Playing in this weekend’s Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens tournament will be a big boost to the Papua New Guinea Highlanders 7s team.

The team hail from the Southern Highlands Province that recently embraced the sport and recruited former Fijian rugby star Seremaia Bai as the face of a new wave of rugby sevens development there.

According, to Post Courier, while the code is virtually non-existent in the oil rich province, Bai in partnership with sports marketing company Game Plan Pacific, have already etched a plan to promote the code.

They have successfully staged the Highlands Sevens Rugby inaugural PRK Souths Sevens tournament at Ialibu, where they have selected a team for the Marist Sevens tournament.

Highlands Rugby Sevens CEO Jims Rekisa is excited of the new challenge especially to break into the rugby league stronghold province.

Bai has been working on the project with associate Vueti Tupou from the Rugby Academy of Fiji.

The duo will bring their wealth of experience to not only help grow the sevens game in the rugby union starved Highlands region. They hope to use the sport and their influence to also help change mindsets and the attitudes of players.

Rekisa said the duo have joined PNG Pukpuk star Paul Joseph, who was already on the ground doing the early ground work.

Bai said they are to provide the basics of the game.

Rekisa said they are fortunate to take part in the highly popular two-day Marist Sevens tournament, which starts on Friday at the ANZ Stadium, Suva.

He also confirmed the inclusion of popular rugby league Cup coach Andy Andiki as the coach of the Highlanders representative team. Also joining the PNG Highlanders are the PNG Pukpuks (national sevens team). The Pukpuks played in the recent World Sevens Series tournaments in Sydney and Hamilton.

POOLS

The PNG Highlanders are in Pool 11 where they face top seed Police White, Skaffworks and Draunivau Sharks.

The PNG Pukpuks are the top seed of Pool 3 where they take on Army 2, M16 Blues Navakaoca- Taveuni and Ratu Filise Development.

Edited by  Anasilini Ratuva