Papua New Guinea national rugby league team

Papua New Guinea

Team information
Nickname	The Kumuls
Governing body	PNGRFL
Region	Asia-Pacific
Head coach	Jason Demetriou
Captain	Lachlan Lam
Most caps	Rhyse Martin (17)
Top try-scorer	Nene Macdonald (12)
Top point-scorer	Rhyse Martin (126)
Home stadium	National Football Stadium
IRL ranking	7th
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
Appearances	7 (first time in 1985–1988)
Best result	Quarterfinals (2000, 2017, 2021 )

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).

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. The 1987 Tour had The Kumuls play both BARLA and for the first Professional opposition.

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 Test which was also a World Cup match against Great Britain. They lost the test 42–0 at Central Park, Wigan.

During the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia a Test match was played at Port Moresby which like the match at Wigan in 1987 was a World Cup match. Which they also lost 42-22. 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 1990 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.

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]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

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]

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

The PNG Kumuls were 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 was 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] The Kumuls bowed out in the quarterfinals after losing to hosts, England.^[24]

The PNG Kumuls squad was announced on 11 October 2024.^[25]
Jersey numbers in the table reflect team selection for the Week 3 game against the Cook Islands Aitu.
Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project.

J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Tournament					Kumuls Career						Club Competitions			Other Representative Matches
															2024 Club	Matches
				M	T	G	F	P	Dbt	M	T	G	F	P		T1	T2
1	Nene Macdonald	30	Fullback, Centre	1	1	0	0	4	2013	18	12	0	0	48	Red Devils	142	44	2 2
2	Elijah Roltinga	21	Wing, Centre	1	0	0	0	0	2024	1	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	15	1
3	Robert Mathias	—	Centre	1	0	0	0	0	2024	1	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	11	1
4	Rodrick Tai	25	Centre, Wing	1	0	0	0	0	2022	7	2	0	0	8	Wolves	19	34	1
5	Robert Derby	22	Wing	1	1	0	0	4	2022	5	4	0	0	16	Pride	1	40	1
6	Kyle Laybutt	29	Five-eighth, Lock	1	0	0	0	0	2019	12	2	5	0	18	Blackhawks	2	124	1 2
7	Lachlan Lam	26	Halfback	1	0	0	0	0	2017	11	6	0	0	24	Leopards	86	42
8	Valentine Richard	—	Prop	1	0	0	0	0	2023	4	1	0	0	4	Hunters	0	34	1
9	Judah Rimbu	23	Hooker	1	1	0	0	4	2023	4	1	0	0	4	Hunters	0	69	3
10	Jacob Alick	24	Prop, Second-row	1	0	0	0	0	2022	8	0	0	0	0	Seagulls	11	72
11	Daniel Russell	28	Second-row	0	0	0	0	0	2019	10	2	0	0	8	Dragons	8	121	2
12	Jeremiah Simbiken	24	Second-row	1	0	0	0	0	2022	3	0	0	0	0	Devils	0	90	1
13	Jack de Belin	33	Lock, Prop	1	0	0	0	0	2023	4	0	0	0	0	Dragons	229	1	3 2
14	Liam Horne	26	Hooker	1	0	0	0	0	2022	4	0	0	0	0	Tigers	30	51	1
15	Koso Bandi	—	Prop	1	0	0	0	0	2024	1	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	25	1
16	Sylvester Namo	24	Second-row	1	1	0	0	4	2022	5	1	0	0	4	Tigers	14	39	2
17	Ila Alu	29	Lock	1	0	0	0	0	2024	1	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	85	2
18	Sanny Wabo	25	Fullback	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	30	1
19	Morea Morea	—	Fullback	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	22	2
20	Benji Kot	27	Centre, Second-row	0	0	0	0	0	2023	2	1	0	0	4	Hunters	0	61	2
21	Finley Glare	—	Five-eighth, Halfback	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	20	1
U	Rhyse Martin	31	Second-row	1	0	3	0	6	2014	18	5	56	0	132	Rhinos	150	83	1
–	Edwin Ipape	25	Hooker	0	0	0	0	0	2019	9	2	0	0	8	Leopards	43	33
–	Alex Max	—	Centre	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	Hunters	0	17	1
–	Khaiya Waiembi	—	Prop	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	Capras	0	13

Notes:

• Seven members of the squad played for Super League teams in 2024.
  • Castleford Tigers (2): Horne & Namo
  • Leigh Leopards (2): Ipape & Lam
  • Salford Red Devils (1): Macdonald
  • Leeds Rhinos (1): Martin
  • Warrington Wolves (1): Tai
• Seventeen members of the squad have previously played for the PNG Prime Minister's XIII, including the recent match on 13 October 2024.
• Fourteen members of the squad are current or former PNG Hunters players.
• Three squad members have played for Australian representative teams:
  • NSW and NSW Country: de Belin
  • Indigenous All Stars: Laybutt
  • NRL All Stars: Macdonald

Below is the list of Papua New Guinea's individual record holders as of 21 October 2024.^[26]

• Bold- denotes that the player is still active.

#	Name	Career	Caps
1	Rhyse Martin	2014-2024	18
	Nene Macdonald	2013-2024	18
2	Max Tiri	1990-1996	16
	Stanley Gene	1994-2008	16
5	John Wilshere	2000-2009	15
	David Mead	2008-2022	15
	Paul Aiton	2007-2017	15
8	Justin Olam	2016-2022	14
	Bal Numapo	1984-1990	14
10	David Buko	1993-2001	13
	Rod Griffin	2007-2018	13
	Phillip Boge	1990-1994	13
	Nixon Putt	2017-2023	13

#	Name	Career	Tries
1	Nene Macdonald	2013-2024	12
2	David Mead	2008-2022	10
3	Justin Olam	2016-2022	7
	Menzie Yere	2007-2013	7
5	Stanley Gene	1994-2008	6
	Watson Boas	2016-2022	6
	Lachlan Lam	2017-2023	6

#	Name	Career	Points	Tries	Goals	Field Goals
1	Rhyse Martin	2014-2023	126	5	53	0
2	John Wilshere	2000-2009	102	5	41	0
3	Bal Numapo	1984-1990	53	4	18	1
4	David Mead	2008-2022	40	10	0	0
5	Dairi Kovae	1986-1988	38	5	9	0

Below is the list of Papua New Guinea's international head-to-head record as of 21 October 2024.^[27]

Country	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win percentage	For	Aga	Diff
Australia	10	0	0	10	0%	62	528	–466
Australian Aboriginies	3	0	0	3	0%	40	118	–78
Cook Islands	7	7	0	0	100%	270	94	+176
England	5	0	0	5	0%	56	190	–134
Fiji	16	11	0	5	62.5%	375	261	+114
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
New Zealand Maori	12	2	0	10	16.67%	269	396	–127
New Zealand Residents	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	9	7	1	1	77.78%	322	179	+143
United States	1	1	0	0	100%	64	0	+64
Wales	5	2	0	3	40.00%	104	146	–42
Total	116	40	2	74	34.48%	2,285	3,433	–1,148

World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D
1954–1977	did not participate
1985–88	Fourth place	4/5	8	2	6	0
1989–92	Fifth place	5/5	8	0	8	0
1995	Group stage	6/10	2	0	1	1
2000	Quarter-finals	6/16	4	3	1	0
2008	Group stage	10/10	3	0	3	0
2013	Group stage	13/14	3	0	3	0
2017	Quarter-finals	5/14	4	3	1	0
2021	Quarter-finals	7/16	4	3	1	0
2026	qualified
Total	0 Titles		36	11	24	1

Tri-Nations / Four Nations record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D
1999–2006	did not participate
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 record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D
1975	Runners-up	2/4	4	2	2	0
1977	Third place	3/5	4	2	2	0
1986	did not participate
1986
1990	Group stage	5/8	3	1	2	0
1992	did not participate
1994
1997	Third place	3/6	4	2	2	0
2004	did not participate
2006
2009	Champions	1/5	2	2	0	0
Total	1 Title	5/12	6	4	2	0

IRL Men's World Rankings v t e
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	49
7	1	Papua New Guinea	47
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

• PNG Prime Minister's XIII - Development side consisting of players from the Papua New Guinea National Rugby League competition. In recent years, players from the National Rugby League, Intrust Super Cup, English Super League and English Championship have also been selected to play the Australian PM's XIII.
• 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 U/19 schoolboys side.

• Rugby league in Papua New Guinea
• World Cup

• PNGRFL at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 November 2017)
• Papua New Guinea national rugby league team on Facebook