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.

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 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, 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.

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.

Players

Current squad The Cook Islands squad for the 2025 Pacific Championships and 2026 World Cup qualification playoff. The squad was announced via social media on 7 October 2025.

Jersey numbers in the table reflect selections for the World Cup Qualifier versus the South Africa Rhinos

Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project. They include the match against Papua New Guinea on 25 October 2025. J# Player Age Position(s) Cook Islands Club Club Matches Other Representative Matches 1 22 2023 6 4 9 0 34 Northern Pride RLFC 0 52 2 29 2019 7 4 0 0 16 Toulouse Olympique 0 159 3 25 2019 10 2 0 0 8 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 38 0 4 30 2016 11 5 0 0 20 Toulouse Olympique 0 165 5 0 0 0 0 0 Souths Logan Magpies 0 0 6 2025 2 0 0 0 0 Wynnum Manly Seagulls 0 2 7 29 2015 12 2 0 0 8 Salford Red Devils 145 37 6 4 8 32 2015 11 1 0 0 4 Sydney Roosters 61 164 9 22 2024 4 0 0 0 0 Newcastle Knights 8 57 10 22 2022 8 3 0 0 12 South Sydney Rabbitohs 70 14 11 23 2022 5 0 0 0 0 Brisbane Broncos 54 29 12 29 2017 3 2 0 0 8 New Zealand Warriors 157 41 13 30 2019 9 1 0 0 4 Souths Logan Magpies 0 97 14 25 2022 8 2 0 0 8 South Sydney Rabbitohs 0 48 15 28 2017 10 0 0 0 0 Western Suburbs Magpies 8 126 1 16 2023 5 1 0 0 4 Norths Devils 0 21 17 24 2023 5 0 0 0 0 Sydney Roosters 0 61 18 19 0 0 0 0 0 Melbourne Storm 0 0 2025 2 1 0 0 4 New Zealand Warriors 0 1 2024 3 1 0 0 4 Penrith Panthers 0 1 26 2019 3 0 0 0 0 Norths Devils 0 14 30 2019 7 0 0 0 0 Western Suburbs Red Devils 134 32 1 1 36 2009 14 1 3 0 10 South West Goannas 202 3 4 2 Notes: KL Iro was named captain for the Round 1 match after 2024 captain Brad Takairangi withdrew due to an injury. Takairangi was replaced in the Round 1 team by Caelys-Paul Putoko, who had been added to the squad. Rhys Dakin was added to the squad and named in the team for Cook Islands' first round match, after initially being omitted. Initial selections Davvy Moale and Marata Niukore were not named for Cook Islands' first round match. The shading in the Clubs column of the above table indicates players selected from teams outside the 2025 NRL season First Tier Salford Red Devils (Super League) (1): Marsters Second Tier Northern Pride (Qld Cup) (1): Ioka Norths Devils (Qld Cup) (2): Makirere and Tamarua Souths Logan Magpies (Qld Cup) (1): Porter Toulouse Olympique (RFL Championship) (2): Rennie and Ulberg Western Suburbs Magpies (NSW Cup) (1): Porter New Zealand Warriors (NSW Cup) (1): Caelys-Paul Putoko Wynnum Manly Seagulls (Qld Cup) (1): Cowley Third Tier South West Goannas (Macarthur RL) (1): Takairangi Western Suburbs Red Devils (Illawarra RL) (1): Moeroa Souths Logan Magpies (Brisbane A Grade) (1): Stoltman Amare Milford played for Melbourne Storm in the SG Ball Cup in early 2025. Two members of the squad have previously played for another national team. (3): Marsters and Takairangi Four squad members have played for other representative teams: Māori All Stars (3): Marsters, Porter, and Takairangi NRL All Stars team (1): Moeroa Prime Minister's XIII (1): Moeroa

Competitive record

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Cook Islands national XIII at test level up until 23 October 2025. OpponentMatchesWonDrawnLostWin %ForAgaDiff 1 1 0 0 % 22 20 +2 15 5 1 9 % 251 449 –198 1 1 0 0 % 22 6 +16 3 2 1 0 % 80 66 +14 2 0 0 2 % 10 134 –56 New Zealand Maori 12 4 1 7 % 216 312 –96 New Zealand Residents 2 0 0 2 % 10 134 –124 3 2 0 1 % 67 74 –7 8 0 0 8 % 114 312 –198 Rotuma 1 0 0 1 % 10 17 –17 1 1 0 0 % 58 20 +38 8 2 0 6 % 112 334 –222 1 1 0 0 % 21 10 +11 1 1 0 0 % 66 6 +60 1 1 0 0 % 19 10 +9 12 1 0 11 % 151 425 –274 3 2 0 1 % 122 56 +66 3 2 0 1 % 52 74 –22 Total 78 26 3 49 % 1,403 2,459 –1056

Rugby League World Cup

Rugby League World Cup recordYearResultPosition 1954did not participate 1957 1960 1968 1970 19721975 19771985–881989–92 1995did not qualify 2000 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 38 144 2008did not qualify 2013 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 64 78 2017did not qualify 2021 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 44 136Total––9216146358

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

See also

Rugby league in the Cook Islands

References

External links Google-Video