Fiji Bati rugby league players Kurt Donoghoe (left) and Michael Jennings (centre) celebrate Jahream Bula's try against Cook Islands. Photo: FNRL
Jahream Bula scored four tries to help Fiji defeat Cook Islands 44-24 in their opening Pacific Championships Bowl clash in the men's rugby league competition at Port Moresby on Saturday evening.
The Wests Tigers fullback was in impressive form in the opening 15 minutes, scoring in the fifth, eighth and 12th minutes - at Santos National Football Stadium.
Cook Islands did not help their cause early, when two restarts were kicked out on the full in the first quarter of the game, but they managed to score tries in the second half and recorded a better second-half showing.
Fiji won their clash 56-6 last year.
Making a return after last playing for Fiji in 2023, Brandon Wakeham was on the spot with his kicking, converting all Bula's early tries, plus three more, and moved his total points scored past 100 overall in the Bati colours.
Fiji scored a total of eight tries in the game, against Cook Islands' four.
Cook Islands captain and Cronulla Sharks player Kayal Iro also claimed a try in the game.
While Fiji dominated the first half, Cook Islands came back strongly in the second.
Fiji scored other tries through Caleb Navale in the 20th minute and Bula in the 37th to lead 28-6 at half-time, with Iro's try converted by Esom Ioka for the Cook Islands.
Fiji Bati's Taane Milne was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle, out for 10 minutes and placed on report.
That reduced Fiji to 12 players, as Cook Islands pressured them with three consecutive sets of sixes, but the Fijians stuck on defence and countered with their own set of six.
However, in the 54th minute, Justin Makirere broke free and dived over the line with tacklers on him to score. Ioka converted to reduce the difference to 16, leaving the scoreline at Fiji 28 Cook Islands 12.
The try lifted Cook Islands, as they mounted another attack on their last set of six.
Fiji got on the scorecard again in the 62nd minute, when Kitione Kautoga crossed the line, following a Sunia Turuva break. Wakeham converted, taking the tally 34-12 to Fiji.
It was a tit for tat for a while, with Reubenn Rennie claiming one for the Aitu side, but was then matched by Fiji's Kurt Donoghoe in the 66th minute, following a Wakeham bomb that Cooks fullback Caelys-Paul Putoko failed to collect.
Wakeham converted for a 40-18 advantage, before 20-year-old debutant Solomone Saukuru scored his first test try in the 76th minute.
Cook Islands had the last word in the game, when Pride Petterson-Robati scored in the 79th minute, converted by Ioka.
The game was a good warm-up for the Cook islands, who will play their World Cup qualifier against South Africa, after their Pacific Championship campaign.
Cook Islands and South Africa have met only once previously, a 66-6 win to the Cooks in 2019 in Sydney, during the RLWC2021 repechage match.
The winners of the qualifier go to the world meet.
Cook Islands will meet Papua New Guinea in their next Pacific Bowl match.
Meanwhile, Toa Samoa and New Zealand will meet in the Pacific Cup opener in Auckland at 6.05pm Sunday, after the NZ Kiwi Ferns v Fetu Samoa women's clash.
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