The 2023 Rugby League Pacific Championships was the second edition of the Rugby League Pacific Championships and the first under its current name (having previously been called the Oceania Cup in 2019). The championship included a collection of international rugby league tournaments to be played from October to November 2023 between nations located in the Pacific region.
The competition was played in three groupings: the Pacific Cup for higher ranking men's teams, the Pacific Bowl for lower ranking men's teams, and a section of women's matches played throughout.
A total of 101 tries were scored in the 13 full international matches at an average of 7.8 tries per game. There were 67 tries in the eight men's games (average 8.4) and 34 tries in five women's matches (average 6.8). A further ten tries were scored in the men's match between New Zealand A and Tonga A. Top try-scorer honours were shared by three men's players: Nene McDonald, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jamayne Isaako, with four tries each. The top try-scorers from the women's internationals, with three each, were Abigail Roache and Mele Hufanga.
Background The Pacific Rugby League Championships was announced August 2023, as part of a $7 million investment by the NRL and Australian Government to develop rugby league in the surrounding countries. The tournament serves a continuation of the Oceania Cup which had one edition in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural Pacific Championships would be held across Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.
Teams Squads
Men's teams CompetitionTeamWorldranking Coach Captain Pacific Cup 1 Mal Meninga James Tedesco 2 Michael Maguire James Fisher-Harris 3 Ben Gardiner Junior Paulo Pacific Bowl 13 Karmichael Hunt Brad Takairangi 7 Wise Kativerata Tui Kamikamica 6 Justin Holbrook Kyle Laybutt
Women's teams CompetitionTeamWorldrankingCoachCaptain Women 1 Brad Donald Kezie Apps and Ali Brigginshaw 6 Rusty Matua Ngatokotoru Arakua 19 Josaia Dakuitoga Josephine Maejiirs 2 Ricky Henry Georgia Hale and Raecene McGregor 5 Ben Jeffries Sera Koroi and Belinda Gwasamun (replaced the named but injured Elsie Albert) 20 Jamie Soward Niall Williams Guthrie 16 Kelvin Wright Tiana Penitani
Venues
Five venues across three countries were selected to host the Championships. Auckland, New Zealand: Eden Park hosted three matches on 21 October 2023, including the second Pacific Cup match between New Zealand and Samoa, a women's match between New Zealand and Tonga, and a men's match between New Zealand A and Tonga A. Hamilton, New Zealand: Waikato Stadium hosted the Pacific Cup final on 4 November 2023. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium hosted a double-header on 28 October 2023, which featured men's and women's matches between Australia and New Zealand. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: PNG Football Stadium hosted all four Pacific Bowl matches, including the final, over a four-week period, as well as two women's matches. Townsville, Australia: North Queensland Stadium hosted a women's match between Australia and New Zealand and the first Pacific Cup match between Australia and Samoa on 14 October 2023.
Officiating Referees and side-line officials for week one matches were announced on 10 October 2023. Appointments for week two were announced on 17 October 2023, with several changes of role.
Referees Grant Atkins Darian Furner Peter Gough Liam Kennedy
Ashley Klein Wyatt Raymond Todd Smith Gerard Sutton
Touch Judges Phil Henderson David Munro Drew Oultram Paki Parkinson
Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski Belinda Sharpe Chris Sutton
Bunker Review Officials Chris Butler Adam Gee
Pacific Cup Standings TeamQualification122007430 +444 Advance to Pacific Cup Final221016836 +322320021288 –760 NB: were intended to participate but had already arranged a tour of England before the tournament was announced.
Fixtures
Pacific Bowl Standings TeamQualification122006534 +314 Advance to Pacific Bowl Final221016253 +92320022868 –400
Fixtures
Women's games A number of women's game were played alongside the men's tournament. The Women's Pacific Championships were inaugurated in 2024.
Fixtures
Other matches
Attendance
The combined attendance for the eight game days was 118,986. Australia 38,728 for the two double-headers in Townsville (18,144) and Melbourne (20,584). New Zealand 36,769 for the triple-header in Auckland (23,269) and men's Cup final in Hamilton (13,500). Papua New Guinea 43,489 for the four game days in Port Moresby. Note that the first two of the four attendance figures (7,133, 7,001, 14,546, and 14,809) are as published on the Rugby League Project website. The combined attendance total counts attendees of each double-header match, and triple-header in Auckland, just once. Average attendance for the eight game days is 14,873.
References