Cook Islands national rugby league team

Cook Islands
Team information
Nickname	Aitu, Kuki's
Governing body	Cook Islands Rugby League Association
Region	Asia-Pacific
Head coach	Karmichael Hunt
Captain	Esan Marsters
IRL ranking	10th
Uniforms
	First colours
	First colours
Team results
	First international
	Cook Islands 22-8 Niue ; (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 1986)
	Biggest win
	Cook Islands 66-6 South Africa ; (Sydney, Australia; 2019)
	Biggest defeat
	Tonga 92-10 Cook Islands ; (Middlesbrough, England; 31 October 2022)
	World Cup
Appearances	3 (first time in 2000)
Best result	Group stage, 2000; 2013; 2021.

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.

History

1990s

Before 1995, the Cooks' international experience was limited to participation in the Pacific Cup, and hosting the touring British Amateur Rugby League Association Great Britain Amateur teams. Nonetheless, the sizeable number of expatriate Cook Islanders living and playing in New Zealand has ensured that they have never been short of players with rugby league experience.

They won the 1995 Emerging Nations tournament, defeating United States, Russia and Scotland before beating Ireland in the final.

In 1996 and 1997 the Cook Islands competed in the Super League World Nines. They also played several full internationals against other South Pacific nations, most notably as part of the Papua New Guinea 50th Anniversary Tournament in October 1998. 2000 saw the Cook Islands competing in the World Cup for the first time. They finished third in their pool after losing to Wales^[1] and the Kiwis and only managing a draw against Lebanon.

2000s

The Cook Islands successfully toured New Zealand in 2005 with a three test series against the New Zealand Māori ending in a draw after the first test was drawn 26–26 and the second and third tests were split between both sides.

The Cook Islands played Fiji,^[2] Tonga and Samoa in the Pacific pool of Qualifying for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Fiji and Tonga qualified, and Samoa earned a second chance in the repecharge round. The Cook Islands, having lost to all three teams, were eliminated.

The Cook Islands participated in the 2009 Pacific Cup. Having beaten Samoa to earn a place in the tournament, they went on to defeat favourites Fiji and earn a place in the final of the competition.^[3]

2010s

The Cook Islands were given automatic entry into the 2013 Rugby League World Cup they were placed in Pool D alongside Wales and the United States before playing an Inter-Group match against Tonga. Going into the Tournament, 'the Kukis' had never won a World Cup match. The team lost to the USA and to Tonga, but they won their last match against the Tournament co-hosts Wales, making history for the sport of rugby league in the Cook Islands. This is the Cook Islands' best Rugby League World Cup result to date.

In October 2015 the Cook Islands took on Tonga in the Asia-Pacific elimination play-off to determine which of the two Asia-Pacific nations would qualify for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. After a tight first half, the Tongans would go on win the match scoring 16 points within the last 20 minutes of the game.

In June 2019, Cook Islands took on South Africa at Ringrose Park in Wentworthville, winning 66–6. They then went on to play the United States at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville in November. They won 38–16, qualifying them into the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. At the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, the Cook Islands narrowly beat part timers Wales 18-12 before losing their second group stage match against Papua New Guinea. In their final group stage match, the Cook Islands suffered their worst ever defeat as they were beaten 92-10 by Tonga at the Riverside Stadium.^[4]

Players

Current squad

The Cook Islands squad for the 2024 Pacific Championships. The squad was announced on 9 October 2024.^[5]^[6]
Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project.

J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Cook Islands						Club	NRL		SL		Other Reps
J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Dbt	M	T	G	F	P	Club	CM	TM	CM	TM	Other Reps
7	Esan Marsters	28	Fullback, Halfback	2015	10	2	0	0	8	Huddersfield Giants	0	86	39	39	6 4
2	Steven Marsters	25	Wing	2019	10	5	29	0	78	Thirroul Butchers	0	6	0	0
3	Reubenn Rennie	29	Centre	2016	9	3	0	0	12	Toulouse Olympique	0	0	0	0
4	Delahia Wigmore	—	Centre, Lock	2024	2	0	0	0	0	Canberra Raiders	0	0	0	0
1	Esom Ioka	21	Wing, Fullback	2023	4	3	1	0	14	Western Clydesdales	0	0	0	0
6	Brad Takairangi	35	Five-eighth, Centre	2009	14	1	3	0	10	South West Goannas	0	178	0	24	4 2
15	Mason Teague	21	Halfback, Lock	2024	2	0	0	0	0	Dolphins (NRL)	8	8	0	0
8	Tepai Moeroa	29	Prop	2019	6	0	0	0	0	Melbourne Storm	22	134	0	0	1 1
9	Rua Ngatikaura	24	Hooker	2022	6	1	0	0	4	North Sydney Bears	0	0	0	0
10	Davvy Moale	21	Prop	2022	8	3	0	0	12	South Sydney Rabbitohs	54	54	0	0
21	Alex Glenn	36	Second-row	2017	3	1	0	0	4		0	285	0	0
12	Reuben Porter	27	Second-row	2017	8	0	0	0	0	Wests Tigers	8	8	0	0
13	Pride Petterson-Robati	29	Lock, Prop	2019	7	0	0	0	0	Souths Logan Magpies	0	0	0	0
11	Zane Tetevano	33	Second-row, Prop	2009	12	0	0	0	0	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0	121	0	46	3 1
16	Rhys Dakin	—	Prop	2023	3	0	0	0	0	Newtown Jets	0	0	0	0
18	Junior Teroi	—	Hooker, Second-row	2024	2	0	0	0	0	Bulimba Valley Bulldogs	0	0	0	0
20	Makahesi Makatoa	31	Prop	2015	9	1	0	0	4	Parramatta Eels	56	56	0	0
5	Rixson Andrew	—	Wing, Fullback	2024	1	0	0	0	0	Souths Logan Magpies	0	0	0	0
17	Justin Makirere	—	Prop	2023	3	0	0	0	0	Ipswich Jets	0	0	0	0
14	Kobe Tararo	25	Second-row	2017	2	0	0	0	0	Souths Logan Magpies	0	0	0	0
19	Malachi Morgan	—	Wing	2023	2	0	0	0	0	Helensvale Hornets	0	0	0	0
–	Xavier Willison	22	Prop	2022	1	0	0	0	0	Brisbane Broncos	30	30	0	0	1

Notes

Clubs outside the NRL and Super League are shaded in the above table.
Three members of the squad have previously played for another national team.
- New Zealand (3): Marsters, Takairangi, Tetevano
Five squad members have played for other representative teams:
- Māori All Stars (4): Marsters, Takairangi, Tetevano, Willison
- NRL All Stars team (1): Moeroa
- Prime Minister's XIII (1): Moeroa
Two squad members played for northern hemisphere clubs in 2024: Esan Marsters for Huddersfield Giants and Reubenn Rennie for Toulouse Olympique.
Eight squad members played in NSWRL competitions during 2024. Four also played in NRL matches. Three played in NSW Cup matches only: Rhys Dakin (Newtown Jets), Ruatapu Ngatikaura (North Sydney Bears), and Zane Tetevano (Canterbury Bulldogs). Delahia Wigmore played Jersey Flegg for Canberra.
Six members played in the 2024 Queensland Cup: Esom Ioka (Western Clydesdales), Justin Makirere (Ipswich Jets), Kobe Tararo and Rixson Andrew (both Souths Logan Magpies). Two also played in NRL matches.
Five members played in lower tiers: Steven Marsters for Thirroul Butchers in Illawarra, Malachi Morgan for Helensvale Hornets on the Gold Coast, Brad Takairangi for the South West Goannas in Macarthur, Junior Teroi for Bulimba Valley Bulldogs in Brisbane A Grade, and Zane Tetevano for Wyong Roos in Newcastle.

Competitive record

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Cook Islands national XIII at test level up until 6 November 2023.^[7]

Opponent	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
American Samoa	1	1	0	0	100%	22	20	+2
Fiji	13	5	1	7	38.46%	219	349	–130
Ireland	1	1	0	0	100%	22	6	+16
Lebanon	3	2	1	0	66.67%	80	66	+14
New Zealand	2	0	0	2	0%	10	134	–124
New Zealand Maori	12	4	1	7	33.33%	216	312	–96
New Zealand	2	0	0	2	0%	10	134	–124
New Zealand Residents	2	0	0	2	0%	6	62	–56
Niue	3	2	0	1	66.67%	67	74	–7
Papua New Guinea	7	0	0	7	0%	94	270	–176
Rotuma	1	0	0	1	0%	10	17	–17
Russia	1	1	0	0	100%	58	20	+38
Samoa	9	2	0	7	22.22%	128	386	–258
Scotland	1	1	0	0	100%	21	10	+11
South Africa	1	1	0	0	100%	66	6	+60
Tokelau	1	1	0	0	100%	19	10	+9
Tonga	12	1	0	11	8.33%	151	425	–274
United States	3	2	0	1	66.67%	122	56	+66
Wales	3	2	0	1	66.67%	52	74	–22
Total	78	26	3	49	33.33%	1373	2431	–1058

Rugby League World Cup

Rugby League World Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA
1954	did not participate
1957
1960
1968
1970
1972
1975
1977
1985–88
1989–92
1995	did not qualify
2000	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	38	144
2008	did not qualify
2013	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	64	78
2017	did not qualify
2021	Group stage	11th	3	1	0	2	44	136
Total	–	–	9	2	1	6	146	358

Other competitions

The Cook Islands have also participated in:

Pacific Cup (since 1986)
Super League World Nines (1996, 1997)
Super League Oceania Tournament (1997)
Papua New Guinea 50th Anniversary Tournament (1998)
Pacific Rim Competition (2004)

IRL Rankings

IRL Men's World Rankings v t e
Official rankings as of 30 June 2024
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		Australia	100
2		New Zealand	82
3		England	80
4		Samoa	67
5		Tonga	49
6	1	Fiji	47
7	1	Papua New Guinea	46
8		France	28
9		Lebanon	22
10		Cook Islands	20
11		Serbia	19
12		Netherlands	17
13		Italy	15
14	1	Greece	15
15	1	Malta	14
16		Ireland	14
17		Wales	13
18		Jamaica	10
19		Scotland	9
20		Ukraine	7
21		Czech Republic	7
22		Germany	6
23	3	Chile	6
24		Poland	6
25	3	Norway	6
26	1	Kenya	5
27	4	Philippines	5
28	3	South Africa	4
29		Nigeria	4
30		Ghana	4
31	2	United States	4
32	4	Montenegro	4
33	2	Brazil	3
34	2	Turkey	3
35	7	North Macedonia	3
36	2	Bulgaria	3
37	2	Cameroon	2
38	1	Spain	2
39	1	Japan	1
40	1	Albania	1
41	5	Canada	1
42	2	Colombia	1
43	2	El Salvador	1
44	1	Morocco	1
45		Russia	0
46	2	Sweden	0
47	2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0
48	2	Hungary	0
49	3	Argentina	0
50		Hong Kong	0
51	3	Solomon Islands	0
52	5	Niue	0
53	1	Latvia	0
54	1	Denmark	0
55	6	Belgium	0
56	1	Estonia	0
57	6	Vanuatu	0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

References

^ "Wales vs. Cook Islands". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
^ "Fiji thrash the Cook Islands in league world cup qualifier". RNZ. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
^ "Cook Islands book place in Pacific Cup with impressive win". RNZ. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
^ "Tonga 92-10 Cook Islands: Tonga close Rugby League World Cup group in style". BBC Sport.
^ "Cook Islands Squad List". facebook. NRL. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
^ "2024 Pacific Championships: Full squad lists". NRL. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
^ "Head to Head". Rugby League Planet. Retrieved 18 December 2020.

External links

[1] "Wales vs. Cook Islands". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

[2] "Fiji thrash the Cook Islands in league world cup qualifier". RNZ. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

[3] "Cook Islands book place in Pacific Cup with impressive win". RNZ. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

[4] "Tonga 92-10 Cook Islands: Tonga close Rugby League World Cup group in style". BBC Sport.

[5] "Cook Islands Squad List". facebook. NRL. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.

[6] "2024 Pacific Championships: Full squad lists". NRL. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.

[7] "Head to Head". Rugby League Planet. Retrieved 18 December 2020.

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v t e Cook Islands national rugby league team
Federation	Cook Islands Rugby League Association
Statistics	Players Captains Coaches Records Results World Cup

v t e Rugby league in Oceania
Main articles	Australia Cook Islands Fiji New Zealand Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tokelau Tonga
Major federations	Asia-Pacific Australia Cook Islands Fiji New Zealand Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga
Major competitions	Australia Cook Islands Fiji New Zealand Papua New Guinea Tonga Solomon Islands
National teams	American Samoa Australia Cook Islands East Timor Fiji Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Caledonia New Zealand Niue Norfolk Island Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tahiti Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Wallis and Futuna
Women's national teams	Australia Cook Islands Fiji New Zealand Niue Papua New Guinea Samoa Tokelau Tonga
Pacific Cup	1975 1977 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 2004 2006 2009
Pacific Rugby League International	2010 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2022
Oceania Cup	2019 ~~2020~~
International competitions	Anzac Test Four Nations Peter Leitch QSM Challenge Trophy Pacific Games
National competitions	Fiji National Rugby League Competition National Rugby League NZRL National Competition Digicel Cup Tonga National Rugby League

v t e Rugby League Pacific Championships
Australia M W Cook Islands M W Fiji M W New Zealand M W Papua New Guinea M W Samoa M W Tonga M W
Tournaments	2019 ~~2020~~ 2023 2024
Squads	2019 ~~2020~~ 2023 2024

v t e National sports teams of the Cook Islands
Basketball Beach soccer Cricket M W Football M M U-20 M U-17 W W U-20 W U-17 Futsal Handball M-Y M-J Netball Rugby league M W Rugby union M M U-20 M7 W7
Olympics Commonwealth Games