Papua New Guinea have made a Pacific Bowl statement in front of a raucous home crowd, thrashing Fiji 50-18 in Port Moresby.
PNG scored the first five tries of the game to race out to a 30-0 lead.
Fiji scored one through Eels star Kitione Kautoga late in the first half to trim the margin to 24 at the break.
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MATCH CENTRE: PNG vs Fiji teams, scores, videos, updates
The visitors weren’t able to make a miraculous comeback in the second half, but it was a much more competitive contest.
PNG second rower Rhyse Martin kicked a perfect nine from nine with the boot and scored a try to finish with a personal haul of 22 points.
He kicked a penalty goal from 47 metres out to bring up the half century for PNG.
The home side shared the love, with eight different players scoring tries.
This year there is no Pacific Bowl final, meaning the PNG take it out as they finished on top of the table.
TEAMS
Kumuls: 1. Morea Morea 2. Dudley Dotoi 3. Zac Laybutt 4. Nene Macdonald 5. Alex Johnston 6. Gairo Voro 7. Lachlan Lam 8. Epel Kapinias 9. Edwin Ipape 10. Valentine Richard 11. Rhyse Martin 12. Nixon Putt 13. Jack de Belin 14. Finley Glare 15. Robert Mathias 16. Cooper Bai 17. Sylvester Namo 18. Liam Horne 19. Robert Derby 20. Jacob Alick
Fiji: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Jope Rauqe 4. Semi Valemei 5. Ronald Philatoga 6. Kurt Donoghoe 7. Brandon Wakeham 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Penioni Tagituima 10. Michael Waqa 11. Taane Milne 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. Caleb Navale 14. Terrell Kalo Kalo 15. Solomone Saukuru 16. Ben Nakubuwai 17. Kylan Mafoa 18. Akuila Qoro 19. Keresi Maya 20. Gabrial Tunimakubu
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