Papua New Guinea national rugby league team

Papua New Guinea

Team information
Nickname	The Kumuls
Governing body	Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League
Region	Oceania
Head coach	Stanley Gene
Captain	Paul Aiton
Home stadium	Lloyd Robson Oval
IRL ranking	6th
Uniforms
First colours
Team results
First game
England 40–12 Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby, PNG; 6 July 1975)
Biggest win
Cook Islands 6–86 Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby, PNG; November 1998
Biggest defeat
Australia 82–0 Papua New Guinea (Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville; 7 October 2000)
World Cup
Appearances	4 (first time in 1988)
Best result	Quarter-finals, 2000

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

In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls (bird of paradise in Tok Pisin). Many Papua New Guinean players have left the country in order to pursue professional rugby league careers in Great Britain and Australia.

A team representing Papua New Guinea (generally made up of a mixture of locally based players and International Players) plays an Australian Prime Minister's XIII in an annual match. The Australian side consists mostly of developing players from the premier competition the National Rugby League (NRL).

History

Rugby league was first played in Papua New Guinea 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 Robnson 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 1985-89 competition, though it was not until 1995 that they won away from home. In 1987 The Kumuls stage 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, that Cumbria met Papua New Guinea before a crowd of 3,750 at the Recreation Ground, Whitehaven. Cumbria won 22-4. Four days later they played a World Cup rated Test against Great Britain.

Papua New Guinea played a World Cup match against Australia in Wagga Wagga in 1988, the Australians 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. 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. And Bob Bennett the coach of the 2000 World Cup Kumuls team made the qualification two the pool were the kumuls made it into the top 5 team in the world so the 2000 World Cup Kumuls team was granted the best kumuls team. In 2005 Papua New Guinea beat the Australian Prime Minister's XIII 24-16 in Darwin. This was the first win over any Australian based national side. In 2007 Papua New Guinea drew with Australia PM XIII 24-24.

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.

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 while recently retired captain Stanley Gene, who had never coached a side before, was named his replacement. 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. Whilst the Australian team were 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. After their first defeat against Australia the team's enthusiasm and crunching tackles were praised, but ball control and creativity let the team down hugely. 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 and some questioning the credentials of new coach Stanley Gene. Days after the match a broader look at the sport in the country occurred with one assessment concluding that rugby league was poorly managed 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. The way politics had made its way into the governing of the sport was also condemned.

Return To Redfern

On the 9th of February 2013, Papua New Guinea played a trial game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, at Redfern Oval. They lost 38-12.

2010 Squad

Papua New Guinea Squad

First team squad						Interchange		Coaching staff
1 Ryan Tongia – FB – Gold Coast Titans 2 Michael Mark – WG – Hunslet Hawks 3 Jessie Joe Parker – CE – Featherstone Rovers 4 Menzie Yere – CE – Sheffield Eagles 5 Elizah Riyong – WG – Mendi Muracks 6 Glen Nami – SO – Goroka Bintangor Lahanis 7 Dion Aiye – SH – Agmark Rabaul Gurias 8 Makali Aizue – PR – Dewsbury 9 Benjamin John – HK – Parkes Spaceman 10 George Moni – PR – Agmark Rabaul Gurias 11 Rod Griffin – SR – Northern Pride 12 David Loko – SR – Enga Mioks 13 Paul Aiton (c) – LF – Wakefield Trinity Wildcats						14 Charlie Wabo – HK – Hunslet Hawks 15 Nickson Kolo – PR – Masta Mak Rangers 16 Johnson Kuike – PR – Masta Mak Rangers 17 Larsen Marabe – SR – Agmark Rabaul Gurias 18 Rodney Pora – SR – Agmark Rabaul Gurias 19 Pidi Tongap – HK – Agmark Rabaul Gurias 20 Richard Kambo – SO – Newtown Jets 21 Sigfred Gande – LF – Goroka Bintangor Lahanis 22 Desmond Mok – HK – Ipswich Jets 23 Alex Haija – SH – Pine Rivers 24 Joseph Pombo – PR – Haswell Hornets		Head coach Stanley Gene Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) Updated: 5 October 2010 Source(s): 2010 Four Nations squad

Notable players

• Arnold Krewanty
• Marcus Bai
• Stanley Gene
• Adrian Lam
• David Westley
• Neville Costigan
• John Wilshere
• Duncan Naawi
• David Gomia
• Eddie Aila
• Makali Aizue
• Raymond Karl
• Bruce Mamando
• Mark Mom
• Tom O'Reilly
• Elias Paiyo

Alfred Songoro

• Tara Gau
• Arebo Taumaku
• Dairi Kovae
• Louta Atoi
• Nathan Cuppmen
• Stanley Hondina
• Fillip Boge
• Tuksy Kauru
• Ric Emanuel

Famous players now deceased

• Tuiyo Evei
• David Buko
• Michael Angra
• Aquila Emil

Past results

Country	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost
Total	70	18	2	50
Australia	12	0	0	12
Cook Islands	2	2	0	0
England	3	0	0	3
Fiji	6	5	0	1
France	13	4	1	8
Great Britain	8	1	0	7
New Zealand	17	1	0	16
South Africa	1	1	0	0
Tonga	5	4	1	0
Wales	3	0	0	3

Victories are shown in bold.

IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of 30 June 2024
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		Australia	100
2		New Zealand	82
3		England	80
4		Samoa	67
5		Tonga	49
6	1	Fiji	47
7	1	Papua New Guinea	49
8		France	28
9		Lebanon	22
10		Cook Islands	20
11		Serbia	19
12		Netherlands	17
13		Italy	15
14	1	Greece	15
15	1	Malta	14
16		Ireland	14
17		Wales	13
18		Jamaica	10
19		Scotland	9
20		Ukraine	7
21		Czech Republic	7
22		Germany	6
23	3	Chile	6
24		Poland	6
25	3	Norway	6
26	1	Kenya	5
27	4	Philippines	5
28	3	South Africa	4
29		Nigeria	4
30		Ghana	4
31	2	United States	4
32	4	Montenegro	4
33	2	Brazil	3
34	2	Turkey	3
35	7	North Macedonia	3
36	2	Bulgaria	3
37	2	Cameroon	2
38	1	Spain	2
39	1	Japan	1
40	1	Albania	1
41	5	Canada	1
42	2	Colombia	1
43	2	El Salvador	1
44	1	Morocco	1
45		Russia	0
46	2	Sweden	0
47	2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0
48	2	Hungary	0
49	3	Argentina	0
50		Hong Kong	0
51	3	Solomon Islands	0
52	5	Niue	0
53	1	Latvia	0
54	1	Denmark	0
55	6	Belgium	0
56	1	Estonia	0
57	6	Vanuatu	0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

• 2010: England def. Papua New Guinea 36-10, Eden Park, New Zealand - 2010 Four Nations
• 2010: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 76-12, Rotorua International Stadium, New Zealand - 2010 Four Nations
• 2010: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 42-0, Parramatta Stadium - 2010 Four Nations
• 2009: Papua New Guinea def. Cook Islands 42-14, Port Moresby - 2009 Pacific cup final
• 2009: Papua New Guinea def. Tonga 44-14, Port Moresby - 2009 Pacific Cup
• 2009: Papua New Guinea def. Fiji 14-2, Port Moresby
• 2009: Papua New Guinea def. Fiji 64-10, Port Moresby
• 2008: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 46-6, Dairy Farmers Stadium (Townsville) 2008 World Cup
• 2008 New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 48-6 Skilled Park (Robina) 2008 World Cup
• 2008: England def. Papua New Guinea 32-22 Dairy Fairmers Stadium (Townsville) 2008 World Cup
• 2007: France def. Papua New Guinea 38-26 Parc des Sports (Avignon)
• 2007: France def Papua New Guinea 22-16 Stade Andre Moga, Begles (Bordeaux)
• 2007: Wales def Papua New Guinea 50-10 Bridgend, Wales
• 2005: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 70-22 Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville
• 2001: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 54-12 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 2001: Papua New Guinea def. France 34-24 Danny Leahy Oval (Goroka)
• 2001: France def. Papua New Guinea 27-16 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 2000: Wales def. Papua New Guinea 22-8 Widnes, England (2000 World Cup Quarter Final)
• 2000: Papua New Guinea def. Tonga 30-22 St. Esteve, France (2000 World Cup)
• 2000: Papua New Guinea def. South Africa 16-0 Toulouse, France (2000 World Cup)
• 2000: Papua New Guinea def. France 23-20 Stade Charlety, Paris, France (2000 World Cup)
• 2000: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 82-0 Dairy Dairmers Stadium (Townsville)
• 1998: Papua New Guinea def. Tonga 54-12 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1998: Papua New Guinea def. Tonga 44-28 Wabag
• 1998: Papua New Guinea def. Cook Islands 46-6 Lae
• 1998: Fiji def. Papua New Guinea 14-10 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1998: Papua New Guinea def. Fiji 34-12 Minj, Fiji
• 1998: Papua New Guinea def. Fiji 16-14 Lautoka, Fiji
• 1996: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 64-0 Palmerston North Showgrounds
• 1996: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 62-8 International Stadium, Rotorua
• 1996: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 32-30 Lae
• 1996: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 52-6 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1995: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 22-6 Knowsley Road, St. Helens, England (1995 World Cup)
• 1995: Papua New Guinea drew Tonga 28-28 The Boulevarde, Hull, England (1995 World Cup)
• 1994: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 30-16 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1994: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 28-12 Danny Leahy Oval (Goroka)
• 1994: Papua New Guinea def. France 29-22 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1993: Papua New Guinea def. Fiji 35-24 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1992: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 36-14 Townsville Sports Reserve
• 1992: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 66-10 Carlaw Park (Auckland)
• 1992: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 20-14 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1991: France def. Papua New Guinea 28-14 Stade Albert Domec (Carcassonne)
• 1991: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 56-4 Central Park, Wigan, England
• 1991: Wales def. Papua New Guinea 68-0 Vetch Field (Swansea)
• 1991: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 40-6 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1991: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 58-2 Danny Leahy Oval (Goroka)
• 1991: France def. Papua New Guinea 20-18 Danny Leahy Oval (Goroka)
• 1990: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 18-10 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1990: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 36-4 Danny Leahy Oval (Goroka)
• 1990: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 40-8 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1990: Papua New Guinea def. Great Britain 20-18 Danny Leahy Oval (Goroka)
• 1988 Australia def. Papua New Guinea 70-8 Eric Weissel Oval (Wagga Wagga)
• 1988: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 66-14 Carlaw Park (Auckland)
• 1988: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 42-22 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1987: France def. Papua New Guinea 21-4 Stade Albert Domec (Carcassonne)
• 1987: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 42-0 Wigan, England
• 1987: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 36-22 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1986: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 62-12 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1986: Papua New Guinea def. New Zealand 24-22 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1986: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 36-26 Lloyd Robson(Port Moresby)
• 1984: Great Britain def. Papua New Guinea 38-20 Pope John Paul II Oval (Mt Hagen)
• 1983: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 60-20 Carlaw Park (Auckland)
• 1982: Australia def. Papua New Guinea 38-2 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1982: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 56-5 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1981: Papua New Guinea drew France 13-13 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1979: France def. Papua New Guinea 15-2 Stade Albert Domec (Carcassonne)
• 1979: France def. Papua New Guinea 16-9 Stade Municipal (Albi)
• 1978: New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 30-21 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1977: Papua New Guinea def France 37-6 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)
• 1975: England def. Papua New Guinea 40-12 Lloyd Robson (Port Moresby)

Other Papua New Guinean teams

• PNG Prime Minister XIII - Development to consist of local based players and only three international players, used to play both national and development sides.
• PNG President XIII - PNGRFL 'select' usually playing another development side like Junior Kangaroos or New Zealand A. Rarely used to play national sides.
• PNG Residents- Papua New Guinea development side made up of solely local players. Regularly playing matches with the Junior Kangaroos, New Zealand Māoris and even national sides.
• Papua New Guinea KUNDUS - Papua New Guinea junior U18 schoolboys side.

- Recently played QLD U18 as a curtain raiser to Origin I. The QLD U/18 def. Kundus 20-16. The team is captained by Wayne Bond

Participated tournaments

• Rugby League World Cup
• Pacific Cup
• Rugby League Four Nations (2010 tournament)
• Papua New Guinea 50th Independence Challenge
• Somare Cup

See also

• Rugby league in Papua New Guinea
• Emerging Nations Tournament
• World Cup

External links

• Papua New Guinea Rugby League Fans Forums - RugbyLeague.org
• 2008 Rugby League World Cup Site