Papua New Guinea national rugby league team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Papua New Guinea women's national rugby league team.
Papua New Guinea
Badge of Papua New Guinea team
Team information
NicknameThe Kumuls
Governing bodyPNGRFL
RegionAsia-Pacific
Head coachStanley Tepend
CaptainRhyse Martin
Most capsRhyse Martin (17)
Top try-scorerDavid Mead (10)
Top point-scorerRhyse Martin (132)
Home stadiumNational Football Stadium
IRL ranking5th
Uniforms
First colours
Team results
First game
 England 40–12 Papua New Guinea 
(Port Moresby, PNG; 6 July 1975)
Biggest win
 Papua New Guinea 64–0 United States 
(Port Moresby, PNG; 12 November 2017)
Biggest defeat
 Australia 82–0 Papua New Guinea 
(Townsville, Australia; 7 October 2000)
World Cup
Appearances7 (first time in 1985–1988)
Best resultQuarterfinals (2000, 2017)

The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea in the sport of rugby league football.

In Papua New Guinea, Rugby League is a highly popular sport and is regarded as the country's national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls ("birds-of-paradise" in Tok Pisin).

History

Further information: List of Papua New Guinea women's national rugby league team coaches

Rugby league in Papua New Guinea was first played in the late forties; it was introduced to the nation by Australian soldiers stationed there during and after the Second World War. Papua New Guinea were admitted to the game's International Federation in 1974. On 6 July 1975, at Lloyd Robson Oval, in Port Moresby the Kumuls played their first ever international. They were beaten 40-12 by England. The English team were en route to Australia and New Zealand to fulfil away fixtures during the 1975 World Cup.

They first entered the Rugby League World Cup for the 1985-88 competition, though it was not until 2000 that they won away from home. In 1987 The Kumuls staged their first full test playing tour of Britain, after playing BARLA opposition in 1979. They lost the test 42–0 at Central Park, Wigan.

On Tuesday 20 October 1987, Cumbria met Papua New Guinea before a crowd of 3,750 at the Recreation Ground, Whitehaven. Cumbria won 22–4. Four days later Papua New Guinea played a World Cup rated Test against Great Britain.

During the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia a Test match was played at Port Moresby. Later that year Papua New Guinea played a World Cup match against Australia in Wagga Wagga, the Kangaroos recording a then international record winning margin of 62 points with a 70–8 win. Australian winger Michael O'Connor crossed for four tries and kicked seven goals for a personal points haul of 30, which could have been 44 had he not missed seven kicks at goal. In 1991 Papua New Guinea played host to a touring Great Britain, the series ended in a 1–1 draw.

On Sunday 27 October 1991, Papua New Guinea met Wales at Vetch Field, Swansea. Roared on by a fervent crowd of 11,422; Wales won by a record 68-0 margin, scoring thirteen tries. Papua New Guinea never recovered and lost all five matches in Britain, conceding 232 points in the process, and won only one of their four matches in France.

Papua New Guinea wound up their 1991 tour of Europe with a World Cup rated Test match against France, which was played on Sunday 24 November at the Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne. Despite Papua New Guinea leading 8–4 at half-time; France defeated their visitors 28–14.

The Kumuls hosted Australia for a two test series in October 1991 (won 2-0 by the Kangaroos), and also hosted Great Britain during the 1992 Lions tour of Australasia.

Papua New Guinea travelled to England to compete in the 1995 World Cup under coach Joe Tokam and captain Adrian Lam.[1] In their group was Tonga and New Zealand, against whom they failed to win a match.

In 1996 Bob Bennett, brother of the famous Wayne Bennett, was appointed the Kumuls' coach.[2] Also, in 1996, Adrian Lam captained the 'Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Team' against the Australian Kangaroos (52-6 win to Australia). Bob Bennett coached the 2000 World Cup Kumuls team to the qualification two the pool were the kumuls made it into the top 4 teams in the world so the 2000 World Cup Kumuls team was rated the best kumuls team.

They were granted automatic qualification to the 2008 World Cup but were placed in a pool with the top three teams, Australia, New Zealand and England, and failed to win a match in the tournament.

PNG automatically qualified for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup having reached the quarter finals of the previous Rugby League World Cup. The 2021 tournament will take place in England.

2010 controversy

The Papua New Guinea team experienced huge difficulties leading to the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations Tournament, as politicians clashed for control over the game and the governing body, the PNGRFL, was split over issues concerning junior development, the national team and the Papua New Guinea NRL bid. This caused Adrian Lam to retire as head coach of the Kumuls in September 2010[3][4] while recently retired captain Stanley Gene, who had never coached a side before, was named his replacement.[5] The governing board were adamant that more Papua New Guinea-based players should be in the squad, and fewer Australia-based players should be picked. In early October the squad was announced for the tournament and consisted of 12 PNG-based players with captain Paul Aiton being the only NRL player.[6] Whilst the Australian team for the tournament was worth an estimated A$10 million, local newspapers calculated the Kumuls value at around A$670,000.

Despite the Australian media treating the defeat of the Papua New Guinean team as a mere formality, with the team having odds of 125–1 to win the tournament, the players and journalists at home were positive that the Kumuls could make a lasting impression in the tournament.[7] After their first up 42–0 defeat against Australia, the team's enthusiasm and crunching tackles were praised, but ball control and creativity let the team down hugely.[8] However the team faced much more criticism after their 76-12 thrashing suffered at the hands of New Zealand, with fans angry at the poor display from the players[9] and some questioning the credentials of new coach Stanley Gene.[10] Days after the match a broader look at the sport in the country occurred with one assessment concluding that rugby league was poorly managed[11] and former PNG great Marcus Bai called on clubs to supply a greater number of representative standard players especially from the New Guinea Islands region which had supplied five of this year's team.[12] The way politics had made its way into the governing of the sport was also condemned.[13]

2015 Pacific Rugby League Test

Main article: Pacific Rugby League International § Melanesian Cup

In May 2015, Papua New Guinea took on Fiji in the 2015 Melanesian Cup at Cbus Super Stadium. The International was part of a triple header which also included the Polynesian Cup, between Samoa and Tonga, and the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis. The Kumuls never really troubled the Fijians after handling errors and poor decisions led to the Bati easily winning the inaugural Melanesian Cup by 22–10.

2016 Pacific Rugby League Test

Main article: Pacific Rugby League International § Melanesian Cup 2

In May 2016, Papua New Guinea took on Fiji in the 2016 Melanesian Cup at Pirtek Stadium. The International was part of a triple header which also included the Polynesian Cup, between Samoa and Tonga, and the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis. In this year's test, the Kumuls had more experienced players and it paid off. Despite being in a similar situation with the half time score, they managed to make a miraculous comeback not many saw coming, to record their first win 24–22 on away shores since the 2000 World Cup.

2017 Pacific Rugby League Test

Main article: 2017 Pacific Rugby League Tests

The PNG Kumuls won their second consecutive Pacific Cup test victory with a 32–22 victory over the Cook Islands at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

2017 Rugby League World Cup

Main article: 2017 Rugby League World Cup Group C

The PNG Kumuls won all their pool games in Port Moresby before losing to England in Melbourne in the quarter final [14] of the 2017 RLWC.

2018 Pacific Rugby League Test

Main article: 2018 Pacific Rugby League Tests

The PNG Kumuls won their third consecutive Ox & Palm Pacific Cup test victory with a 26–14 victory over Fiji Bati at Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney, Australia.[15]

2019 Oceania Cup and GB Lions Tour

Main article: 2019 Oceania Cup (rugby league)

The PNG Kumuls lost both their 2019 Oceania Cup (rugby league) test matches with a 24–6 loss to Toa Samoa[16] at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney, Australia and a 22–20 loss to Fiji Bati[17] in Christchurch, New Zealand . The Kumuls ended the season on a high defeating the Great Britain Lions 28–10 in Port Moresby.[18]

2022 Pacific Rugby League Test

Main article: 2022 Pacific Rugby League Tests

The Kumuls defeated a full strength Fiji Bati 24-14 on June 25 at Campbelltown Stadium.[19]

2022 Rugby League World Cup

Main article: 2021 Rugby League World Cup Group D

The PNG Kumuls will be based in Warrington[20] for the 2021 RLWC. The World Cup will be held between October 15 and November 19.[21] Kumuls coach Stanley Tepend will be guided by his mentor/ Coaching Director Shane Flanagan.[22] The PM's XIII lost to Australia PM's XIII on September 25 at Suncorp Stadium as part of both teams world cup preparations.[23]

Current squad

The Papua New Guinean squad selected for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. Club information are as of 3 October 2022.[24]
Statistics for Papua New Guinea and the players' NRL club records (up to 3 October 2022) drawn from the Rugby League Project.

Player Age Position Papua New Guinea Club (2022) NRL Club
Caps T G P M T G P
Alex Johnston 27 Fullback 5 1 0 4 South Sydney Rabbitohs 191 166 664
Rodrick Tai 22 Wing, Centre 3 2 0 8 PNG Hunters 15 6 0 24
Nene Macdonald 28 Centre 11 5 0 20 Leigh Leopards 23 22 0 88
Justin Olam 28 Centre 12 7 0 28 Melbourne Storm 84 40 0 160
Jimmy Ngutlik 22 Wing 2 2 0 8 Western Suburbs Magpies 0 0 0 0
Kyle Laybutt 26 Five-eighth 6 1 5 12 Townsville Blackhawks 87 20 61 202
Lachlan Lam 23 Halfback 5 6 0 20 Leigh Leopards 9 4 0 16
Wellington Albert 28 Prop 9 2 0 8 London Broncos 15 2 0 8
Edwin Ipape 22 Hooker 5 1 0 4 Leigh Leopards 27 23 0 92
Sylvester Namo 21 Prop 3 0 0 0 PNG Hunters 29 4 0 16
Nixon Putt 26 Second-row 9 2 0 8 Central Queensland Capras 35 12 0 48
Rhyse Martin (Captain) 29 Second-row 13 5 38 96 Leeds Rhinos 74 19 259 594
Jacob Alick 22 Lock 4 0 0 0 Gold Coast Titans 0 0 0 0
Watson Boas 27 Hooker, Stand-off, Scrum-half 11 6 0 24 Doncaster RLFC 19 9 8 52
Daniel Russell 26 Second-row, Centre, Wing 6 2 0 8 Brisbane Tigers 0 0 0
McKenzie Yei 24 Prop 1 1 0 4 Central Queensland Capras 0 0 0 0
Emmanuel Waine 25 Second-row, Centre 3 0 0 0 PNG Hunters 0 0 0
Keven Appo 22 Lock 2 0 0 0 PNG Hunters 0 0 0 0
Sherwin Tanabi 21 Prop, Second-row 1 0 0 4 PNG Hunters 0 0 0
Jeremiah Simbiken 20 Second-row 1 0 0 0 Redcliffe Dolphins 0 0 0 0
Wesser Tenza 30 Hooker 1 0 0 0 PNG Hunters 0 0 0 0
Zev John 24 Prop 1 0 0 0 Central Queensland Capras 0 0 0 0

Notes

Notable players

Main article: List of Papua New Guinea national rugby league team players

Tournament history

World Cup

Further information: Papua New Guinea at the Rugby League World Cup
World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L D
1954–1977 Did not participate
AustralasiaFranceUnited Kingdom 1985–88 Fourth place 4/5 8 2 6 0
AustralasiaFranceUnited Kingdom 1989–92 Fifth place 5/5 8 0 8 0
United Kingdom 1995 Group stage 6/10 2 0 1 1
FranceUnited Kingdom 2000 Quarter-finals 6/16 4 3 1 0
Australia 2008 Group stage 10/10 3 0 3 0
EnglandWales 2013 Group stage 13/14 3 0 3 0
AustraliaNew ZealandPapua New Guinea 2017 Quarter-finals 5/14 4 3 1 0
England 2021 Qualified
France 2025 To be determined
Total 0 Titles 32 8 23 1

Tri-Nations / Four Nations

Tri-Nations / Four Nations record
Year Round Position GP W L D
1999–2006 Did not participate
AustraliaNew Zealand 2010 Fourth place 4/4 3 0 3 0
2011–2016 Did not participate
Total 0 Titles 1/9 3 0 3 0

Pacific Cup

Pacific Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L D
Papua New Guinea 1975 Runners-up 2/4 4 2 2 0
New Zealand 1977 Third place 3/5 4 2 2 0
Cook Islands 1986 Did not participate
Samoa 1986
Tonga 1990 Group stage 5/8 3 1 2 0
New Zealand 1992 Did not participate
Fiji 1994
New Zealand 1997 Third place 3/6 4 2 2 0
New Zealand 2004 Did not participate
New Zealand 2006
Papua New Guinea 2009 Champions 1/5 2 2 0 0
Total 1 Title 5/12 6 4 2 0

Recent Results

Below are the previous 5 matches of the national team.
25 June 2022
 Papua New Guinea 24 - 14  Fiji

International record and ranking

Below is the list of Papua New Guinea's international head-to-head record as of 01 November 2022.[25]

Main article: Papua New Guinea national rugby league team results
IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of 21 December 2023
Rank Change Team Pts %
1 Steady  Australia 100.00
2 Steady  New Zealand 91.00
3 Increase 1  England 74.00
4 Decrease 1  Samoa 70.00
5 Steady  Tonga 54.00
6 Steady  Papua New Guinea 50.00
7 Steady  Fiji 49.00
8 Increase 1  France 24.00
9 Decrease 1  Lebanon 24.00
10 Increase 3  Cook Islands 22.00
11 Decrease 1  Serbia 19.00
12 Increase 6  Netherlands 17.00
13 Increase 1  Italy 15.00
14 Increase 5  Malta 15.00
15 Increase 1  Greece 14.00
16 Decrease 4  Ireland 14.00
17 Decrease 6  Wales 13.00
18 Decrease 3  Jamaica 10.00
19 Decrease 2  Scotland 9.00
20 Increase 8  Ukraine 7.00
21 Increase 6  Czech Republic 7.00
22 Decrease 1  Germany 6.00
23 Increase 10  Philippines 6.00
24 Increase 5  Poland 6.00
25 Increase 1  South Africa 5.00
26 Decrease 4  Chile 5.00
27 Increase 4  Kenya 0.00
28 Increase 6  Norway 4.00
29 Decrease 6  Nigeria 4.00
30 Decrease 6  Ghana 4.00
31 Decrease 6  Brazil 4.00
32 Decrease 12  Turkey 3.00
33 Increase 4  United States 3.00
34 Increase 1  Bulgaria 3.00
35 Decrease 5  Cameroon 2.00
36 Increase 2  Montenegro 2.00
37 Decrease 5  Spain 2.00
38 Increase 6  Japan 1.00
39 New entry  Albania 1.00
40 Decrease 4  Colombia 1.00
41 Increase 6  El Salvador 1.00
42 New entry  North Macedonia 1.00
43 Decrease 1  Morocco 1.00
44 Decrease 3  Sweden 0.00
45 Steady  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.00
46 Decrease 3  Canada 0.00
47 New entry  Niue 0.00
48 Decrease 9  Solomon Islands 0.00
49 Decrease 1  Belgium 0.00
50 Decrease 10  Hungary 0.00
51 Decrease 5  Vanuatu 0.00
52 Decrease 3  Argentina 0.00
53 Decrease 3  Denmark 0.00
54 Decrease 3  Latvia 0.00
55 New entry  Estonia 0.00
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT
Country Matches Won Drawn Lost Win percentage For Aga Diff
 Australia 10 0 0 10 0% 62 258 –196
Australian Aboriginies 2 0 0 2 0% 22 90 –68
 Cook Islands 6 6 0 0 100% 224 84 +140
 England 4 0 0 4 0% 50 144 –94
 Fiji 13 9 0 4 69.23% 305 196 +109
 France 14 4 1 9 28.57% 249 281 –32
 Great Britain 9 2 0 7 22.22% 146 298 –152
 Ireland 1 1 0 0 100% 14 6 +8
 New Zealand 18 1 0 17 5.55% 226 812 –586
Māori people New Zealand Maori 11 2 0 9 18.18% 255 350 –95
New Zealand New Zealand XIII 2 0 0 2 0% 24 42 –18
 Samoa 2 0 0 2 0% 10 62 –52
 Scotland 1 1 0 0 100% 38 20 +18
 South Africa 1 1 0 0 100% 16 0 +16
 Tonga 8 6 1 1 75% 306 165 +141
 United States 1 1 0 0 100% 64 0 +64
 Wales 5 2 0 3 40.00% 104 146 –42
Total 104 33 2 69 31.73% 2005 2900 –895

Other Papua New Guinean teams

Participated tournaments

See also

References

  1. ^ Hadfield, Dave (1995-10-08). "Island gods high in a dream world". The Independent. independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  2. ^ Hadfield, David (1996-09-14). "Eagles to share United's roost". Independent, The. UK: independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  3. ^ Sydney Morning Herald - Adrian Lam Quits As PNG Coach
  4. ^ The Australian - Lam Quits As PNG Coach
  5. ^ Four Nations Official Website - Stanley Gene Returns As Kumuls Coach
  6. ^ Sydney Morning Herald - PNG Squad Announced
  7. ^ The National - PNG Out Of Their Depth?
  8. ^ The National - Kumuls Need More Work Before NRL
  9. ^ Facebook - Kumuls v Kiwis
  10. ^ The National - Disgraceful Display By Kumuls
  11. ^ The National - Rugby League Poorly Managed
  12. ^ The National - Marcus Bai Challenges Agmark Gurias
  13. ^ Weekend Post Courier - Politics In Rugby Archived 2008-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "RLWC 2017: England down PNG to set up semi-final against Tonga".
  15. ^ https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/big-men-power-samoa-to-victory-over-png/news-story/4ead75275214ffd3ed29685c5ad9acac [bare URL]
  16. ^ "Big guns fire as Samoa outlast brave Kumuls". 22 June 2019.
  17. ^ "Fiji edge PNG in razzle-dazzle thriller in Christchurch". 9 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Spotlight intensifies on Bennett as Kumuls put Lions to the sword". 16 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Mead bows out in style as Kumuls down Bati". nrl.com. 2022-06-25.
  20. ^ "Marum looks forward to Warrington". 12 June 2020.
  21. ^ "Rugby League World Cup 2021".
  22. ^ "Flanagan to help Tepend in PNG World Cup role". 12 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Australian PM's XIII Men beat spirited PNG PM's XIII Men". 25 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Johnston,Coates headline Kumuls world cup squad". 3 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Papua New Guinea head-to-head". rugbyleagueplanet. Retrieved 28 June 2022.

External links

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