Australia are Oceania champions

Photo: Oceania rugby.

(Based on reports from ARU).Three new players earned their debuts in Australia’s opening game - Emma Sykes, Shanice Parker and Hannah Southwell – and Australia dominated a one-sided affair and eventually ran out 54-0 winners over the Solomon Islands.

Australia then followed this up by putting 45 points past Tonga, though the Tongans managed to score a try – the only score Australia conceded over the weekend.

Day one ended with a game against Cook Islands where they scored 43 unanswered points.

Emma Tonegato crossed twice in the win on a day head coach Tim Walsh praised the youngsters in the squad.

“It’s nice to set a good platform but reality of it is Day Two is where the business end is and when you want to be playing well,” Walsh said. “The young girls playing so well was probably the biggest plus for us today,” said Walsh.

On day two the Olympic champions got off to a perfect start two with a 46-0 thrashing of Samoa. Tiana Penatani crossed four times with Emma Tonegato getting two of her own.

“We treated it like a quarter-final and a Day Two game one is always the hardest to get up for so we were really happy with the win,” Penatani said.

The Aussies kept the momentum up and showed that their defence was rock solid in their second match of the day against Papua New Guinea.  They piled on seven tries to nil in another dominant display and sealed to ensure that the final game against Fiji would be the tournament decider where Australia proved far too strong, defeating the host nation 31-0 in the final.

“I thought all the girls played really well, it was nice to have the Olympic gold medalists with their experience, a couple of debutants and some girls still doing their apprenticeships,” head coach Tim Walsh said.

“We had a very good start to the season at Central Coast and backing it up here at the Oceania Champs,” co-captain Shannon Parry said. “Off to Dubai in a couple of weeks and hopefully we can get another trophy in the cabinet.”

Results

(Day 1):Fiji 54-0 Papua New Guinea; Samoa 0-33 Cook Islands; Australia 54-0 Solomon Islands; Papua New Guinea 12-5 Cook Islands; Tonga 21-0 Solomon Islands; Fiji 25-5 Samoa; Australia 45-5 Tonga; Cook Islands 57-0 Solomon Islands; Samoa 10-25 Papua New Guinea; Fiji 38-0 Tonga’ Australia 43-0 Cook Islands; Papua New Guinea 45-0 Solomon Islands

(Day 2):Papua New Guinea 31-0 Tonga; Australia 46-0 Samoa; Fiji 66-0 Solomon Islands; Samoa 14-7 Tonga; Fiji 27-0 Cook Islands; Australia 39-0 Papua New Guinea; Cook Islands 27-0 Tonga; Samoa 41-0 Solomon Islands; Australia 31-0 Fiji

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

Australia

6

6

0

0

258

5

18

Fiji

6

5

0

1

210

36

16

Papua New Guinea

6

4

0

2

113

118

14

Cook Islands

6

3

0

3

122

82

12

Tonga

6

2

0

4

33

155

10

Samoa

6

1

0

5

70

159

8

Solomon Islands

6

0

0

6

0

327

6

Squads:

Australia: Shannon Parry (c); Sharni Williams (c); Tiana Penitani; Mahalia Murphy; Emma Tonegato; Emma Sykes; Hannah Southwell; Shanice Parker; Brooke Anderson; Alicia Quirk; Georgie Friedrichs; Dom Du Toit

Papua New Guinea:1. Lynnette Kwarula; 2. Debbie Kaore; 3. Kymlie Rapilla; 4. Joanne Lagona; 5. Cassandra Sampson; 6. Taiva Lavai; 7. Geua Larry; 8. Thereseanne Daimol; 9. Helen Abau; 10. Augusta Livuana; 11. Harkana Dixon; 12. Marlugu Dixon

Fiji:1. Rusila Nagasau; 2. Merewai Cumu; 3. Miriama Naiobasali; 4. Jiowana Sauto; 5. Pricilla Siata; 6. Ana Maria Roqica; 7. Timaima Ravisa; 8. Viniana Riwai; 9. Lavenia Tinai; 10. Asena Yalewalili; 11. Reijieli Daveua; 12. Ana Maria Naimasi