PNG Kumuls Lead Lebanon 18-12 At Half-Time In Rugby League World Cup Opener

 PNG Kumuls Lead Lebanon 18-12 At Half-Time In Rugby League World Cup Opener/Photo supplied

Papua New Guinea’s Kumuls held an 18-12 lead over Lebanon at half-time in their opening Rugby League World Cup match at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby on Saturday, October 17.

The home side crossed for three tries in the opening 40 minutes, with Lebanon’s Cedars responding with two tries to remain within striking distance heading into the second half.

The Kumuls’ attacking efforts were rewarded through Gairo Voro, Robert Derby and Nixon Putt, who scored tries in the seventh, 18th and 29th minutes respectively.

Rhys Martin successfully converted all three tries, giving Papua New Guinea a 12-point contribution from the boot to complement their three touchdowns.

Lebanon remained competitive, with Abbas Miski scoring in the 35th minute before Tony Sukkar added another try in the 39th minute. Alex Conti converted both attempts to keep the Cedars in contention at the break.

Despite Lebanon’s late first-half response, the Kumuls maintained a six-point advantage as both teams headed into the interval.

Playing in front of their home crowd in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea will look to build on their first-half performance and secure a strong result in their World Cup campaign.

Lebanon, meanwhile, will need to tighten its defence and maintain its attacking pressure if it is to overturn the deficit in the second half.