In front of almost 15, 000 screaming fans at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, the PNG Kumuls exacted sweet revenge against the Fiji Bati, putting up a brutal defensive effort to claim the inaugural Pacific Championship Bowl final.
The Kumuls with last weekend behind them, battled through an intense barrage of attack from the Bati in the early stages of the second half to cruise to a 32 – 12 victory.
It was a tight arm wrestle in the first half, but Edwin Ipape would break the dead lock, bumping through a number of defenders to cross over in the 15th minute.
This opened the door for the Home team to go to 18 up as they exploited the Bati’s right hand defense. Rob Derby crossing twice, grabbing his double in Kumul colours. A try as well by Alex Johnston saw the Kumuls at 26 before the break.
The second half saw an intense defensive effort from the Kumuls, but the Bati were not done yet. Waqa Blake scoring twice for the visitors.
With the intensity of the match at full capacity, tensions boiled over, both Epel Kapinias and Taane Milne both binned at separate occasions.
Kapinias would have the last laugh, scoring the final try of the match and taking the Game out of the Bati’s reach and securing a 32 – 12 victory.