All the members of the Nauru rugby team will get a chance to play at the Oceania Rugby Cup, which gets underway in Papua New Guinea on Friday.
The team is making its international debut at the tournament at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
Head Coach, Dominic Tabuna said they had a tough selection process for the tournament.
“Earlier this year our XV Rugby Season was played with eventual winners Meneng Crusaders winning the competition. Players were selected based on criteria stipulated by the NRU, over 40 players were selected and cut down to the final 26 players.”
The team is currently in Brisbane and they ended their training programme last night with a scrimmage session at the North Rugby Club ground.
Tabuna said the upcoming competition will be a platform for them to explore their talents, see where they stand and can improve in the coming years.
“This upcoming competition has been revived after a few years of inactivity, it is an avenue for tier 3 rugby nations in the region to progress to higher tiers i.e. tier 2 and eventually tier 1 rugby nations that are mainstays of the Rugby World Cup and the dream of many young men and women to become one of them.”
The Nauru rugby team was presented jerseys by former Wallaby and Queensland Rugby Union Board Vice President, Garrick Morgan.
They fly out of Brisbane for Port Moresby today (Tuesday).
Nauru’s opener at the Oceania Rugby Cup is against hosts PNG at 3.30pm (local time).
The other matches are scheduled as follows:
- Nauru vs Solomon Islands Tuesday 27, August 2019
- Nauru vs Niue Saturday 31, August 2019
Photo supplied