 The Prime Minister’s XIII touring squad arrived home from Papua New Guinea yesterday following a hard-fought 28-8 victory over the Kumuls in Port Moresby on Saturday.
A two-try performance from Jarryd Hayne helped secure his place in the Australian Tri Nations squad, announced today, which also includes fellow Prime Minister’s XIII teammates Anthony Tupou and Luke O’Donnell.
As one of the main objectives of the tour, the Prime Minister’s XIII visited several Papua New Guinea communities last week to help promote the fight against HIV, AIDS and violence against women.
 The players, joining PNG-based AusAID representatives, split into three groups and traveled by bus to community programs in Joyce Bay, Tatana and Hagwa, where they were met with hundreds of adoring fans.
The three settlements are AusAID-funded community programs that support youth through sport, music, and education, and aim to raise awareness of diseases such as HIV.
Prime Minister’s XIII coach Mal Meninga, assistant coach Brad Fittler and captain Steve Price spoke about the importance of using condoms to help prevent the spread of HIV – a major health issue in PNG.
 Players Brett Stewart and Johnathan Thurston presented two Tatana youngsters “Village Awards” for winning an AIDS-Awareness competition, while Kurt Gidley received a rousing response when he used local dialogue to declare “real men don’t hurt women” at Joyce Bay.
Manly’s Stewart said he was blown away with the experience of meeting the people of Papua New Guinea.
“It was pretty special to get out there and see how much the kids really enjoyed us being there, it’s something I won’t forget” Stewart said.
“Our training sessions were packed with kids and the atmosphere at the game was just unbelievable.
“There was a real feeling we helped with the AIDS and violence prevention message during the week when we were out and about, and it was great to put on a show for everyone at the game.”
| Prime Minister’s XIII vs Papua New Guinea Kumuls |
| Saturday, 30 October, 2006 at Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby. |
Prime Minister’s
XIII |
28 - 8 |
 Papua New
Guinea Kumuls |
TRIES : S.Price, J.Hayne 2, B.Stewart, T.Waterhouse, N.Merritt
GOALS : M.Orford 2 |
TRIES : T.O’Reilly 2
GOALS : |
| Referee: Ben Cummins |
|
