Papua New Guinea national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
The Papua New Guinea national rugby union team represent Papua New Guinea
in the sport of rugby union
. Nicknamed the Pukpuks, (Tok Pisin
for 'crocodiles'), they played their first international in 1966, defeating Vanuatu 47-3. Papua New Guinea have not so far qualified for a Rugby World Cup
. They participated in the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournaments for the 2007 and 2011 world cups, but did not qualify.
. Papua New Guinea would win their debut match, defeating New Hebrides 47 points to three. Fixtures were also held against New Caledonia and Wallis & Futuna that year. A number of games were played in 1969 as well. Papua New Guinea played nations such as Fiji, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, though they defeated the latter two opponents, Papua New Guinea lost to Fiji.
Papua New Guinea entered a qualifying tournament for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
in Wales. Papua New Guinea competed in Round 1 of the Oceania qualifying tournament. Although they defeated Tahiti, they lost 22-19 against the Cook Islands. They finished second in the final standings.
They played in qualifying tournaments for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia, playing in Round 1b of the Oceania tournament
. Papua New Guinea defeated both the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to advance through to Round 3. In Round 3 Papua New Guinea faced the Cook Islands to advance to Round 4. In the final round, for repechage qualification, Papua New Guinea were defeated by Tonga.
In attempting to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
in France
, Papua New Guinea started out in Round 1a of the tournament
. Papua New Guinea defeated the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to finish at the top of the standings to move through to Round 2. In Round 2 the Cook Islands went through to Round 4.
The Pukpuks won the inaugural Federation of Oceania Rugby Union (FORU) Cup (2007), defeating Niue
in the final by a score of 46-19. In the 2009 Oceania Nations Cup
, Papua New Guinea managed to beat Vanuatu
86-12 in the semifinals and in the final, beat Cook Islands
29-12. They then went on to play Samoa
in the Oceania Qualification
for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
where they got beaten 115-7 away and 73-12 at home. They were unable to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
in the sport of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. Nicknamed the Pukpuks, (Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
for 'crocodiles'), they played their first international in 1966, defeating Vanuatu 47-3. Papua New Guinea have not so far qualified for a Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
. They participated in the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournaments for the 2007 and 2011 world cups, but did not qualify.
History
Papua New Guinea have been playing international rugby union since the 1960s, having made their debut in 1966 against New HebridesNew Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
. Papua New Guinea would win their debut match, defeating New Hebrides 47 points to three. Fixtures were also held against New Caledonia and Wallis & Futuna that year. A number of games were played in 1969 as well. Papua New Guinea played nations such as Fiji, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, though they defeated the latter two opponents, Papua New Guinea lost to Fiji.
Papua New Guinea entered a qualifying tournament for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
in Wales. Papua New Guinea competed in Round 1 of the Oceania qualifying tournament. Although they defeated Tahiti, they lost 22-19 against the Cook Islands. They finished second in the final standings.
They played in qualifying tournaments for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
in Australia, playing in Round 1b of the Oceania tournament
2003 Rugby World Cup - Oceania qualification
In qualification for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, a number of positions were available to Oceania nations. Fiji, Samoa and the Tonga would eventually qualify, joining automatic qualifiers Australia and New Zealand.-Round 1a – June, 2001:...
. Papua New Guinea defeated both the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to advance through to Round 3. In Round 3 Papua New Guinea faced the Cook Islands to advance to Round 4. In the final round, for repechage qualification, Papua New Guinea were defeated by Tonga.
In attempting to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Papua New Guinea started out in Round 1a of the tournament
2007 Rugby World Cup - Oceania qualification
In qualification for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, there are two places available for Oceania teams, and one place in the repechage. In the group rounds, there are three points awarded for a win, two for a draw, and one for a loss...
. Papua New Guinea defeated the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to finish at the top of the standings to move through to Round 2. In Round 2 the Cook Islands went through to Round 4.
The Pukpuks won the inaugural Federation of Oceania Rugby Union (FORU) Cup (2007), defeating Niue
Niue national rugby union team
The Niue Island national rugby union team is the national team of the third tier rugby union playing nation of Niue Island. They first started playing in 1983 and have played just 10 games to date, four against the Cook Islands and three against Tahiti. Other games have been played against Fiji,...
in the final by a score of 46-19. In the 2009 Oceania Nations Cup
2009 Oceania Nations Cup
The 2009 Oceania Nations Cup doubled as the first two rounds of Oceania's qualifying tournament for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. By winning the Oceania Nations Cup, Papua New Guinea advanced to face Samoa in the Oceania qualification final....
, Papua New Guinea managed to beat Vanuatu
Vanuatu national rugby union team
The Vanuatu national rugby union team represents Vanuatu in the sport of rugby union. The team is classified as a tier three nation by the International Rugby Board , and they have yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup. They made their international debut in 1966. The team is nicknamed the Tuskers,...
86-12 in the semifinals and in the final, beat Cook Islands
Cook Islands national rugby union team
The Cook Islands is a third tier rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby in the early 1971. Thus far, the Cook Islands have not made an appearance at any of the World Cups.-History:...
29-12. They then went on to play Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
in the Oceania Qualification
2011 Rugby World Cup - Oceania qualification
There will be one qualifier for Rugby World Cup 2011 from the Oceania region. The qualifying process will begin with the 2009 Oceania Nations Cup, with the winner going on to play Samoa....
for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
where they got beaten 115-7 away and 73-12 at home. They were unable to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
World Cup record
- 1987 - No qualifying tournament held
- 1991 - 1995 - Did not enter
- 1999 - 2011 - Did not qualify
External links
- Papua New Guinea on IRB.com
- Papua New Guinea on Rugbydata.com