Lam: I'm satisfied
THE Papua New Guinea Telikom Kumuls kept their European tour alive with a crushing 38-12 win over the France A side on Wednesday night at Carpentras.
Bad vibes and cobwebs were brushed aside as the Kumuls ran in seven tries in a revenge comeback to send a warning call to the France Test side to be on the lookout.
Menzie Yere and Benjamin John picked up two tries along the way to screw the bolt tightly on possible spots in the first 17 to face France in the opening test at the Avignon Parc Des Sports venue this Saturday.
Coach Adrian Lam said from France early yesterday morning that he was happy with the win and confident his side would be able to lay claim to the first test.
Man-of-the-match and Kumul prop Rodney Pora demolished the oppositions defence at will, assisting in setting up the majority of the tries and gaining much needed yards for halfback Benjamin John and five-eighth Jessie Joe Parker to set up play.
The other try scorers were flashy wingers Michael Mark and Tuu Maori, second rower George Moni, and captain and full back John Wilshere.
Lam described the 26 point victory as a confident booster for the side and a much better co-ordinated game than the one against Wales.
Im satisfied with the match you know because after the loss to Wales, the guys came out with a positive attitude and won the match convincingly.
Even though we started the tour on a rough patch last weekend, the guys forgot about that and looked forward to winning this match which they did.
Performance wise everybody played really well tonight (Wednesday) especially the halves Benjamin John and Jessie Joe, he said.
Lam admitted that selecting the first 17 for the first Test tomorrow would be a really tough job especially the half back position.
Benjamin played a blinder tonight (last night) so this will make the halfback spot a hard one for him and Keith Peters who played off the bench.
I know its a tough call to make but Im not favouring any players because Im selecting players based on their performance and who can play for their country and fly that flag high on Saturday, he said.
Regarding the Kumuls approach towards the first Test match tommorrow Lam said he already has a game plan and needs the right players who he will be naming tomorrow night to execute the plan.
It will be a very tough match against France, much tougher than Wales so I will be selecting a side based on their performance in the first game against Wales and the recent match against the France A side, Lam said.
Considering the conditions that will have a major effect on the playing surface Lam said the guys have already adjusted well.
I have told the guys to get used to the playing conditions because its not PNG and where you are playing in a 30 degree heat where the ground is rough and hard, its France and its wet and cold, Lam said. But Im positive we are capable of standing up to the challenge because of the great players we have in the team, he said.
The possible lineup to face France on Saturday: John Wilshere ( c ), Tuu Maori, Gimapau Keimelo, Menzie Yere, Michael Mark, Jessie Joe Parker, Benjamin John, Rodney Pora, Charlie Wabo, Nigel Hukula, George Moni, James Nightingale, Rod Griffin, reserves Keith Peters, Paul Aiton, Joseph Omai, Nickson Kolo.
The first test will be played on Saturday (2am Sunday PNG time).
France ready for Kumuls
By HENRY MORABANG
FRANCE Rugby League coach John Monie has named a strong side to take on Telikom PNG Kumuls in a one-off Test match in France on Sunday.
NThe French team dominated by Dragons Catalan will be out to maintain Frances dominance of Papua New Guinea Kumuls.
Monie is no stranger to the PNG-style of open play, having previously coached New Zealand Kiwis during which time they had played against PNG on several occasions.
And it is reported that he will definitely deliver a killer blow against the Kumuls this weekend.
France team manager Gullies Dumas, the former French Rooster captain who toured PNG in the early 1980s, would love to lead his charges to victory against PNG Kumuls.
PNG have a proud record of beating France in Port Moresby under
the captaincy of John Wagambie.
PNG coach Adrian Lam and his assistant Michael Marum are working around the clock to find a workable solution to beat France.
Lam would be relying on captain Keith Peters and Paul Aiton to direct the traffic for their forwards in Trevor Exton, George Moni, Joseph Omae and Rod Griffin.
PNG must win this game to maintain some credibility after being thrashed by non-Test playing nation Wales 50-10 last weekend in Wales.
Lam blamed complacency and the cold whether for the Kumul thrashing, adding that the players were not used to playing in cold conditions.
Lam has instructed his boys to lift themselves and restore some lost pride.
The teams are as follows:
France: Thomas Bosc (Dragons Catalans), Justin Murphy (Dragons Catalans), Sebastien Planas (Toulouse), Sylvain Houles (Toulouse), Cyril Stacul (Dragons Catalans), Christophe Moly (AS Caracassone), Maxime Greseque (Pia), Adel Fellous (Dragons Catalans), captain Julien Rinaldi (Harlequins), David Ferriol (Dragons Catalans), Olivier Elima (Dragons Catalans), Eric Anselme (Albi) and Laurent Carrasso (Toulouse)
Replacements: Jean-Christophe (St Gaudens), Sebastian Raguin (Dragons Catalans), Teddy Sadaou (AS Carcassonne), James Wynne (Lezignan), Remi Casty (Dragons Catalans)
Papua New Guinea: John Wilshere (Salford City Reds), Tu Maori (Cronulla Sharks), Gimapau Keimelo (Wri Vele Raiders), Steve Franciscus (Canberra Raiders), Michael Mark (Port Moresby Bulldogs), Jessie Joe (Port Moresby Bulldogs), Keith Peters (Penrith Panthers), Nigel Hukula (Goroka Lahanis), Paul Aiton (Penrith Panthers), Trevor Exton (Ipswich Jets), George Moni (Mendi Muruks), Joseph Omae (Mendi Muruks), Rod Griffin (Wests Tigers).
Replacements: Rodney Pora (Kokopo Island Gurias), James Nightingale (Penrith Panthers), Nixon Kolo (Wri Vele Raiders), Charlie Wabo (Mendi Muruks), Kevin Prior (Redcliffe Dolphins), Menzie Yere (Kokopo Island Gurias).
THE Papua New Guinea Telikom Kumuls kept their European tour alive with a crushing 38-12 win over the France A side on Wednesday night at Carpentras.
Bad vibes and cobwebs were brushed aside as the Kumuls ran in seven tries in a revenge comeback to send a warning call to the France Test side to be on the lookout.
Menzie Yere and Benjamin John picked up two tries along the way to screw the bolt tightly on possible spots in the first 17 to face France in the opening test at the Avignon Parc Des Sports venue this Saturday.
Coach Adrian Lam said from France early yesterday morning that he was happy with the win and confident his side would be able to lay claim to the first test.
Man-of-the-match and Kumul prop Rodney Pora demolished the oppositions defence at will, assisting in setting up the majority of the tries and gaining much needed yards for halfback Benjamin John and five-eighth Jessie Joe Parker to set up play.
The other try scorers were flashy wingers Michael Mark and Tuu Maori, second rower George Moni, and captain and full back John Wilshere.
Lam described the 26 point victory as a confident booster for the side and a much better co-ordinated game than the one against Wales.
Im satisfied with the match you know because after the loss to Wales, the guys came out with a positive attitude and won the match convincingly.
Even though we started the tour on a rough patch last weekend, the guys forgot about that and looked forward to winning this match which they did.
Performance wise everybody played really well tonight (Wednesday) especially the halves Benjamin John and Jessie Joe, he said.
Lam admitted that selecting the first 17 for the first Test tomorrow would be a really tough job especially the half back position.
Benjamin played a blinder tonight (last night) so this will make the halfback spot a hard one for him and Keith Peters who played off the bench.
I know its a tough call to make but Im not favouring any players because Im selecting players based on their performance and who can play for their country and fly that flag high on Saturday, he said.
Regarding the Kumuls approach towards the first Test match tommorrow Lam said he already has a game plan and needs the right players who he will be naming tomorrow night to execute the plan.
It will be a very tough match against France, much tougher than Wales so I will be selecting a side based on their performance in the first game against Wales and the recent match against the France A side, Lam said.
Considering the conditions that will have a major effect on the playing surface Lam said the guys have already adjusted well.
I have told the guys to get used to the playing conditions because its not PNG and where you are playing in a 30 degree heat where the ground is rough and hard, its France and its wet and cold, Lam said. But Im positive we are capable of standing up to the challenge because of the great players we have in the team, he said.
The possible lineup to face France on Saturday: John Wilshere ( c ), Tuu Maori, Gimapau Keimelo, Menzie Yere, Michael Mark, Jessie Joe Parker, Benjamin John, Rodney Pora, Charlie Wabo, Nigel Hukula, George Moni, James Nightingale, Rod Griffin, reserves Keith Peters, Paul Aiton, Joseph Omai, Nickson Kolo.
The first test will be played on Saturday (2am Sunday PNG time).
France ready for Kumuls
By HENRY MORABANG
FRANCE Rugby League coach John Monie has named a strong side to take on Telikom PNG Kumuls in a one-off Test match in France on Sunday.
NThe French team dominated by Dragons Catalan will be out to maintain Frances dominance of Papua New Guinea Kumuls.
Monie is no stranger to the PNG-style of open play, having previously coached New Zealand Kiwis during which time they had played against PNG on several occasions.
And it is reported that he will definitely deliver a killer blow against the Kumuls this weekend.
France team manager Gullies Dumas, the former French Rooster captain who toured PNG in the early 1980s, would love to lead his charges to victory against PNG Kumuls.
PNG have a proud record of beating France in Port Moresby under
the captaincy of John Wagambie.
PNG coach Adrian Lam and his assistant Michael Marum are working around the clock to find a workable solution to beat France.
Lam would be relying on captain Keith Peters and Paul Aiton to direct the traffic for their forwards in Trevor Exton, George Moni, Joseph Omae and Rod Griffin.
PNG must win this game to maintain some credibility after being thrashed by non-Test playing nation Wales 50-10 last weekend in Wales.
Lam blamed complacency and the cold whether for the Kumul thrashing, adding that the players were not used to playing in cold conditions.
Lam has instructed his boys to lift themselves and restore some lost pride.
The teams are as follows:
France: Thomas Bosc (Dragons Catalans), Justin Murphy (Dragons Catalans), Sebastien Planas (Toulouse), Sylvain Houles (Toulouse), Cyril Stacul (Dragons Catalans), Christophe Moly (AS Caracassone), Maxime Greseque (Pia), Adel Fellous (Dragons Catalans), captain Julien Rinaldi (Harlequins), David Ferriol (Dragons Catalans), Olivier Elima (Dragons Catalans), Eric Anselme (Albi) and Laurent Carrasso (Toulouse)
Replacements: Jean-Christophe (St Gaudens), Sebastian Raguin (Dragons Catalans), Teddy Sadaou (AS Carcassonne), James Wynne (Lezignan), Remi Casty (Dragons Catalans)
Papua New Guinea: John Wilshere (Salford City Reds), Tu Maori (Cronulla Sharks), Gimapau Keimelo (Wri Vele Raiders), Steve Franciscus (Canberra Raiders), Michael Mark (Port Moresby Bulldogs), Jessie Joe (Port Moresby Bulldogs), Keith Peters (Penrith Panthers), Nigel Hukula (Goroka Lahanis), Paul Aiton (Penrith Panthers), Trevor Exton (Ipswich Jets), George Moni (Mendi Muruks), Joseph Omae (Mendi Muruks), Rod Griffin (Wests Tigers).
Replacements: Rodney Pora (Kokopo Island Gurias), James Nightingale (Penrith Panthers), Nixon Kolo (Wri Vele Raiders), Charlie Wabo (Mendi Muruks), Kevin Prior (Redcliffe Dolphins), Menzie Yere (Kokopo Island Gurias).
