RUGBY LEAGUE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Rugby league is a popular team sport in Papua New Guinea, and indeed is generally regarded as the national sport.
Papua New Guinean rugby league has been hampered by the poor infrastructure in the country, and national competitions have proven difficult to sustain. Violence at large games has also become something of a problem, and the major Test nations have tended to be reluctant to tour Papua New Guinea due to safety concerns. Nonetheless rugby league remains the dominant sport, and is played across the nation, with competitions in major cities and rural regions alike.

Contents

History

Popularity

Notable players

Governing body

Competitions

PNGNRL

History of SP Cup premiers

Other competitions

The national team

See also

History

The game was first introduced to Papua New Guinea by Australian soldiers stationed there during and after the Second World War. It spread quickly, and is now regarded as the country’s national sport.
The governing body for rugby league in Papua New Guinea became members of the Rugby League International Federation in 1974 and the national team's first ever Test match was a 40-12 home defeat by Great Britain a year later. They first competed in the Rugby League World Cup in the 1985-89 competition.
The domestic ''SP Cup'' was first held in 1990.
Papua New Guinea was represented by Port Moresby Vipers in the Queensland Cup competition in 1996 and 1997.
No SP Cup was held in 2004 due to funding problems, but the competition returned in 2005.

Popularity

Rugby league is the most popular sport in Papua New Guinea (especially in the Highlands region) and is commonly referred to as the national sport. In a nation where communities are far apart and many people live at a minimal subsistence level, rugby league has been described as a replacement for tribal warfare as a way of explaining the local enthusiasm for the game (a matter of life and death).
The annual Australian State of Origin matches are the most watched sporting event of the year. Australian rugby league players who have played in the annual (Australian) State of Origin clash, which is celebrated feverishly every year in Papua New Guinea, are among the most well known identities throughout the nation.

Notable players

Many Papua New Guineans have gone on to play professional rugby league either in the National Rugby League in Australia or Super League in Europe.

★ Marcus Bai - became a national celebrity after he played in the National Rugby League with Melbourne Storm and later went to play in Super League

★ Adrian Lam

★ Stanley Gene

★ Neville Costigan

★ John Wilshere

★ Paul Aiton

★ Makali Aizue

★ Arnold Kerwanty

★ Joseph Pombo

Governing body

The governing body for rugby league in Papua New Guinea is based in Port Moresby. They have been members of the Rugby League International Federation since 1974. The League has suffered financially due to member leagues not paying affiliation fees.

Competitions

The national competition is known as the ''SP Cup'', and has been held since 1990. No competition was held in 2004 due to funding problems, but the competition returned for 2005. Teams compete in a league format, with the top 4 clubs at the end of the rounds entering play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final.
Below the SP Cup exist many local and provincial competitions, the most prestigious of which is the Port Moresby League.

PNGNRL

2005 saw the re-integration of the new look PNGNRL, formerly known as the SP Inter-City Cup. The competition is made up of nine teams from various cities or provinces around Papua New Guinea all playing for the SP Cup. The competition follows the conventional Australian NRL format, with 26 round robin games followed by the top 4 teams entering the finals playoffs. The current competition is made up of the following teams:
'Island 'Agmark' Gurias' Home Ground: Kalabond Field, Kokopo
'Mendi Muruks' Home Ground: Madang
'Lae Bombers' Home Ground: Lae
'Toyota Enga Mioks' Home Ground: Johnson Siki Aipus Oval, Wabag
'Mt Hagen Cowboys' Home Ground: Mt. Hagen Show Ground, Mt Hagen
'Goroka Lahanis' Home Ground: Sir Danny Leahy Oval, Goroka
'Central Province Raiders' Home Gound: Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby
'Port Moresby Bulldogs' Home Ground: Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby
'Pagini Warriors' Home Ground: Lae
Other teams to have participated but who have since been relegated are South Port Moresby Broncos (2005) and Simbu Angrass (2005).

History of SP Cup premiers

1990 Port Moresby Vipers def. MT Hagen

1991 Port Moresby Vipers def. MT Hagen

1992 Port Moresby Vipers def. MT Hagen

1993 Goroka Lahinis def. Port Moresby Vipers

1994 Port Moresby Vipers def. Goroka Lahinis

1995 Lae Bombers def. Mendi Muruks

1996 Mendi Muruks def. Kuniawa Warriors

1997 MT Hagen Eagles def. Lae Bombers

1998 MT Hagen Eagles def. Mendi Muruks

1999 Goroka Lahinis def. Island Rabaul Gurias

2000 Enga Mioks def. Island Rabaul Gurias

2001 Island Rabaul Gurias def. Goroka Lahinis

2002 Lae Bombers def. Island Rabaul Gurias

2003 Island Rabaul Guirias def. Lae Bombers

2004 Mendi Menjals¹ def. Popondetta Butterflies

2005 Island Gurias def. Port Moresby Bulldogs

2006 Mendi Muruks def. Goroka Lahanis

¹ The official SP Inter City Cup did not take place in 2004 due to lack of finance, however, the equivalent competition was the inaugural Coca-Cola Ipatas Cup.

Other competitions

A Port Moresby team competed in the Panasonic Cup in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989; and in the Queensland Cup in 1996 and 1997.

The national team

Main articles: Papua New Guinea national rugby league team

The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team are nicknamed ''Kumuls'' after the bird of paradise, a national symbol of the country. Their first ever Test match was a 40-12 home defeat by Great Britain in 1975.
They compete in the Rugby League World Cup and first entered a team in the 1985-89 competition, though it was not until the 1995 Rugby League World Cup that they were able to win away from home.
The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team usually play against the Australian national rugby league team each year in Port Moresby. It is such a popular fixture that thousands of people can't get into the ground once it's full, causing people to climb onto the stadium roof or up trees outside the ground in order to see the match. The limited capacity of the stadium for this fixture often sparks riots. Spectators clashed with riot police during this fixture in 2006.

See also

★ Sport in Papua New Guinea