Valley Hunters Escape Upset to Remain Unbeaten

The Pepsi Capital Rugby Union came alive on Saturday, June 21st, 2025, at the Port Moresby International School oval, as the fans turned up in droves to watch the highly-anticipated round 10 fixture between the star-studded SWG TSI Valley Hunters and the valiant Moni Plus Nova. 

Nova nearly stunned the Hunters and gave them their first loss of the season, unfortunately going down to the Frank Genia-coached men with a 26-24 loss and ending the blockbuster in a thrilling fashion that left the fans screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs.       

The Hunters boasted a behemoth forward pack and electrifying outside backs, with the inclusion of former Wallabies trio Will Genia, Matt Giteau and Henry Speight, while the unpredictable Nova side had the service of Queensland Reds star, Aiden Toua. 

With both teams coming fresh off a bye and the Hunters topping the standings while the Nova stringing a few victories, coupled with the inclusion of Wallabies greats, this showdown was tipped to be a mouth-watering affair and it sure lived up to its billing, giving the fans what they expected.

The excitement was in the air when the Valley Hunters and Nova rose to the occasion and delivered a physical and arm wrestling contest in the first 20 minutes of proceedings to fight for dominance, but the points were hard to come by. 

However, former Wallabies linchpin Will Genia used his vast experience and darted over the line from a blind side scrum play in the 21st minute, putting the Hunters on the scoreboard. The floodgates opened following Genia’s try, with the SWG TSI-backed team scoring two more tries but Nova responded with a 5-pointer, reducing the margin to 19-5 at the interval. 

The Cecil Davani-mentored outfit found their groove in the breather and dominated the second half, registering three unanswered tries and almost pulling off a boilover against the competition leaders (Valley Hunters), but they fell short of 2 points. 

Nova put the Ensisi Valley men under the pump in the second spell, but the reigning premiers managed to brush off the fast-finishing Moni Plus-sponsored team, staying undefeated after round 10 and capping off the match in a dramatic 26-24 finish.

Will Genia was blown away by the atmosphere, saying: “It was a great advertisement for rugby union, with the crowd going crazy and cheering us on the field. I’ve never played in Port Moresby with so much cheering and noise like this. I really enjoyed it.”

Matt Giteau echoed similar sentiments shared by Genia, stating: "It was a very physical game, as I thought it would be, but I’m glad that no one got hurt. I’m happy to get the win with the Valley Hunters. It was electric to play in front of the cheering fans. It was a cool experience.”

Meanwhile, Valley Hunters coach Frank Genia said he was not pleased with the win, but he would take the 2 points. He admitted that though the Valley Hunters are unbeaten this season, he emphasizes that his boys need to take one game at a time, stick to the process, and enjoy themselves on and off the field.