2011 South Pacific Games - Action from Finals Day

All the action from the Final Day of the 2011 South Pacific Games in New Caledonia including Tournament Draw, match results and match reviews.

RESULTS:

Match Reviews can be found below the Results Table.


 

MATCH REVIEWS:

Tahiti 17 v 12 Tuvalu (Men)
Tuvalu opened the scoring stakes against Tahiti in their ranking match for 11^th and 12^th place with a try to Talia Tulumani. Tokelau responded before the break with a try to Yannick Gooding, and with the conversion levelled the scores leading into the last half.

Another break by Gooding down the side-line gave the Tahitians the lead two minutes into the second half and, with the Tuvaluans tiring; the Tahitians looked eager to clock up more points in their last match of the tournament. A try to Olivia Marea sealed the match for the Tahitians, but the Tuvaluans had the last say of the match with a try to end the game with Tuvalu taking 12^th place and Tahiti finishing 11^th.

Wallis & Futuna 21 v 26 Vanuatu (Men)
Wallis Futuna looked in dominating form against the Vanuatuans in their early exchanges, with their size making the difference close to the line. The Wallis & Futunaans burrowed through the Vanuatuan defence twice in the first half to take the lead 14 points to nil at the half time bell.

Vanuatu responded late in the second half with their fitness clicking in against a tiring Wallis & Futuna team obviously struggling with the Vanuatans spring. A late surge by the Vanuatans in extra time ended in a last gasp try to Antoine Sablan to clinch 9th place over a disappointed Wallis & Futuna team who will have to settle for 10^th spot.

Guam 27 v 0 Tahiti (Women)
A sole try by Tiffany Talada from Guam otherwise broke the deadlock between Guam and Tahiti in an entertaining match to determine 7^th spot and the right to contest 5^th and 6^th spot against the Cooks Islands later in the day. Possession changed hands frequently, as both frantically raced to and fro for the elusive points.

A yellow card to Isabelle Pito from Tahiti opened the gates for Guam with Kimberly Sherman and Cera Taguacta to take advantage of the overlap to extend the scores. The tournament’s first penaltry try was awarded to Guam after a Tahitian player held back Jennifer Farley whom looked certain to score from a chip ahead from Tiffany Talada. Guam advances onwards to play the Cook Islands in the 5^th and 6^th ranking match whilst Tahiti bows out at 7^th place.

Tokelau 10 v 25 Niue (Men)
There was no love lost in the first medal quarter final for the men’s competition between Niue and Tokelau, as both were determined to advance to the semi-final playoffs. A quick change of hands by the Niueans created enough space for Tony Pulu to out sprint the Tokelaun defence to score under the posts. Tokelau responded immediately after, a busting run by Lamese Pasene close to the line for a five pointer. A quick turn of pace gave Kenny Akulu some space up the middle to race away for a try to extend the Niueans lead to 14 points to five.

Tony Pulu once again outflanked the Tokelauans out wide in the opening minutes of the last half for yet another 7 pointer for the Niueans. Tokelau were able to however add to their first half points with a try to Simona Puka who was able to dive between two Niueans from a penalty close to the line. Tony Pulu ended the scoring affair for the match to give the Niueans the match 25 points to Tokelau's 10.

Papua New Guinea 40 v 5 Solomon Islands (Men)
A  break up the middle by PNG's Diave Montgomery to offload to Christopher Kakah to race under the posts to open the floodgates for the Kumuls. Diave Montgomery was able to again break open the Solomons defence to barge over the line, while Henry Liliket was far too strong out wide for the Solomons defence to prevent yet another try before the break.

A quick try to Jason Missian from the restart all but sealed the match for PNG, with the Solomon Islanders unable to cope with PNG's pace and power up front. Replacement Billy Torea stormed up the middle to add another 7 pointer for the Kumuls before Jeffrey Maungatu'u crossed the line to give the Solomons a consolation try. Jason Missian closed the scoring cards for PNG with a 40 points to 5 win against the Solomons.

Samoa 52 v 0 New Caledonia (Men)
With strong home crowd behind them, the New Caledonians came out firing and surprised the Samoans early with some fiery defence to hopefully rattle the second seeds. However once the Samoans found their rhythm, it was always going to be difficult for the hometown team to contain the former World Sevens Series Champions. Tom Iosefo scored a hat trick, with Falemiga Selesele close behind with a couple of his own to complete a eight try spree against the New Caledonians.

Fiji 36 v 5 American Samoa (Men)

A try to Watisone Votu from the opening kick started yet another Fijian onslaught, with the American Samoans this time expected to give way. However, to their credit, the American Samoans fought valiantly to contain the Fijians to 22 points at the half, with a couple of scoring opportunities gone astray by poor handling.

The American Samoans defended strongly in the second half and exerted enough pressure to win possession close to the Fijian line in the final minutes and were rewarded with a try before the full time bell to go down to an admirable 36 points to 5.