Niue national rugby union team

Niue
NicknameTo'a Niue XV
UnionNiue Rugby Football Union
Head coachMetric Ikitoelagi
CaptainLuke Gibb
First colours
World Rugby ranking
Current101 (as of 29 January 2024)
Highest94 (23 November 2020)
First international
 Fiji 124–4  
(Apia, Samoa; 10 September 1983)
Biggest win
  87–0 Nauru 
(Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; 31 August 2019)
Biggest defeat
 Fiji 124–4  
(Apia, Samoa; 10 September 1983)

The Niue Island national rugby union team is the national team of the third tier rugby union playing nation of Niue Island. The team first started playing in 1983 in mainly competes in the Oceania Cup, which it won in 2008.[1] Rugby union in Niue Island is administered by the Niue Rugby Football Union.

Results

Niue's first international match was at the 1983 South Pacific Games in Suva against hosts Fiji. The Niueans managed to score a try against the eventual tournament winners but were defeated by 124–4.[2] The team found success in the 2008 Oceania Cup, defeating New Caledonia by 27–5 in the final on 1 September 2008.[1]

As of 29 May 2013, Niue was ranked 71st in the IRB world rankings. The team had played 10 international matches by that time, four against the Cook Islands and three against Tahiti. Other matches have been against Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.[2]

Players

Some of Niue's best players are professionals in New Zealand. Former Niue captain Matt Faleuka played for Northland before moving to Italian club Overmach Rugby Parma in 2007.

While the Niue and the Cook Islands teams did not compete in the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004 (but not in 2006).

The Niue sevens team have been active in the IRB World Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.

Record

World Cup

World Cup record
Year Qualification status
1987 Not invited
1991 did not enter
1995 did not enter
1999 did not enter
2003 did not qualify
2007 did not qualify
2011 did not qualify
2015 did not qualify
2019 did not qualify

Overall

Against Played Won Lost Drawn % Won
 Cook Islands 7 2 5 0 28.57%
 Fiji 1 0 1 0 0%
 Nauru 1 1 0 0 100%
 New Caledonia 2 2 0 0 100%
 Papua New Guinea 3 0 3 0 0%
 Solomon Islands 3 1 2 0 33.33%
 Tahiti 4 3 1 0 75%
 Vanuatu 2 2 0 0 100%
Total 23 11 12 0 47.83%

Current squad

The squad was selected for the 2019 Oceania Rugby Cup.

Player Position Club
Luke Gibb (c) Hooker Paremata-Plimmerton RFC
Matthew Jackson Hooker Krueger Crocs
Samuel Ikihega Prop Moorabbin Rams
Stephen Tapuosi Prop Chicago Lions
Morre Tukuniu Prop Southern Marlins
Maloney Taleni Prop Otahuhu RFC
Pierce Makaola Lock Northern Panthers
George Pamatatau Lock North Brisbane Rugby Club
Auston Puhotau Lock North Brisbane Rugby Club
Sagele Harrison Lock Coomera Crushers
Quinton Strickland Flanker Footscray R.U.F.C.
Togatule Kose Flanker Mareeba Gladiators
Nick Laufoli Flanker Kava Club
Randy Liuvaie Number 8 Freyberg Old Boys RFC
Khalum Halo Scrum-half Manukau Rovers RFC
Gavin Patuki Scrum-half Southern Cross
Shaun-Adam Atamu Fly-half Bombay R.F.C.
David Pamatatau Fly-half Coomera Crushers
Anthony Liuvaie Centre Old Boys University RFC
Lepau Feau-Fuhiniu Centre Old Boys University RFC
Dawson Mele Centre Southern Cross
Cyruss Payne Wing Marist Saints
Tui Leatigaga Wing Camden Rugby
Dee Saele Nanai Wing Manukau Rovers
Tonga Tongotongo Wing Manukau Rovers
Kegan Tuhega Fullback Pine Rivers Bears Junior League Club
Logan Norman Fullback Bangor RFC

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Niue take Oceania Cup rugby union final" Archived 16 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, ABC Radio Australia, 1 September 2008
  2. ^ a b "Niue test rugby scores". Rugby International. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015.