rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
tournament held between Pacific teams. The tournament was played over eight days and in six countries. It featured an uneven draw with every team playing twice, except for
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
and the
New Zealand XIII
The New Zealand Residents (also previously known as New Zealand 'A', New Zealand XIII, the Lion Red Cup XIII and currently known as the Bartercard Premiership Selection) are a New Zealand rugby league football representative side that is selected f ...
side who both played three times, and no final.
Background
The tournament was a hastily arranged replacement for the cancelled 1996
Pacific Cup
The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region.
History
The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.1997 Oceania Cup
The 1997 Oceania Cup was an international Rugby league, rugby league football tournament played in the Pacific region. The tournament was operated and contested by Super League-aligned countries during the Super League war as an alternative to the ...
. The tournament was held during the
Superleague war
The Super League war was a commercial competition between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the Australian Super League to establish pre-eminence in professional rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s.
Super ...
that was severely affecting international rugby league at this time.
Richard Piakura
Richard Piakura (born 1 July 1976) is a Cook Island former high jumper, professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played representative level rugby league (RL) for the Cook Islands, and at club l ...
Cameron Bell
Cameron Bell (born 18 September 1986) is a Scottish football coach and former player. Bell played as a goalkeeper for several Scottish clubs and once for the Scotland national team.
Bell began his senior career with Kilmarnock and, after loa ...
Paul Rauhihi
Paul Rauhihi (born 3 July 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. Rauhihi played in both the National Rugby League and Super League as a .
Background
Rauhihi was born in Porirua, New Zeal ...
and
Matthew Sturm
Matthew Sturm (born 13 December 1972) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in New Zealand and in the Super League. Since 2007 he has been part of the Mount Albert Lions, as a player till 2012 and now part of the coaching s ...
.
*The
New Zealand XIII
The New Zealand Residents (also previously known as New Zealand 'A', New Zealand XIII, the Lion Red Cup XIII and currently known as the Bartercard Premiership Selection) are a New Zealand rugby league football representative side that is selected f ...
were coached by
Gerard Stokes
Gerard James Stokes (1955 – 8 December 2020) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and Coach (sport), coached in the 1980s through to the 2010s, who represented New Zealand national rugby league team, New ...
, captained by
Whetu Taewa
Whetu Taewa (born 19 October 1970) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand six times between 1989 and 1996.
Playing career New Zealand
Whetu was born on the West Coast, New Zealand and started p ...
Earl Va'a
Earl Va'a (born 1 May 1972) Scrum.com is a former
Brian Jellick
Brian Andrew Jellick is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative er, he played his club football in New Zealand, England and Australia.
Playing care ...
,
Denvour Johnston
Denvour Francis Johnston is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in 1993.
Playing career
Johnston played for the Randwick Kingfishers club in the Wellington Rugby League competition. He represented the Cook Islands a ...
,
Jerry Seuseu
Jerry Seuseu (born 19 April 1974) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, as a . He represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level. After retirement he became Wellbeing and Educa ...
,
Stuart Lester
Stuart Lester (born 8 February 1975) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played professionally for Wigan.
His brother, Aaron, played professionally for the Auckland Warriors and Whitehaven.
Playing career
Lester ma ...
,
Boycie Nelson
Boycie Nelson is a New Zealand coach who is the assistant coach of the New Zealand Warriors Holden Cup team and former rugby league former footballer who played as a goal-kicking .
Playing career New Zealand
Nelson grew up playing rugby league ...
,
Doc Murray
David "Doc" Murray (born 10 August 1972) is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former player. His position of preference was as a .
New Zealand career
Murray started his rugby league career playing for the Ellerslie Eagles club in the Auckl ...
,
David Bailey
David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties.
Early life
David Bailey was born at Wh ...
and
Ben Lythe
Ben Lythe (born 14 October 1975 in New Zealand) is a former professional rugby league footballer. His position of preference was at Halfback. He was also a noted goalkicker.
Early years
Hailing from West Auckland, Lythe played for the Mt Albe ...
.
*Tonga included
Paul Koloi
Paul Koloi (born 25 December 1972) is a Tongan rugby league footballer who represented Tonga in the 2000 World Cup.
Playing career
A Riccarton-Lincoln junior in the Canterbury Rugby League, Koloi played for the Canterbury Cardinals in the 19 ...
and
Esau Mann
Esau Mann (born 11 May 1971) is a Tongan former professional rugby league footballer who represented Tonga at the 2000 World Cup. He is a cousin and brother of fellow internationals Duane and George Mann.
Playing career
With the launch of the ...
.
*Western Samoa included
Paki Tuimavave
Paki Tuimavave is a Samoan former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Western Samoa, and at club level for Waitakere City and North Harbour, as a .
Background
Also see '' ...
and
Mike Setefano
Mike Setefano is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
Playing career
Setefano played for the Auckland City Vulcans in the 1994 Lion Red Cup, and toured New Zealand with Western Samoa ...