Australian Schoolboys, Australian Schoolgirls V PNG Junior Kumuls, PNG Junior Orchids; Results and Vision

[The Partisan]

 

 

Australian Schoolboys, Australian Schoolgirls, PNG Junior Kumuls, PNG Junior Orchids | NRL.com

 

Junior Kumuls v Australian Schoolboys | NRL.com

 

 

Australian Under 18 Schoolboys team announced | NRL.com

Not sure if this is the actually team that played last weekend. 

 

Juniors start training – The National

 

https://www.thenational.com.pg/juniors-start-training/

Junior Kumuls team.   Not sure if they are in the U/18 category to be honest.  Couple of Australian based players in there too. 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by The Partisan

[UTK]

1 hour ago, The Partisan said:

 

 

Australian Schoolboys, Australian Schoolgirls, PNG Junior Kumuls, PNG Junior Orchids | NRL.com

 

Junior Kumuls v Australian Schoolboys | NRL.com

 

 

Australian Under 18 Schoolboys team announced | NRL.com

Not sure if this is the actually team that played last weekend. 

 

Juniors start training – The National

 

https://www.thenational.com.pg/juniors-start-training/

Junior Kumuls team.   Not sure if they are in the U/18 category to be honest.  Couple of Australian based players in there too. 

 

 

Junior Kumuls were an u20s selection, but I believe there were only 5 that were true u20s and the rest were u19s and below. Lineup and affiliated teams are listed below, 3 Australian-based players involved. 

1. Ragarive Wavik (North Queensland Cowboys)

2. Alton Naiyep (Manly Sea Eagles)

3. Sam Stephenson (Gold Coast Titans)

4. Kevin Yako (Enga Mioks)

5. Anda Endaso (Hela Wigmen)

6. Gairo Voro (Central Dabaris)

7. Felix Beki (Highlands Zone)

8. Raynolds Tai (Unitech)

9. Finlay Glare (Lae Tigers)

10. Gregan Format (Northern Zone)

11. Limbi Henry (Enga Mioks)

12. Sampson Waliling (NGI Zone)

13. Smith Pamundi (Northern Zone)

 

14. Maya Tusa (Enga Mioks)

15. Norman Akunai (Southern Zone)

16. Gabriel Kaupa (Southern Zone)

17. Bruce Bawave (Southern Zone)

18. Makas Richard (Enga Mioks)

 

That Australian Schoolboys team is also pretty much correct, can't find a final team list for them but I do know it's overwhelmingly the same side outside of a replacement or two based on injury/other unavailability between the initial selection and now. 

 

In the last 12 months we've had the inaugural Australian Schoolboys/girls tour of Fiji, Tonga Schoolboys (u16s) inaugural tour of Australia and now this junior clash with PNG. Lots of proactive activity to support the junior domestic development of the Pacific Nations in a short timespan, something that has been sorely needed in the region and is now being fulfilled.

[Dunbar]

That's an excellent result for the Junior Kumuls.  Unlucky to lose to to a try in the last 5 minutes.

Can't believe it has been 5 years since the English Academy has played a SH representative side.

[The Rocket]

14 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

That's an excellent result for the Junior Kumuls.  Unlucky to lose to to a try in the last 5 minutes.

Can't believe it has been 5 years since the English Academy has played a SH representative side.

There`s been a lot of chatter over here that Papua New Guineans as a rule aren`t big enough to provide the pipeline of talent that we would hope for from such a large Rugby League playing nation. From the pictures I saw of that Junior Kumuls side there`s some big strong units in that team.

Edited September 29, 2023 by The Rocket

[UTK]

14 hours ago, Dunbar said:

That's an excellent result for the Junior Kumuls.  Unlucky to lose to to a try in the last 5 minutes.

Can't believe it has been 5 years since the English Academy has played a SH representative side.

One of the more gutting outcomes of the France WC failure was elimination of the Youth World Cup.

Though admittedly an ambitious proposition, such a tournament would promote crucial exposure to professional pathways for all tier 2 nations involved and form a strong incentive for domestic participants.

At the junior level the performance disparity between nations is at its lowest - France and Wales have both beaten England Academy, England have beaten Australia and France/PNG have both managed competitive outings against Australia, even in the U19 Euros we saw Ukraine manage to upset Ireland. There are ways the tournament could be structured to ensure competitive games between all nations while also guaranteeing matches between the top nations.

[nadera78]

22 hours ago, The Rocket said:

There`s been a lot of chatter over here that Papua New Guineans as a rule aren`t big enough to provide the pipeline of talent that we would hope for from such a large Rugby League playing nation. From the pictures I saw of that Junior Kumuls side there`s some big strong units in that team.

Historically, it was true to say that the PNG players were a shorter, stockier build. That would most likely be because of diet (IIRC even just a few years ago 90% of PNGers were substance farmers) and isolation. As those things have changed so would their physical characteristics, we see that the world over as people's diets and living conditions change.

[Bamboozle]

On 29/09/2023 at 12:21, The Rocket said:

There`s been a lot of chatter over here that Papua New Guineans as a rule aren`t big enough to provide the pipeline of talent that we would hope for from such a large Rugby League playing nation. From the pictures I saw of that Junior Kumuls side there`s some big strong units in that team.

It’s always going to be a challenge for the kumuls growing up in a poor 3rd world country when it comes to standards of living and food substances intake etc and that’s why nationwide centres of excellence need to be put in place for the best kumul schoolboy talent from as early as possible i.e. u14’s to u18’s being exposed to the best diets and training programs.

[The Rocket]

On 30/09/2023 at 20:05, nadera78 said:

As those things have changed so would their physical characteristics, we see that the world over as people's diets and living conditions change

Yes and unfortunately as we have seen in the western world, and especially amongst poorer demographics, and that`s what these countries are likely to remain largely as, dietary habits have probably gone backwards with the proliferation of fast food and readily available snacks, as is witnessed by the obesity epidemics in a lot of these cohorts. To put it crudely, more likely to grow outwards before they grow taller.

 

[Gomersall]

On 30/09/2023 at 05:20, UTK said:

At the junior level the performance disparity between nations is at its lowest - France and Wales have both beaten England Academy, England have beaten Australia and France/PNG have both managed competitive outings against Australia, even in the U19 Euros we saw Ukraine manage to upset Ireland. There are ways the tournament could be structured to ensure competitive games between all nations while also guaranteeing matches between the top nations.

I don’t believe the England teams that played Wales and France were the full academy sides more like a selection from the community game.

[Bamboozle]

10 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

I don’t believe the England teams that played Wales and France were the full academy sides more like a selection from the community game.

That’s my belief as well.

the junior kumuls are also u20’s compared to the Aussie schoolboys who were u18.

[UTK]

1 hour ago, Gomersall said:

I don’t believe the England teams that played Wales and France were the full academy sides more like a selection from the community game.

The Community lions play in the u19 European Championships and the recent 4 Home Nations tournament that Wales won. 

France has however regularly beaten the full England Academy selection over the last 10 years and Wales u16s won their first game against the full u16s England Academy in 2017. 

2017 Wales match report - some big names in the England lineup here too: https://rugbyleague.wales/rl-match-report?atkn=QkU3RUVDRjAtMzYzNi00Q0M3LTk0Q0EtMEE4MUI2QkJGMjM4&mid=MjQ4OTIx&tid=MTA1NTU4&optid=MTA1Mjc0

Handful but not all of the France reports to get a picture: 

U19s/2023 (France Loss but demonstrates current gap, rest of reports are wins): https://europeanrugbyleague.com/index.php/fixtures/1235

U16s/2018: https://europeanrugbyleague.com/index.php/fixtures/882

U16s/2018: https://europeanrugbyleague.com/index.php/fixtures/881

U18s/2017: https://europeanrugbyleague.com/index.php/fixtures/829

U18s/2015: https://europeanrugbyleague.com/index.php/fixtures/642

 

[UTK]

1 hour ago, Bamboozle said:

That’s my belief as well.

the junior kumuls are also u20’s compared to the Aussie schoolboys who were u18.

Having the Kumuls at the u20s age is a sensible decision and appropriately demonstrates the talent in the nation. PNG has only just begun building a proper schoolboys system so they can't put out a PNG schoolboys side. 3 players in the team were associated with NRL clubs and only 5 players were in the u20s age group with the other 12 u19s or below.

By comparison, every Australian schoolboy has been playing in schoolboys systems since they were 12 and have all been in NRL-contracted development squads/junior representative teams for the last 4-5 years.

[Gomersall]

On 30/09/2023 at 05:20, UTK said:

One of the more gutting outcomes of the France WC failure was elimination of the Youth World Cup.

Though admittedly an ambitious proposition, such a tournament would promote crucial exposure to professional pathways for all tier 2 nations involved and form a strong incentive for domestic participants.

At the junior level the performance disparity between nations is at its lowest - France and Wales have both beaten England Academy, England have beaten Australia and France/PNG have both managed competitive outings against Australia, even in the U19 Euros we saw Ukraine manage to upset Ireland. There are ways the tournament could be structured to ensure competitive games between all nations while also guaranteeing matches between the top nations.

Europe needs to keep going with their own international youth comps too instead of ad hoc tournaments as and when. I’d like to see one held in England with some matches played prior to SL games. It would be invaluable experience for the players and would put them in the shop window. SL clubs could provide coaching clinics too. I appreciate the financial aspect but Italy managed to host the last one in 2022.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Gomersall

[UTK]

42 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

Europe needs to keep going with their own international youth comps too instead of ad hoc tournaments as and when. I’d like to see one held in England with some matches played prior to SL games. It would be invaluable experience for the players and would put them in the shop window. SL clubs could provide coaching clinics too. I appreciate the financial aspect but Italy managed to host the last one in 2022.

Yeah the u19s European Championships is a brilliant initiative and Europe well and truly had the jump on the SH in the junior internationals arena. I understand why the Lions participate in that version given the strength of the emerging nations but it would be good to see an annual tri-series at full academy level between England/France/Wales. As you say this puts players from each nation in the sights of SL clubs by competing with the best England has to offer. 

Oceania needs to develop their own junior tournament as well, an AUS/NZ/FIJI schools tri-series is in the works but a larger comp needs to be instituted to expose the likes of PNG/Tonga/Samoa as well.