Niue national rugby league team
| ||||||
| Team information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Rock, Coconut Crab (Uga) | |||||
| Governing body | Niue Rugby League | |||||
| Region | Asia-Pacific | |||||
| Head coach | Brendan Perenara | |||||
| Captain | Mike Filimona | |||||
| Home stadium | Alofi Stadium | |||||
| IRL ranking | 47th | |||||
| Uniforms | ||||||
| ||||||
| Team results | ||||||
| First international | ||||||
 Cook Islands 22–8 Niue  (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 1986) | ||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||
Niue 48–4 South Africa  (Campbelltown, Australia; 2 May 2015) | ||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||
 Samoa 106–18 Niue (Suva, Fiji; 19 October 2004) | ||||||
The Niue national rugby league team represents Niue in rugby league football. The team played their first match in 1986, and their first Test match in 2013.
History
The team played their first match in at the 1986 Pacific Cup, losing 22–8 to the Cook Islands. Their first ever win was 14–0 against Fiji at the 1992 Pacific Cup. Niue currently participates in the annual Cabramatta International Nines tournament. They lost their first ever Test match 22–20 against Vanuatu on 12 October 2013.
On 4 October 2014, the Niue rugby league team record their first ever international test match win defeating the Philippines 36–22.[1] In May 2015, Niue Rugby League recorded their second international test match win against the South African Rugby League side, 48–4.[2]
Results
| Year | Opponent | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Cook Islands |
8–22 | Rarotonga
|
 Māori |
16–32 | ||
| 1990 |  Tokelau |
16–26 |  Nukuʻalofa
|
| Tonga |
4–58 | ||
| Western Samoa |
2–52 | ||
| 1992 | Tonga |
8–24 |  Carlaw Park, Auckland
|
| Cook Islands |
22–23 | ||
 Fiji |
14–0 | ||
| Western Samoa |
41–28 | ||
| 1994 |  Australian Aborigines |
10–64 | Suva
|
| Māori |
22–24 | ||
| Fijian Presidents XIII |
30–8 | ||
| Tonga |
58–12 | ||
| 2004 | Māori |
4–54 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
|
| Samoa |
18–36 | Ericsson Stadium, Auckland
| |
| Fiji |
24–34 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
|
Current squad
Squad selected for the 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship;[3]
- Jake Samoa
- Zebastian Luisi
- Eddie Paea
- Kurt Bernard
- Temata Rangi
- Mike Filimona
- Tamati Ulukita
- George Lolo
- Sione Tovo
- Tuki Jackson
- Jamie Hunt
- Jo Tamasi
- Wes Lolo
- Tristian Alvarado
- Aziah Ikitule
- Audrey Kaufusi
- Huggard Tongatule
- Latrell Schaumkel
- Alex Seini
- Alfred Smalley
- Jordan Tongahai
- Mike Williams
- Cyruss Payne
- Christian Ulukita
Test matches
| Date | Opponent | Score | Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2013 |  Vanuatu |
20–22 | Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila |
[4][5] |
| 4 October 2014 |  Philippines |
36–22 |  Wentworthville |
[6] |
| 2 May 2015 | South Africa |
48–4 | Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown |
[7] |
| 3 October 2015 | Cook Islands |
44–22 | Sydney |
[8][9] |
| October 2016 | South Africa |
50–22 | Brakpan Stadium, Pretoria |
[10] |
| November 2016 | South Africa |
44–0 | ||
| 14 October 2017 |  Lebanon |
32–16 | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney |
Link |
All-time results record and ranking
| Official rankings as of December 2024 | |||
| Rank | Change | Team | Pts % |
| 1 |  |
Australia |
100 |
| 2 | |
New Zealand |
86 |
| 3 | |
 England |
84 |
| 4 |  1 |
Tonga |
63 |
| 5 |  1 |
Samoa |
54 |
| 6 | 1 |
 Papua New Guinea |
53 |
| 7 | 1 |
Fiji |
44 |
| 8 | |
 France |
30 |
| 9 | 2 |
 Serbia |
23 |
| 10 | |
Cook Islands |
22 |
| 11 | 1 |
 Netherlands |
22 |
| 12 | 5 |
 Wales |
18 |
| 13 | 2 |
 Malta |
17 |
| 14 | 6 |
 Ukraine |
13 |
| 15 | 1 |
 Greece |
12 |
| 16 | 7 |
Lebanon |
12 |
| 17 | 4 |
 Italy |
11 |
| 18 | 2 |
 Ireland |
9 |
| 19 | 1 |
 Jamaica |
8 |
| 20 | 1 |
 Czech Republic |
8 |
| 21 | 2 |
 Chile |
8 |
| 22 | 3 |
 Scotland |
7 |
| 23 | 4 |
Philippines |
7 |
| 24 | 7 |
 United States |
7 |
| 25 | 1 |
 Poland |
5 |
| 26 | 2 |
South Africa |
5 |
| 27 | 5 |
 Germany |
5 |
| 28 | 3 |
 Norway |
5 |
| 29 | 4 |
 Brazil |
4 |
| 30 | 4 |
 Kenya |
4 |
| 31 | 10 |
 Canada |
4 |
| 32 | |
 Montenegro |
4 |
| 33 | 2 |
 North Macedonia |
3 |
| 34 | 15 |
 Argentina |
3 |
| 35 | 5 |
 Albania |
2 |
| 36 | |
 Bulgaria |
2 |
| 37 | 7 |
 Ghana |
2 |
| 38 | 9 |
 Nigeria |
2 |
| 39 | 5 |
 Turkey |
1 |
| 40 | 3 |
 Cameroon |
1 |
| 41 | 2 |
 Japan |
1 |
| 42 | 4 |
 Spain |
1 |
| 43 | 1 |
 Colombia |
1 |
| 44 | 1 |
 El Salvador |
0 |
| 45 | |
 Russia |
0 |
| 46 | 1 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
0 |
| 47 | 3 |
 Hong Kong |
0 |
| 48 | 3 |
 Solomon Islands |
0 |
| 49 | 8 |
Vanuatu |
0 |
| 50 | |
Niue |
0 |
| 51 | 1 |
 Latvia |
0 |
| 52 | 2 |
 Denmark |
0 |
| 53 | 2 |
 Belgium |
0 |
| 54 | 4 |
 Estonia |
0 |
| 55 | 9 |
 Sweden |
0 |
| 56 | 12 |
 Morocco |
0 |
| 57 | 9 |
 Hungary |
0 |
| Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT | |||
Below is an updated list of Niue's national team record as of 23 December 2020.[11]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Aboriginies |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 10 | 64 | –54 |
| Cook Islands |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.33% | 74 | 67 | +7 |
| Fiji |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00% | 38 | 34 | +4 |
| Presidents XIII |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 30 | 8 | +22 |
| Greece |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 16 | 8 | +8 |
| Lebanon |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 16 | 32 | –16 |
| Malta |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 42 | 40 | +2 |
| Māori |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% | 42 | 110 | –68 |
| Philippines |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 60 | 34 | +26 |
| Samoa |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 46 | 77 | –31 |
| South Africa |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 142 | 26 | +116 |
| Tonga |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 20 | 82 | –62 |
| Vanuatu |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 20 | 22 | –2 |
| Total | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 41.67% | 556 | 604 | –48 |
Notable players of Niuean descent
- Dylan Brown
- Geoff Daniela
- Glen Fisiiahi
- Dene Halatau
- Junior Langi
- Isaac Liu
- Heilum Luki
- Zebastian Luisi
- Makahesi Makatoa
- Eddie Paea
- Joseph Paulo
- Junior Paulo
- Toafofoa Sipley
- Siosifa Talakai
- Albert Talipeau
- Motu Tony
- Sione Tovo
- Billy Weepu
Women's Test Team
The Niue women's rugby league team debuted on the international stage in the 2003 Women's Rugby League World Cup, in which they lost both of their matches. On 7 November 2020, they made their return to international rugby league, with a friendly match against the Tonga women's national rugby league team. The match, held at Mt Smart Stadium served as a lead up to the New Zealand Women vs Samoa Women.
See also
References
- ^ "Niue beat Philippines Tamaraws 36". Rugby Insights. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Sport: Niue hope for ranking boost after big win". RNZ. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Niue announce squad for Emerging Nations World Cup". Rugby League International Federation. 27 July 2018.
- ^ Mascord, Steve (12 October 2013). "Mal Meninga's nephew stars as Vanuatu scrape home in historic encounter". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Victory for Vanuatu over Niue newcomers". Vanuatu Rugby League. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Niue rugby league coach says victory another step forward". Radio New Zealand. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ St John, Mark (3 May 2015). "Niue Beat South Africa". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ "Niue rugby league claim biggest scalp yet". Radio New Zealand. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ Ewart, Richard (6 October 2016). "Niue topple Cook Islands to boost their stocks on the international stage". ABC. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Niue depart for African rugby league tour". Radio New Zealand. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Head To Head". rugby league project. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
External links
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