By Lorraine Genia – EMTV Sport, Port Moresby
The 2015 Oceania Sevens Championships last weekend has highlighted the need for the PNG Rugby Football Union (PNGRFU) to invest in establishing a larger player base.
Coach, Douglas Guise, was forced to rest his three casualties, Emmanuel Guise, Billy Torea and Arthur Clement, due to the fact that he did not have a player base to select from for the upcoming HSBC Hong Kong 7s tournament.
Guise said the “last few tournaments, the team finished off with 8-9 men. In Sevens rugby you can’t do that. Once you lose a guy for a day, you’ll find yourself chasing the tournament.”
Billy Torea returned with a fracture to his medial anterior ligament, and Arthur Clement with a fractured finger.
While this may pose as a threat to the national side for the HSBC Hong Kong 7s next year, Guise has made a call to rest these key players.
“I made the decision to rest them on the second day, because we can’t risk playing them, as there is no depth in our player base to play at the level,” he said.
As interim coach, Guise has made an impromptu request to the PNGRFU to look at restructuring their programs, which will in turn allow for a more in-depth player base.
Guise also confirmed that the injuries will be monitored by team physiotherapist, Simon Morris, and is expecting a speedy recovery from most in time for the Hong Kong 7s.
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