Niue national rugby league team

Niue
Badge of Niue team
Team information
NicknameThe Rock, Coconut Crab (Uga)
Governing bodyNiue Rugby League
RegionAsia-Pacific
Head coachBrendan Perenara
CaptainMike Filimona
Home stadiumAlofi Stadium
IRL ranking47th
Uniforms
First colours
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

Captain Mike Filimona playing for Niue against the Philippines in 2014

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

Pacific Cup

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]

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

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

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
Fiji 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

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

  1. ^ "Niue beat Philippines Tamaraws 36". Rugby Insights. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Sport: Niue hope for ranking boost after big win". RNZ. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Niue announce squad for Emerging Nations World Cup". Rugby League International Federation. 27 July 2018.
  4. ^ Mascord, Steve (12 October 2013). "Mal Meninga's nephew stars as Vanuatu scrape home in historic encounter". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Victory for Vanuatu over Niue newcomers". Vanuatu Rugby League. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Niue rugby league coach says victory another step forward". Radio New Zealand. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Niue rugby league claim biggest scalp yet". Radio New Zealand. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  9. ^ Ewart, Richard (6 October 2016). "Niue topple Cook Islands to boost their stocks on the international stage". ABC. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Niue depart for African rugby league tour". Radio New Zealand. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Head To Head". rugby league project. Retrieved 23 December 2020.

External links