Cook Islands Moana players celebrate their 34-6 win over PNG on Saturday, in Port Moresby. Photo: Cooks Islands Rugby League
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Cook Islands Moana kicked off their Pacific Championships Bowl campaign with a 34-6 victory over the Papua New Guinea Orchids in Port Moresby on Saturday afternoon.
Led by veteran captain and fullback Kiana Takairangi, the Moana women claimed seven tries against the Orchids' one as they stormed to their opening victory.
Moana winger Paulina Morris-Ponga scored a hat-trick, finishing off backline moves that the hosts could not defend, finishing the game with a 12 points haul.
Playmaker Chantay Kiria-Ratu scored a personal tally of 12 points and commanded the Cook Islands' attacks, with her kicking game and ability to beat defenders with ball in hand.
The Orchids defeated the Cook Islands 28-20 in 2023, in their only previous meeting, while the Cook Islands had won only one of their past five tests.
But on Saturday afternoon, the Moana side overturned claimed their second test win over the Orchids and put them in the lead for the Bowl chase.
Early in the match Emily Veivers claimed a try underneath the cross bar when she picked up from dummy half and crashed over. She converted her try to give her side an early 6-0 lead in the seventh minute.
Then Morris-Ponga registered Moana's first of seven tries when she went wide and ran back toward the posts to score in the 11th minute. The try was converted, leaving the sides 6 all.
Kiria-Ratu then dummied and sliced through a gap to score untouched in the 16th minute, adding two points from her successful conversion for Cook Islands to lead 12-6.
Morris-Pongia claimed her second in the 21st minute, before Hannah Makira got her name on the scoresheet in the 33rd minute.
That gave Cook Islands a 20-6 advantage at half-time, as the players went for the breather having endured the first half in pressing heat of around 31 degrees at the Santos National Football Stadium.
PNG failed to click during the first half, except for that brief seven minutes when they managed to score, and that continued in the second half also.
On the other hand, Cook Islands played like a well-oiled machine as Memory Paitai, making her debut, sliced through the gap to score in the 42nd minute, extending their lead to 24-6.
The heat took its toll on players from both sides as fatigue began to creep in.
It took Cook Islands until the 59th minute before hard working Kerehitina Matua powered her way over the line to score. Kiria-Ratu's conversion saw them go up 30-6.
Morris-Ponga claimed her third try to close off the game and to give her side the best start they needed in their campaign.
Match statistics showed Cook Islands dominated possession 58 percent to 42, had a 78 percent completion rate compared to PNG, and completed 189 passes against PNG's 125.
Cook Islands will meet Tonga XIII on Saturday in the second round of the Pacific Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Fetu Samoa team will meet New Zealand in Auckland on the afternoon of Sunday 26 October, in the first women's clash of the Pacific Cup competition.
Photo: Cooks Islands Rugby League
