Niue national rugby union team

Niue

Nickname| To'a Niue XV
Union| Niue Rugby Football Union
Head coach| Metric Ikitoelagi
Captain| Luke Gibb

First colours

World Rugby ranking
Current| 101 (as of 29 January 2024)
Highest| 94 (23 November 2020)
First international
Fiji 124–4 Niue
(Apia, Samoa; 10 September 1983)
Biggest win
Niue 87–0 Nauru
(Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; 31 August 2019)
Biggest defeat
Fiji 124–4 Niue
(Apia, Samoa; 10 September 1983)

The Niue Island national rugby union team is the national team of the third tier rugby union playing nation of Niue Island. The team first started playing in 1983 in mainly competes in the Oceania Cup, which it won in 2008.[1] Rugby union in Niue Island is administered by the Niue Rugby Football Union.

## Results

[edit]

Niue's first international match was at the 1983 South Pacific Games in Suva against hosts Fiji. The Niueans managed to score a try against the eventual tournament winners but were defeated by 124–4.[2] The team found success in the 2008 Oceania Cup, defeating New Caledonia by 27–5 in the final on 1 September 2008.[1]

As of 29 May 2013, Niue was ranked 71st in the IRB world rankings. The team had played 10 international matches by that time, four against the Cook Islands and three against Tahiti. Other matches have been against Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.[2]

## Players

[edit]

Some of Niue's best players are professionals in New Zealand. Former Niue captain Matt Faleuka played for Northland before moving to Italian club Overmach Rugby Parma in 2007.

While the Niue and the Cook Islands teams did not compete in the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004 (but not in 2006).

The Niue sevens team have been active in the IRB World Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.

## Record

[edit]

### World Cup

[edit]

World Cup record

Year  | Qualification status
1987 | Not invited
1991 | did not enter
1995 | did not enter
1999 | did not enter
2003 | did not qualify
2007 | did not qualify
2011 | did not qualify
2015 | did not qualify
2019 | did not qualify

### Overall

[edit]

Against  | Played  | Won  | Lost  | Drawn  | % Won

|
|
|
|
|

Cook Islands | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 28.57%
Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0%
Nauru | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100%
New Caledonia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100%
Papua New Guinea | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0%
Solomon Islands | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33%
Tahiti | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75%
Vanuatu | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100%
Total | 23 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 47.83%

## Current squad

[edit]

The squad was selected for the 2019 Oceania Rugby Cup.

Player  | Position  | Club

|
|

Luke Gibb (c)  | Hooker |  Paremata-Plimmerton RFC
Matthew Jackson  | Hooker |  Krueger Crocs
Samuel Ikihega  | Prop |  Moorabbin Rams
Stephen Tapuosi  | Prop |  Chicago Lions
Morre Tukuniu  | Prop |  Southern Marlins
Maloney Taleni  | Prop |  Otahuhu RFC
Pierce Makaola  | Lock |  Northern Panthers
George Pamatatau  | Lock |  North Brisbane Rugby Club
Auston Puhotau  | Lock |  North Brisbane Rugby Club
Sagele Harrison  | Lock |  unknown
Quinton Strickland  | Flanker |  Footscray R.U.F.C.
Togatule Kose  | Flanker |  Mareeba Gladiators
Nick Laufoli  | Flanker |  Kava Club
Randy Liuvaie  | Number 8 |  Freyberg Old Boys RFC
Khalum Halo  | Scrum-half |  Manukau Rovers RFC
Gavin Patuki  | Scrum-half |  Southern Cross
Shaun-Adam Atamu  | Fly-half |  Bombay R.F.C.
David Pamatatau  | Fly-half |  unknown
Anthony Liuvaie  | Centre |  Old Boys University RFC
Lepau Feau-Fuhiniu  | Centre |  Old Boys University RFC
Dawson Mele  | Centre |  Southern Cross
Cyruss Payne  | Wing |  Marist Saints
Tui Leatigaga  | Wing |  Camden Rugby
Dee Saele Nanai  | Wing |  Manukau Rovers
Tonga Tongotongo  | Wing |  Manukau Rovers
Kegan Tuhega  | Fullback |  Pine Rivers Bears Junior League Club
Logan Norman  | Fullback |  Bangor RFC

## See also

[edit]

* Rugby union in Niue

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Niue take Oceania Cup rugby union final" Archived 16 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, ABC Radio Australia, 1 September 2008
2. ^ a b "Niue test rugby scores". Rugby International. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Report of the FORU Oceania Cup Final

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