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 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(December 2018) |
The 2015 Pacific Rugby League International was split into two games. The first was the Melanesian Cup between Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The second was the Polynesian Cup between Samoa and Tonga.
| 2015 Melanesian Cup | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 2 May 2015 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cbus Super Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Location | Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||
| Man of the Match |  Marika Koroibete | ||||||||||||
| Referee |  Matt Cecchin | ||||||||||||
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On 24 December 2014 it was announced that Papua New Guinea would play Fiji and Samoa would play Tonga as part of a 2015 Pacific test double header. The 2015 Melanesian Cup was played between Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
With a half-time lead of 18 points, Fiji beat Papua New Guinea to win the Melanesian Cup title [1] by score of 22–10. Fiji's Marika Koroibete won the player of the match award, scoring 2 tries. Papua New Guinea has not won a test-match on away soil since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.
Fiji picked 6 débutantes for the test match, while Papua New Guinea also featured six players making their first ever International appearance. Both teams had NRL, Queensland or New South Wales Cup, and domestic club players. Papua New Guinea's most experienced players were Nene MacDonald, Ray Thompson, and Tyson Martin making their 4th appearance, while Fiji's most experienced player was captain Jason Bukuya making his 10th appearance.
Papua New Guinea Hunters' Israel Eliab captained his team, and Cronulla's Jason Bukuya led Fiji.
2 May 2015 |
Papua New Guinea  | 10 – 22 | Fiji |
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| Try: Trnka 52' S Albert 68' c Goal: Damen (0/1) Zeming (1/1) 69' | Video | Try: Bukuya 20' c Koroibete (2) 28' c, 34' c Goodall 76' Goal: Koroisau (3/3) 22', 29', 35' Wiliame (0/1) |
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| 2015 Polynesian Cup | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 2 May 2015 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cbus Super Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Location | Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||
| Man of the Match |  Sam Kasiano | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Ben Cummins | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 12,336 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
On 24 December 2014 it was announced that Papua New Guinea would play Fiji and Samoa would play Tonga in the 2015 Pacific test double header. The 2015 Polynesian Cup was played between Samoa and Tonga.
Samoa beat Tonga to win the Polynesian Cup title. [2] No more than a 6-point margin separated the teams throughout the game. In the 77th minute a try-saving tackle was made on Tonga's Jorge Tafua. He attempted to dive into the corner to score his hat-trick only to be knocked into touch with a hit by Samoan forward Sam Kasiano. The Samoans won the game, 18–16.
Samoa picked two débutantes for the test match, while Tonga featured four. Both teams' players were National Rugby League-based players except for Samoa's Michael Sio, who plays for Queensland Cup team Mackay Cutters. Samoa's most capped player was Daniel Vidot who made his 10th appearance, while Tonga's most experienced player was Richard Fa'aoso who also made his 10th appearance.
2 May 2015 |
| Samoa | 18 – 16 |  Tonga |
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| Try: McGuire 24' c Vidot 37' Pritchard 56' Peyroux 70' Goal: Simona (1/4) 26' | Video | Try: Tafua (2) 28', 48' S Manu 52' c Goal: Langi (0/2) Kata (2/2) 53', 65' |
Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast Attendance: 12,336 Referee: Ben Cummins Player of the Match: Sam Kasiano (Samoa) |
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The 2015 Anzac Test was a rugby league test match played between Australia and New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. It was the 16th Anzac Test played between the two nations under the Super League banner since 1997. Both sides were announced on 26 April. [3] [4] The game was originally scheduled to take place on 1 May, but it was postponed due to weather [5] until May 3.
On October 17, Tonga had a one-off battle with the Cook Islands in the Asia-Pacific qualifying playoff for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. The Tongans only led by 4 at the break before running away in the second half scoring 3 tries in the last 20 minutes of the game.
Before the game Tongan coach, Kristian Woolf, noted how players eligible for second-tier nations such as Tonga and Samoa were punished if they pursued an opportunity with an Australian or New Zealand Test or Origin squad. He made the complaint after Tongan internationals Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Tuimoala Lolohea played for the Kiwis in their end-of-year test series against England. Now, Tonga can't pick these two players until a 2-year period has passed. Woolf said "Some flexibility in those rules would certainly help in terms of helping your tier two nations becoming more competitive with your first-tier nations." [6]
The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea in the sport of rugby league football.
The Tonga national rugby league team represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the fifth ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six Rugby League World Cups, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament. Their best result was at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they were semi-finalists.
The Cook Islands national rugby league team have represented the Cook Islands in international rugby league football since 1986. Administered by the Cook Islands Rugby League Association (CIRLA), the team has competed at three Rugby League World Cups, in 2000, 2013 and 2021, and are coached by Karmichael Hunt.
The Fiji national rugby league team, nicknamed the Bati, has been participating in international rugby league football since 1992. The team is controlled by the governing body for rugby league in Fiji, Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL), which is currently a member of the Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC). Fiji have thrice reached the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup, in 2008, 2013 and 2017, and are currently ranked 6th in the International Rugby League's World Rankings. They are coached by Fijian Wise Kativerata, and their captain is Kevin Naiqama.
Frank Semu Pritchard, also known by the nicknames "Cranky" and "Frank the Tank", is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level. A second-row, he played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs the Penrith Panthers, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels during the 2000s and 2010s. Pritchard also played in the Super League for English club Hull FC.
Viliami Sikalamu "Sika" Manu is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row forward for Tonga and New Zealand at international level, being a member of the World Cup winning Kiwi team who beat Australia in the 2008 World Cup Final.
The Junior Kangaroos side represents Australia in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kangaroos, after the native marsupial of that name.
The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name.
The Melanesian Cup is a rugby league football test match played between Fiji and Papua New Guinea first played in 2015.
Leeson Ah Mau is a former professional rugby league footballer, who has represented both Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
The 2009 Pacific Cup, known as the 2009 SP Brewery Pacific Cup due to sponsorship, was a rugby league competition held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The competing teams were the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga.
Sam Kasiano is a professional rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Warrington Wolves in Super League. He is both a New Zealand and Samoan international.
Marika Koroibete is a dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer. He plays for the Australia national rugby union team, and plays as a winger for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.
Sio Siua Taukeiaho is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop or loose forward for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. He plays for Tonga and played for New Zealand at international level.
Tuimoala Lolohea is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a stand-off or fullback for the Huddersfield Giants in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both New Zealand and Tonga at international level.
Albert Vete is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.
Solomone Kata is a professional dual-code rugby footballer who plays as a wing for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team.
This is a list of international rugby league matches played throughout 2016. A † denotes a recognised, but unofficial match that did not contribute to the IRL World Rankings.
The 2017 Rugby League World Cup Asia-Pacific qualification play-off was a rugby league match that was played on 17 October 2015 at Campbelltown Stadium in Australia. Tonga defeated the Cook Islands 28–8 to qualify for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
The Polynesian Cup is an rugby league football test match played between Samoa and Tonga first played in 2010.
