kenon, that most likely saved a goal and summed up the commitment of the Papua New Guinea effort. Jean-Luc Decoire’s shot not long after slid across the face of Warisan’s goal, which was followed up by a close offside call on Gope-Fenepej when he found himself wide open on goal. But in a flash an even better chance came at the other end, first Papua New Guinea substitute Pale Paul’s shot drew a great save by New Caledonia keeper Mickael Ulile before Semmy’s follow up was parried wide. New Caledonia forced a few more corner kicks but the fired-up Warisan and his defensive cohort could taste an impending victory. There were shouts for a penalty after the goalkeeper’s diving challenge on Germain Haewegene with five minutes to go, with the frustration shown by Decoire resulting in him being shown a straight red card. Gope-Fenepej was booked for a challenge shortly after as well. The end-to-end action continued right until the final whistle, but the Papua New Guinea side held on to record a much-needed win. Warisan was outstanding in goal, made even more impressive by the fact that he was troubled by what looked to be a hamstring injury throughout. His contribution to the dramatic match was crucial in securing a memorable victory for Papua New Guinea. Both sides are back in action on Thursday Doha time, with Papua New Guinea facing Fiji, while New Caledonia play New Zealand. Papua New Guinea 1 (Tommy SEMMY 8’) New Caledonia 0 Half-time: 1-0 Papua New Guinea: 20 Ronald WARISAN (GK), 2 Daniel JOE, 4 Alwin KOMOLONG (c), 5 Felix KOMOLONG, 8 Michael FOSTER, 13 Tommy SEMMY, 14 Emmanuel SIMON, 17 Jacob SABUA, 18 Kolu KEPO, 19 Stahl GUBAG, 23 Emmanuel AIREM. Substitutions: 1 Russel CHRIS (GK), 22 Ila ILAROVA (GK), 3 Godfrey HARO, 6 Ati KEPO, 7 Raymond GUNEMBA, 9 Patrick AISA, 10 Obert BIKA, 11 Yagi YASASA, 12 Joshua TALAU, 15 Philip STEVEN, 16 Pala PAUL, 21 Mathew DAVID. Coach: Marcos GUSMAO New Caledonia: 23 Mickael ULILE (GK), 2 Jordan WETRIA, 4 Pierre KAUMA, 5 Emile BEARUNE (c), 7 Joris KENON, 9 Morgan MATHELON, 10 Cesar ZEOULA, 14 Joseph ATHALE, 15 Jean-Luc DECOIRE, 19 Georges GOPE-FENEPEJ, 22 Jean-Brice WADRIAKO. Substitutions: 1 Jean-Gilles HNAMUKO (GK), 20 Rocky NYIKEINE (GK), 3 Joël WAKANUMUNE, 6 Cédrick SANSOT, 8 Pierre BAKO, 11 William ROKUAD, 12 Richard SELE, 13 Vincent VAKIE, 16 Germain HAEWEGENE, 17 Cédric DECOIRE, 18 Bertrand KAI, 21 Roberto NEOERE. Coach: Dominique WACALIE

Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society (PNGRCS) with the support of International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) currently has a surge delegate here in Papua New Guinea to support PNG Red Cross in the area of Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA). Ms. Jess McGrath, a CEA advisor from Australia, has come to support PNGRCS with the rolling out and strengthening of the community engagement and accountability activities with the support of the PNGRCS team at the head quarter in Port Moresby as well as branch officers and volunteers on ground. Ms. McGrath who is now focusing on the designing and coordinating of community engagement assessments in PNG said, “Over the month of March and April, we will aim to have approximately 1000 individual needs assessments conducted across NCD, Milne Bay, Madang and East New Britain. And by mid-year, we anticipate this will have occurred across all 12 branches of PNGRCS in the country.” The assessment was carried out in Milne Bay and East New Britain Red Cross branches last week. This week, the Red Cross team will continue with NCD & Central Province branch followed by Madang, Mt. Hagen and Bougainville next month. The assessments include; Focus Group Discussion, Household Survey, Key Information Interview, and Covid-19 Community Feedback Survey. Ms. McGrath said the assessments were focus on collecting information and feedback needs and channels as well as insights on socio-cultural and contextual factors that can inform our future planning and guide community engagement efforts moving forward. Ms McGrath and the team from PNGRCS will be holding various trainings, and ongoing capacity building activities during the term of her deployment in PNG and ensuring that PNGRCS have the required recommendations on operational strategies to ensure strengthened engagement of and accountability to people and communities. Ms. McGrath as the CEA delegate to PNGRCS will also be focusing on the setting up of an appropriate feedback system in PNGRCS in consultation with the relevant programme colleagues and the region, ensuring PNGRCS teams are communicating clearly to communities about who they are and what they are doing. This would further provide opportunities for participation and listening, respond and act on feedback, questions and complaints. Other priority areas Ms. McGrath and the team will be focusing on for this deployment includes; Information as Aid (Sharing of timely, actionable and potentially lifesaving information with communities quickly, efficiently and at scale) as well as Social and behaviour change communication (Understand people’s behaviours and use innovative and participatory communication approaches to support communities adopt safer and healthier practices). The assessment is the first of its kind in PNG and PNGRCS is pleased to pilot and roll out this program in the communities.

The 15th One Day International for PNG in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 was the charm for the Kumul Petroleum PNG Barramundis, winning their first match in this league. In the 14 matches since their debut on August 14, 2019, where the Barras played their first match against Oman in Aberdeen in Scotland, we have also lost fixtures against UAE, Nepal, USA, Scotland, and Namibia. On March 19, 2022, that all changed, in Dubai against the home team UAE, the Kumul Petroleum PNG Barramundis convincingly won for the very first time. Player of the Match, Alei Nao, setup the win with a devasting 10 overs, taking 4 wickets for only 27 runs. Chad Soper continued his impressive form again being economical and taking key wickets with figures from his 8 overs of 3 wickets for only 15 runs. The UAE top order was ripped through with the Barras on top of the game quickly, with the home side at one point being 77 for 9 wickets. A fine rear-guard action from Roshan Mustafa, scoring 88 runs of the UAE 147 total, ensured the home side had a target they would have still had belief they could defend. Assad Vala, led the Barras from the front, ensuring victory with an unbeaten innings of 68 off 97 balls. Charles Amini provided strong support, with 36 runs, of their 71-run partnership, which steadied the ship after UAE struck with 2 early wickets. Assad Vala fittingly was not out as PNG won the match by 6 wickets, with 82 balls remaining. The UAE, despite this home loss, remains second on the table behind Oman. PNG now has points on the table and can look forward confidently to taking on teams in the Cricket World Cup League 2, knowing the Barras have beaten a quality UAE team at their home. For Cricket PNG, there has been a long and difficult journey to our first win. After making it to this league in 2019, the Barras started with 8 consecutive losses through to September 2019. Due to Covid, the Barras did not play again Internationally September 2021. After Head Coach Joe Dawes departed late in 2020, new Head Coach Carl Sandri took control in 2021. The matches in 2021 were the start of a rebuild programme, as PNG worked the rust out of their game, after two years of Covid enforced hibernation. All the work Head Coach Carl Sandri, his coaching staff, and the Barras wider squad have been putting in behind the scenes, including spending over three weeks away from home hosted by the City of Gold Coast for an intensive training camp, before this tour of another three weeks, are starting to show dividends. For the Kumul Petroleum PNG Barramundis, this is an historic first win, and by continuing to work hard, they are looking forward to taking on the other teams in the league and building from this success. Back the Barras!  

For the month of March, Coca Cola Europacific Partners PNG are celebrating some of the many inspiring women across CCEP as part of the International Women’s Day Celebrations. One such inspirational woman being celebrated is Ms Adlyn Nagwi, the Head of Talent at Coca Cola Europacific Partners PNG. Ms Nagwi is currently in Sydney, Australia for a secondment and recently spoke to our newsroom about her thoughts of the International Women’s Day theme: Gender Equality today for sustainable tomorrow. “A simple definition of that (IWD Theme) is enabling that equal power and opportunity for both genders to make the world a better place to live in.” “Whether through health policies, education etc.” Nagwi said that looking back on her career, one of the things that she would’ve changed in her working environment would’ve been to have a full understanding of the Diversity & Inclusion (D & I) Policy. Working in a male dominated environment, understanding the D&I policy and how that could apply in her line of work and strive towards breaking the bias and influence the outcome. “I don’t recall facing really tough challenges working with male colleagues.” “A reflection on that would be because of two reasons, the credibility built from my work output and the approach I took when working by respecting individuals and their opinions and views.” Nagwi added that this is only the beginning of her secondment and she is still learning. She added, “Some of the things she is learning while in Australia can be implemented when she returns and some will just be aspirations. She further stated that she was slowly adjusting to living away from loved ones. “It was very challenging initially being away from family especially since I’ve got 3 kids.” “But thanks to technology and supportive parents and I work with a great bunch of supportive colleagues who have made the journey enjoyable so far.” “I encourage all my female colleagues, regardless of your roles in the company that you too can be an advocate for gender equality.”

PNG Kapul Coach Marcos Gusmao is optimistic to reach the final of Group A of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Oceania qualifier despite unfair results against New Zealand going down 1-0 in the 20th minute in the Game 1 of the Group A match on Saturday morning. He said his team's strategy, the perhaps unfair defeat against New Zealand was something we could not expect, but our strong objective of reaching the final is stronger than ever, don't think that we will give up the game easily, we are very strong to play against any team. New Zealand even with more possession of the ball saw our line up fight the 90 minutes. The Brazillian coach made these comments when he announce his squad for Monday game against New Caledonia (Qatar Time 5pm) which will be Tuesday 1am. The team for New Caledonia game is as follows; Roland Warisan (goalkeeper), Alwin Komolong, Felix Komolong, Daniel Joe, Emmanuel Airem (backs), Emmanuel Simon, Jacob Sabua, Michael Foster, Stahl Gubag, Tommy Semmy and Kolu Kepo. Only four changes to the starting team with Airem replacing Koriak Upaiga, Foster taking over from David Muta, Stahl replacing Raymond Gunemba while Kolu takes over from his brother, Ati in the frontline. Team Manager Joseph Ealadona said despite going down to New Zealand in a controversial referee's call, the boys has remained focus going forward to finish in top two in order to qualify for a criss-cross semi final. New Caledonia went down to Fiji 2-1 and surely looking forward for another a win to stay in touch in contention. Fiji will play New Zealand in other Group A match after PNG vs New Caledonia. After Game 1 of Group A matches; Fiji lead with 3 points, New Zealand 3, New Caledonia 0 and PNG 0.

President Joe Biden and his fellow world leaders hope to finalize and unveil a package of new measures to punish Russia, help Ukraine and demonstrate Western unity at a string of emergency summits in Europe this week. But aside from a dramatic wartime show of resolve, few observers believe anything the leaders can agree upon will be enough to end the bloodshed in Ukraine or dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from continuing his attacks that are increasingly harming civilians. Since the prospect of the NATO leaders summit was first broached roughly two weeks ago, American and European officials have been discussing potential announcements for leaders to make at the conclusion of the gathering, according to several people familiar with the plans. That could include new rounds of sanctions on Russian oligarchs, additional measures restricting the country's finances and new steps to limit import of Russian energy products. Discussions are also underway on what measures can be unveiled to provide more support for Ukraine, including new shipments of military assistance or financial aid to bolster the country's defenses. And Biden has left open the option of scaling up US troop deployments to NATO members along the alliance's eastern edge, reinforcing American commitment to European defense at a critical moment. But the stark reality that those moves are unlikely to curb Putin's war will loom over Biden's visit to Brussels for a snap meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, along with a special session of the European Council and a gathering of the G7. Biden could also add another stop in Eastern Europe, potentially Poland, officials have said. He departs Washington on Wednesday for the high-level diplomatic maneuvers. While Biden has been successful in rallying European and Asian allies behind a punishing set of sanctions and unparalleled levels of military assistance, he and his NATO counterparts have drawn lines at where their support will end. And while all parties seem to support a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, US and European officials say the parameters of such a settlement remain murky. That leaves open how Biden's visit to Europe -- one of the inflection moments of his presidency -- can alter the course of the worst conflict in Europe since World War II. And it poses another discussion point that world leaders must begin to broach: What happens if, or when, Ukraine can no longer withstand Russia's assault? "They're going to have to look at what happens if Ukraine is lost," said retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO supreme allied commander. "After they have weighed the problem of what happens if Ukraine falls, they have to consider what more can be done to sustain Ukraine in the fight. Yes, there's a risk. There's always a risk in dealing with Mr. Putin." Biden challenged to be 'the leader of the world' Biden was publicly challenged by Ukraine's leader last week to assume responsibility for bringing an end to the fighting. In an emotional address to Congress, in which he called for a no-fly zone and help procuring fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke directly to Biden, who was watching from his private library on the third floor of the White House. "Being the leader of the world means being the leader of peace," Zelensky said in English. Biden was also challenged by Ukraine's former President, Petro Poroshenko, to visit Ukraine as a "symbol of our solidarity" during his trip to Europe this week. Speaking to CNN's Jim Acosta Saturday afternoon, Poroshenko called Biden a "very good friend of mine and a very good friend of Ukraine," adding that a visit by Biden would be "an extremely right step to demonstrate that the whole world is together with us against Russia." Those personal appeals will have resonated with a man who vowed while seeking office to restore American leadership, renew US alliances and defend democracy from the creeping tide of authoritarianism. Nowhere will that challenge be more pertinent than at this week's emergency talks, where leaders are looking to Biden for direction and purpose as the war in Ukraine grinds ahead. "He's challenging Biden to live up to his responsibilities as a leader of the West, a leader of the democratic community of nations. And he presented the de facto challenge to NATO," said Ian Brzezinski, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO in the George W. Bush administration. "He was saying if NATO is not up to this challenge, we have to think of other security arrangements," Brzezinski said. "What a powerful challenge to the relevance of NATO in this day and age. That sets the context for ... (the) summit meeting." The limits of supporting Ukraine on full display ahead of trip Yet as the summits were announced last week, some European diplomats revealed concern at what they viewed as a lack of major steps available for the leaders to take at the high-profile gathering, which both Russia and Ukraine will be watching closely. Major items that Ukraine wants, like help from NATO in establishing a no-fly zone or providing Soviet-era fighter jets, appear for now off the table as the US and its partners seek to avoid direct confrontation with Russia. That means any announcement coming out of the meetings would likely focus more on ramping up assistance that's already being provided, including military and financial aid, or applying new sanctions on Russia. European and US officials said discussions about announcements and a concluding joint statement were ongoing as countries look to settle on a decision or takeaway for the summit to produce. "The President is looking forward to seeing his counterparts face to face. I suspect they will have a number of new measures that they will be able to disclose and roll out during those conversations, but I'm not going to get ahead of them a few days in advance," US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said last week on CNN. Having a major announcement materialize during the summit could help underscore the current unity among the allies, which US officials say has surprised Putin as his military struggles with losses on the ground. "He miscalculated about the West. I think he thought that ... there would be some scolding, maybe a couple of sanctions, but he could withstand it, and he could continue, and he could move on," said Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine. "Instead, he has inspired a resurgence of NATO. And the West is united in opposition and trying to provide not only sort of strengthening NATO and the flank countries on Ukraine's border, but also in providing support to Ukraine." Countering China will be top of mind after Biden-Xi call The upcoming summits will also present Biden an opportunity to take his counterparts' temperature on another matter: What to do if Chinese President Xi Jinping decides to provide Russia military or economic support, as Putin has requested. On a 110-minute call with Xi last week, Biden laid out the "implications and consequences" of going ahead with that support, according to the White House. But punishing China -- the world's second-largest economy -- would be far more complicated than it has been with Russia, and would require the same unity with Europe, which hasn't always agreed with Biden on how to approach Beijing. "This is an incredibly important summit. It is taking place on an extraordinary basis in the midst of a crisis. It is partly to make sure that we and our allies [are] on the same page, which is good. But it's also very important for sending a signal to Vladimir Putin," said Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to NATO and special envoy for Ukraine. Volker identified several messages the alliance must send during its summit, including recommitting to the Article 5 guarantee of collective defense and making clear the use of nuclear weapons by Russia would warrant a Western response. But he said NATO must also make clear that Ukraine -- not a member of its grouping -- is nonetheless a matter of critical importance to its members. "I think it's very important that NATO also send a signal about Ukraine, that Ukraine's survival as an independent and sovereign state in Europe is a NATO interest," Volker said. "We don't want to say what we don't do. We don't want to be too specific about what we will do. But we need to send a signal to Putin that we're not going to sit by while he destroys and eliminates a sovereign European country." SOURCE: CNN NEWS

An Air Niugini employee has been arrested and charged by police for being in possession of marijuana in Hela Province on Friday. Provincial Police Commander Teddy Agwi said the man was attempting to board the Air Niugini flight to Port Moresby with the drugs when they were confiscated. He said the arrest was made by the Laiagam-based Police Mobile Squad 12 (MS 12) along with the 20 kilograms of marijuana cannabis. “MS 12 was in the province for operational duties and had helped out a lot in terms of security within the Tari Township,” Mr Agwi said. “There was also a tribal fight last week where the additional manpower of police beefed up our security in controlling it as it could have escalated into an all-out warfare.” He said the Air Niugini employee is currently in police custody and will appear at the Tari District Court this week. Meanwhile, PPC Agwi has mentioned that a contingent of the joint security forces including personnel from the PNG Defence Force, Police and the Correctional Service will arrive into Hela tomorrow to provide security for election awareness exercises in the province.

The PNG Hunters have kicked off the 2022 Hostplus Cup season with a tough 16-10 win over the Mackay Cutters at BB Print Stadium in Mackay. The Hunters enjoyed an excellent start, getting through their opening set before strong contact in defence forced the Cutters into an error with their first possession. Starting props Casey Dickson and Sylvester Namo consistently bent the line with their carries to open the game and Mackay had no answer. Left-edge backrower Benji Kott came awfully close to crashing over the line after collecting a late offload before the Hunters forced yet another error in Mackay’s half. From the attacking scrum, right-centre Rodrick Tai summed things up smartly to put Solo Wane over in the corner for the opening try. Dilbert Issac was next to score for the Hunters, crashing over under the posts courtesy of a lovely pass from Wesser Tenza at half. The Hunters were dominating the ruck and some nice pass selection by Tenza found Issac pouring into a hole close to the line where he couldn’t be stopped. The Cutters would be next to score, finding some space for themselves around the ruck and racing 70 metres up field only for Wane to complete a superb chasing cover tackle. Wane’s effort forced the Cutters to search wide for points and they missed the ensuing conversion, keeping the Hunters lead at eight going into the break. The Cutters didn’t die wondering in the second half. They mounted a stack of pressure late in the game to have five consecutive sets attacking the Hunters line, finally scoring off a cross-field bomb in the 66th minute. But that’s as close as Mackay would get. The Hunters held on bravely in the final stages with Judah Rimbu kicking the lead out to six with just minutes remaining. The win will fill the Hunters with confidence heading into next Saturday match with the Central Queensland Capras. Coach’s comments Hunters coach Matt Church said he was encouraged by the Round 1 performance. “What we’ve got here is an exciting young group who are all hungry to get better,” Church said. “We learned the hard way in the preseason trials and the boys gave themselves a chance to win the game tonight with their completions and discipline, which were much improved.” Church gave credit to a strong pre-season for how the Hunters were able to repeatedly defend their line in the second half. “It’s encouraging to see that our tough preseason paved the way for a full 80 minute performance in Round 1. To defend five sets on our line and only concede points through a kick was really pleasing,” Church said. “It’s great to get the win for all our debutants tonight and for Keven (Appo) in his captaincy debut.” Mackay will play Ipswich Jets in Round 2.

With the Six Nations tournament coming to a climactic end, the benchmark for test rugby now belongs in the Northern Hemisphere, writes Jamie Wall. There couldn't have been a clearer display of where things are at right now in the rugby world than the events of the Six Nations and Super Rugby Pacific over the weekend. Only one game was played in New Zealand thanks to the pandemic, in front of the desolate and empty Mt Smart stands, while up north the dramatic final round of rugby's oldest* championship certainly lived up to its self proclaimed title of the greatest as well. The Chiefs and Moana Pasifika essentially did a repeat of their preseason game at the same venue, with the same attendance, same outcome and almost the same scoreline. The Chiefs had 17 players out (presumably mostly with Covid), including Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei'aho and Anton Lienert-Brown, but it didn't hinder them underlining their very serious title credentials in the 59-12 win. Moana Pasifika, who have only played Super Rugby one game so far, did their best not to hinder the Chiefs either by giving away a slew of penalties throughout the game. You can't give your opposition that much of a leg up, especially one like the Chiefs who had a very well drilled and effective set piece, but the new boys did take the two opportunities they had very well for a couple of really good tries. So the potential is definitely there if Moana Pasifika can sort out their penalty problems, and they'll be eyeing up a few of the Australian teams as targeted wins. Both the Rebels and Waratahs will be on that list, who combined last night at SCG in a game that set some sort of social media record for complaining about a stadium's unsuitability for rugby. Which is fair enough given how poor the view is: But the real rugby attention was in the packed stadiums of Europe, where the Six Nations reached its climactic weekend and the chance for France to complete their first Grand Slam in 12 years. Before that could happen, though, perennial whipping boys Italy pulled off their first win in seven years in the most impressive fashion in Cardiff. Edoardo Padovani's winning try, set up by the sensational youngster Ange Capuozzo, is even better with Italian commentary, which goes from sad resignation of what looks to be yet another loss to the sort of glorious delirium that only sport can provide. Meanwhile, in Paris, le jour de gloire est arrivé for French rugby, with many immediately predicting another day of glory is imminent when they host the World Cup in over a year and a half's time. Their 25-13 win over England was played in front of a heaving and thunderous 80,000 at Stade de France, the consistency that has long eluded French rugby became frighteningly apparent. It'd be a difficult task naming a World XV right now that was not dominated by Frenchmen, an even harder one to justify including any of the All Black team that got demolished by them back in November. If any of the All Black players and recently reappointed coaching staff were wondering, that win, along with the sweeping aside of the rest of the competition, is the benchmark in test rugby right now. The pressure that was on the likes of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack and the rest of this golden generation of French players was handled with ease - this was their dry run at a World Cup campaign, the main thing that coach Fabien Galthié will be worried about now is maintaining the arm's length he has on the rest. A year and a half is a long time, especially in Northern Hemisphere rugby. But for now, it is an increasingly uncomfortable conversation around these parts about the best footy in the world, because it's not one that includes the All Blacks. *The Five Nations only became an 'official' tournament in 1983, but the teams had been playing each other for 100 years before that. SOURCE: RNZ NEWS