Niue national rugby league team

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.

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 ranking24th
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 36–18 Niue 
(Suva, Fiji; 19 October 2004)

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.

Results

Pacific Cup
YearOpponentScoreVenue
1986 Cook Islands8–22 Rarotonga
 Māori16–32
1990 Tokelau16–26 Nukuʻalofa
 Tonga4–58
 Western Samoa2–52
1992 Tonga8–24 Carlaw Park, Auckland
 Cook Islands22–23
 Fiji14–0
 Western Samoa41–28
1994 Australian Aborigines10–64 Suva
 Māori22–24
 Fijian Presidents XIII30–8
 Tonga58–12
2004 Māori4–54 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
 Samoa18–36 Ericsson Stadium, Auckland
 Fiji24–34 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland

Current squad

Squad selected for the 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship;[1]

Test matches
DateOpponentScoreVenueRef
12 October 2013 Vanuatu20–22 Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila[2][3]
4 October 2014 Philippines36–22 Wentworthville[4]
2 May 2015 South Africa48–4 Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown[5]
3 October 2015 Cook Islands44–22 Sydney[6][7]
October 2016 South Africa50–22 Brakpan Stadium, Pretoria[8]
November 2016 South Africa44–0
14 October 2017 Lebanon32–16 Leichhardt Oval, SydneyLink

All-time results record and ranking
IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of 21 December 2022
RankChangeTeamPts %
1 Increase 3 Australia100.00
2 Decrease 1 New Zealand93.00
3 Increase 4 Samoa87.00
4 Decrease 1 England73.00
5 Decrease 3 Tonga58.00
6 Decrease 1 Papua New Guinea47.00
7 Decrease 1 Fiji45.00
8 Increase 5 Lebanon36.00
9 Steady France28.00
10 Increase 6 Wales23.00
11 Increase 1 Ireland23.00
12 Increase 8 Cook Islands20.00
13 Increase 8 Jamaica17.00
14 Increase 3 Italy17.00
15 Decrease 7 Serbia15.00
16 Decrease 5 Greece14.00
17 Decrease 2 Scotland14.00
18 Decrease 4 Netherlands13.00
19 Decrease 9 Malta11.00
20 Decrease 1 Turkey8.00
21 Increase 4 Germany6.00
22 Increase 18 Brazil6.00
23 Increase 9 Chile6.00
24 Increase 4 Nigeria6.00
25 Increase 5 South Africa6.00
26 Increase 5 Ghana6.00
27 Decrease 9 Czech Republic6.00
28 Decrease 2 Ukraine5.00
29 Decrease 5 Philippines4.00
30 Decrease 8 Poland3.00
31 Increase 5 Cameroon3.00
32 New entry Kenya3.00
33 Decrease 4 Spain3.00
34 Increase 7 Bulgaria3.00
35 Decrease 12 Norway2.00
36 Increase 9 Colombia2.00
37 Decrease 2 Hungary*1.00
38 Decrease 11 United States1.00
39 Increase 5 Montenegro1.00
40 Increase 3 Bosnia and Herzegovina1.00
41 Decrease 2 Solomon Islands1.00
42 Decrease 8 Sweden1.00
43 Decrease 10 Morocco1.00
44 Decrease 6 Canada1.00
45 New entry Japan1.00
46 Decrease 4 Vanuatu1.00
47 New entry El Salvador0.00
48 Decrease 1 Belgium1.00
49 Decrease 3 Denmark0.00
50 Decrease 3 Latvia0.00
51 New entry Argentina0.00
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

Below is an updated list of Niue's national team record as of 23 December 2020.[9]

Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost Win % For Aga Diff
Australian Aboriginies10010%1064–54
 Cook Islands310233.33%7467+7
 Fiji210150.00%3834+4
Fiji Presidents XIII1100100%308+22
 Greece1100100%168+8
 Lebanon10010%1632–16
 Malta210150%4240+2
 Māori30030%42110–68
 Philippines2200100%6034+26
 Samoa20020%4677–31
 South Africa3300100%14226+116
 Tonga20020%2082–62
 Vanuatu10010%2022–2
Total241001441.67%556604–48

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