Niue national rugby league team

Niue

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| 50th
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
Tonga 58–4 Niue
(Nuku'alofa, Tonga; 24 October 1990)
Australian Aborigines 64–10 Niue
(Suva, Fiji; 22 October 1994)

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

[edit]

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][3]

## Current squad

[edit]

Squad selected for the 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship;[4]

* 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

## Competitive record

[edit]

Below is an updated list of Niue's national team record as of 23 December 2020.[5]

### Overall

[edit]

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

### Results

[edit]

Date | Opponent | Score | Competition | Venue | Ref

|
|
|
|
|

27 October 1986 |  Cook Islands | 8–22 | 1986 Pacific Cup | Rarotonga, Cook Islands | [6]
29 October 1986 |  Māori | 16–32 | [7]
21 October 1990 |  Tokelau | 16–26 | 1986 Pacific Cup | Nukuʻalofa, Tonga | [8]
24 October 1990 |  Tonga | 4–58 | [9]
26 October 1990 |  Western Samoa | 2–52 | [10]
18 October 1992 |  Tonga | 8–24 | 1992 Pacific Cup | Carlaw Park, Auckland, New Zealand | [11]
20 October 1992 |  Cook Islands | 22–23 | [12]
22 October 1992 |  Fiji | 14–0 | [13]
26 October 1992 |  Western Samoa | 41–28 | [14]
22 October 1994 |  Australian Aborigines | 10–64 | 1994 Pacific Cup | Suva, Fiji | [15]
29 October 1994 |  Māori | 22–24 | [16]
3 November 1994 |  Fijian Presidents XIII | 30–8 | [17]
5 November 1994 |  Tonga | 58–12 | [18]
17 October 2004 |  Māori | 4–54 | Pacific Rim Championship | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | [19]
19 October 2004 |  Samoa | 18–36 | Ericsson Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | [20]
23 October 2004 |  Fiji | 24–34 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand | [21]
12 October 2013 |  Vanuatu | 20–22 | International | Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu | [22][23]
4 October 2014 |  Philippines | 36–22 | International | Wentworthville, Australia | [24]
2 May 2015 |  South Africa | 48–4 | International | Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown, Australia | [25]
3 October 2015 |  Cook Islands | 44–22 | International | Sydney, Australia | [26][27]
29 October 2016 |  South Africa | 50–22 | International | Brakpan Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa | [28]
2 November 2016 |  South Africa | 44–0 | International | [29]
14 October 2017 |  Lebanon | 16–32 | World Cup Warm-up | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney, Australia | [30]
4 October 2018 |  Malta | 26–16 | 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship | Sydney, Australia | [31]
7 October 2018 |  Philippines | 24–12 | [32]
10 October 2018 |  Greece | 16–8 | [33]
13 October 2018 |  Malta | 16–24 | [34]
27 October 2018 |  Italy | 32–36 | International | Marconi Stadium, Sydney, Australia | [35]

## IRL Rankings

[edit]

IRL Men's World Rankings

* v
* t
* e

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

## Women's Test Team

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Niue national rugby union team

* Sports portal

## References

[edit]

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 depart for African rugby league tour". Radio New Zealand. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
4. ^ "Niue announce squad for Emerging Nations World Cup". Rugby League International Federation. 27 July 2018.
5. ^ "Head To Head". rugby league project. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
6. ^ "Cook Islands 22 – 8 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
7. ^ "Niue 16 – 32 New Zealand Maori". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
8. ^ "Tokelau 26 – 16 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
9. ^ "Tonga 58 – 4 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
10. ^ "Western Samoa 52 – 2 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
11. ^ "Tonga 24 – 8 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
12. ^ "Cook Islands 23 – 22 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
13. ^ "Niue 14 – 0 Fiji". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
14. ^ "Western Samoa 41 – 28 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
15. ^ "Aborigines 64 – 10 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
16. ^ "New Zealand Maori 24 – 22 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
17. ^ "Fiji Presidents XIII 8 – 30 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
18. ^ "Tonga 52 – 12 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
19. ^ "New Zealand Maori 54 – 4 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
20. ^ "Samoa 36 – 18 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
21. ^ "Fiji 34 – 24 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
22. ^ Mascord, Steve (12 October 2013). "Mal Meninga's nephew stars as Vanuatu scrape home in historic encounter". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
23. ^ "Victory for Vanuatu over Niue newcomers". Vanuatu Rugby League. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
24. ^ "Niue rugby league coach says victory another step forward". Radio New Zealand. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
25. ^ 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.
26. ^ "Niue rugby league claim biggest scalp yet". Radio New Zealand. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
27. ^ Ewart, Richard (6 October 2016). "Niue topple Cook Islands to boost their stocks on the international stage". ABC. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
28. ^ "South Africa 22 – 50 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
29. ^ "South Africa 0 – 44 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
30. ^ "Lebanon 32 16 Niue". European Rugby League. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
31. ^ "Malta 16 – 26 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
32. ^ "Philippines 12 – 24 Niue". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
33. ^ "Niue 16 – 8 Greece". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
34. ^ "Niue 16 – 24 Malta". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
35. ^ "Niue 32 – 36 Italy". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 1 March 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Niue national rugby league team on Facebook

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|

Women|

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