Union | Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union | |
---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Pukpuks [1] | |
Coach(es) | Aiem Pilokos [2] | |
Captain(s) | Kunak Late | |
Top scorer | Paul Joseph | |
| ||
Largest win | ||
Papua New Guinea 62–0 Tahiti 7s (National Stadium, Honiara; 23 November 2023) | ||
Largest defeat | ||
Papua New Guinea 0-64 England 7s (Wellington; 3 February 2006) | ||
World Cup Sevens | ||
Appearances | 1 (First in 2018 ) |
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Pacific Games | ||
1999 Santa Rita | Team | |
2007 Apia | Team | |
2011 Nouméa | Team | |
Oceania Sevens | ||
2009 Papeete | Tournament | |
Oceania Sevens Challenge | ||
2022 Gatton | Tournament |
The Papua New Guinea national rugby sevens team competes in the Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games, Challenger Series and the Oceania Sevens. They finished third in 2009 and fourth in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2023 in the Oceania Sevens. They missed out on a maiden Olympic spot after being defeated by Samoa 24-0 in the 2023 Oceania 7s Olympic Playoff. [3]
Papua New Guinea has also played the Hong Kong Sevens World Series qualifier. In the 2015 edition, they went to the semifinals, where they lost to Russia. In 2016 they lost all matches in the group phase. In 2017 they reached the semifinals.
PNG qualified for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games. [4] Papua New Guinea made its first appearance at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018, following its fifth-place finish at the 2017 Oceania Sevens Championship.
Rugby World Cup 7s | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | P | W | L | D | |||
1993 | Did not enter | ||||||||
1997 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
2001 | |||||||||
2005 | |||||||||
2009 | |||||||||
2013 | |||||||||
2018 | 21st playoff | 21st | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||
2022 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 1/8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Commonwealth Games | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | P | W | L | D | |||
1998 | Plate Final | 10th | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | |||
2002 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2006 | |||||||||
2010 | Bowl Final | 9th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |||
2014 | 11th playoff | 11th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |||
2018 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||
2022 | Did not enter | ||||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 4/7 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 0 |
Pacific Games | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | P | W | L | D |
1999 | Final | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
2003 | Plate Final | 5th | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
2007 | Bronze Final | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
2011 | Bronze Final | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
2015 | Bronze Final | 4th | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
2019 | Did not enter | |||||
2023 | Bronze Final | 4th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Total | 0 Titles | 6/7 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 0 |
Pacific Mini Games | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | P | W | L | D | |||
1997 | Did not enter | ||||||||
2009 | Bowl Final | 6th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||
2013 | Bronze Final | 4th | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |||
2017 | Did not enter | ||||||||
Total | 0 Titles | 2/4 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
Oceania 7s | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | P | W | L | D | Refs | ||
2008 | Plate final | 5th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | [5] | ||
2009 | Third playoff | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | [6] | |||
2010 | Third playoff | 4th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | [7] | ||
2011 | 7th playoff | 7th | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | [8] | ||
2012 | Plate Final | 5th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | [9] | ||
2013 | Plate Final | 6th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | [10] | ||
2014 | Plate Final | 5th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | [11] | ||
2015 | Third playoff | 4th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | [12] | ||
2016 | Third playoff | 4th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | [13] | ||
2017 | 5th playoff | 5th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |||
2018 | 7th playoff | 7th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |||
2019 | 5th playoff | 6th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |||
2021 | did not attend | ||||||||
2022 | withdrew | [14] | |||||||
2023 | Olympic Qualifying Final | 4th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |||
Total | 0 Titles | 12/14 | 72 | 37 | 33 | 2 |
Oceania 7s Challenge | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | P | W | L | D | |||
2022 | Final | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
The Pukpuks Sevens have participated as an invited team to selected tournaments across 10 seasons on the world series circuit since the inaugural season in 1999–2000. Historically, they have participated in 18 tournaments particularly the New Zealand Sevens (2000-2002, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2018), Australian Sevens (2000, 2002, 2011, 2017 and 2018), Fiji Sevens (2000), Japan Sevens(2000) and the Hong Kong Sevens (2002). To date, Papua New Guinea have played a total 127 matches accumulating 237 tries and 1507 points overall. Their best all-time season finish is 12th placing from the inaugural season in 1999-2000.
World Rugby Sevens Series record | |||
---|---|---|---|
Season | Rounds | Position | Points |
1999–00 | 4 / 10 | 12th | 8 |
2000–01 | 1 / 9 | — | 0 |
2001–02 | 3 / 11 | — | 0 |
2003–04 | 1 / 8 | — | 0 |
2007–08 | 1 / 8 | — | 0 |
2010–11 | 2 / 8 | — | 0 |
2011–12 | 1 / 9 | 21st | 3 |
2014–15 | 1 / 9 | 21st | 1 |
2016–17 | 2 / 10 | 18th | 2 |
2017–18 | 2 / 10 | 17th | 6 |
The following shows leading career Papua New Guinean players based on performance in the World Rugby Sevens Series. [15]
No. | Player | Tries |
---|---|---|
1 | Paul Joseph | 29 |
2 | Albert Levi | 12 |
Kevin Vitolo | 12 | |
4 | Henry Liliket | 9 |
Aiem Pilokos | 9 | |
Willie Tirang | 9 | |
No. | Player | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Paul Joseph | 291 |
2 | Albert Levi | 80 |
3 | Kevin Vitolo | 70 |
4 | Henry Liliket | 47 |
Raymond Yauieb | 47 | |
No. | Player | Matches |
---|---|---|
1 | Paul Joseph | 33 |
2 | Douglas Guise | 29 |
3 | Eugene Tokavai | 25 |
4 | Montgomery Diave | 20 |
Gairo Kapana | 20 | |
Henry Liliket | 20 | |
Kevin Vitolo | 20 | |
Papua New Guinea have appeared in every edition of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series since the inaugural season in 2020. This was through qualification for being one of two highest ranked non-core World Rugby Sevens Series teams from the Oceania Sevens Championship.
World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series record | |||
---|---|---|---|
Season | Rounds | Position | Points |
2020 | 2 / 2 | 11th | 16 |
2022 | 1 / 1 | 11th | — |
2023 | 2 / 2 | 9th | 9 |
2024 | 3 / 3 |
Squad to 2024 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series - Men's tour [16] |
---|
|
Squad to the 2023 Pacific Games :
Players |
---|
Derrick Voku |
Emmanuel Alfred |
Benjamin Boas |
Benson Hayai |
Benjamin Kennedy |
Mhustapha Kura |
Kunak Late |
Kadum Mais |
Richard Mautu |
Shaun Ongapa |
Edward Ramit |
Jacky Winas |
Squad to the 2023 Oceania 7s :
Players |
---|
Derrick Voku |
Emmanuel Alfred |
Benjamin Boas |
Benson Hayai |
Benjamin Kennedy |
Mhustapha Kura |
Kunak Late |
Kadum Mais |
Richard Mautu |
Shaun Ongapa |
Edward Ramit |
Jacky Winas |
Squad to 2023 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series - Men's tour [17] |
---|
|
Squad to the 2022 Oceania 7s :
Players |
---|
Derrick Voku |
Emmanuel Alfred |
Benjamin Boas |
Benson Hayai |
Benjamin Kennedy |
Mhustapha Kura |
Kunak Late |
Kadum Mais |
Richard Mautu |
Shaun Ongapa |
Edward Ramit |
Jacky Winas |
Squad to 2022 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series - Men's tour [18] |
---|
|
The Papua New Guinea national rugby union team, nicknamed the Pukpuks,, played its 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, 2011 and 2015 World Cups, but did not qualify.
The Fiji women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Fiji, representing them at rugby union. They played their first test against Samoa in 2006, and compete annually in the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship. In 2022, they created history when they scored the third-highest points in both Men's and Women's Rugby at the Oceania Championship when they trounced Papua New Guinea 152–0. They made their first Rugby World Cup appearance at the delayed tournament in New Zealand.
Sport in Oceania varies from country to country. The most popular playing sport for men in Australia is Australian rules football, while for women is netball. Australian rules football is the most popular sport in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. Rugby union is the most popular sport among New Zealanders, while in Papua New Guinea rugby league is the most popular. While, Cricket is the most popular overall sport in Oceania.
The Oceania Rugby Women's Sevens Championship is the regional championship for women's international rugby sevens in Oceania. The tournament is held over two days, typically on a weekend. It is sanctioned and sponsored by Oceania Rugby, which is the rugby union governing body for the region.
The Fiji women's national rugby sevens team represents Fiji at regional and international sevens tournaments.
The Papua New Guinea women's national rugby sevens team represents Papua New Guinea in international women's rugby sevens tournaments. They are regular participants at the Oceania Women's Sevens Championship and Pacific Games.
The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union, or Rugby PNG is the governing body for rugby union in Papua New Guinea. It was established in 1962 and was affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1993.
The Vanuatu Rugby Football Union, or VRFU, is the governing body for rugby union in Vanuatu. It was established in the 1960s, but only became fully affiliated to the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 1999.
The Papua New Guinea women's national rugby union team played their first international against Fiji in 2016. They compete annually in the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship, and have not qualified for the Rugby World Cup as yet.
Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship is an international women's rugby union competition contested by women's national teams from Oceania. The current Champions are Samoa who claimed their first Oceania title at the Championship in Australia. Fiji has won the most titles with three.
The 2019 Oceania Sevens Championship was the twelfth Oceania Sevens tournament in men's rugby sevens. It served as the regional qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Sevens and was held at ANZ Stadium in Suva, Fiji on 7–9 November. A competition for deaf teams was also included as part of the 2019 Oceania Sevens.
Fatima Rama is a Papua New Guinean football and rugby player. She played as a forward in football for the Papua New Guinea women's national football team. She has also represented PNG in rugby sevens and fifteens.
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The 2022 Oceania Sevens Championship was held in Pukekohe, New Zealand on 24–26 June 2022. The event was the fourteenth Oceania Sevens tournament in men's rugby sevens. The competition was the final official tournament for Oceania Rugby national teams ahead of the Commonwealth Games Sevens in Birmingham. It was played as a double round-robin format at Navigation Homes Stadium. New Zealand won the tournament, with Australia VII Selection as runner-up.
The 2022 Oceania Women's Sevens Championship was held in Pukekohe, New Zealand on 24–26 June. It was the eleventh edition of the Oceania Championship in women's rugby sevens.
Fulori Nabura is a Fijian rugby union player.
Ilisapeci Delaiwau is a Fijian rugby union player.
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Ema Masi is a Fijian rugby union player.
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