64-6 in front of a home crowd: Port Moresby torn between hospitality, disappointment and rugby fatigue

What happened

On Saturday, 24 October, the Kumuls faced Toa Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. The hosts trailed only 14-6 at half-time, but Samoa pulled away after the break to win 64-6, scoring 13 tries to one. According to RNZ Pacific, Samoa had around 69 percent of possession and carried the ball more than 2,000 metres, against just under 800 for Papua New Guinea.

For Samoa it was a long-planned trip: the team had worked for almost a year towards playing in Port Moresby and brought along Jarome Luai and Brian To'o, two players signed by the new PNG Chiefs club. The Chiefs are due to join Australia's professional NRL competition in 2028; according to the Post-Courier, 10,000 of the club's jerseys sold out in a single day.

The Kumuls still have a shot at the semi-finals: they must beat England in Wollongong on Friday. Defeat means elimination.

The mood on the ground

The visitors were clearly moved by Port Moresby. Before the match, Samoa coach Ben Gardiner had described an overwhelming welcome in which Samoans and locals greeted the team together. After the game, co-captain Junior Paulo expressly thanked Papua New Guinean fans for the affection and respect shown since the team's arrival, noting that no other country has rugby league as its national sport.

In the Kumuls camp, disappointment prevailed. Captain Rhyse Martin said the team had built towards this World Cup for years and was still in the game at half-time, which made the final score all the more disappointing. Coach Jason Demetriou pointed to turnovers, penalties and playing into the wind in the second half.

Prime Minister James Marape tried to take a wider view, saying rugby league and Pacific friendship were the real winners. He sees the World Cup matches as lessons on the road to the Chiefs' NRL entry. The National newspaper noted that the heavy defeat had not dampened the Pacific spirit and that the bonds on display after the match were genuine.

Critical voices are coming from readers. In a letter to The National, a reader from Jiwaka province urged the government to focus less on rugby fanfare and more on rising food and fuel prices, medicine shortages in hospitals and unemployment. Given the World Cup results, he argued, it must also show how the costly NRL project benefits the wider population.

Voices from the media