Papua New Guinea England
England will play Papua New Guinea in the Quarter Final of the Rugby League World Cup. At the DW Stadium in Wigan on the 5th of November 2022. Kick-off 2.30 pm. In this Ellis Rugby Blog article, we take a look at the beginnings of Rugby League. PNG’s first captain and the England Rugby League 1975 Rugby League World Cup Team’s impact.
Rugby league in Papua New Guinea was first played in the late forties. It was introduced to the nation by Australian soldiers stationed there during and after the Second World War. Papua New Guinea was admitted to the game’s International Federation in 1974.
The country’s first Captain was Paul Chue. He was born and raised in the once-iconic town of East New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The third-generation Chinese half-back played rugby union in his school years. At St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill in Sydney. He was the first boy of Asian heritage to make that school’s rugby first XV when selected in 1963. Following school, he studied commerce at the University of New South Wales.
Back in New Guinea Chue took to rugby league. Playing for the Waratahs and the Sea Eagles in Rabaul while working in the family soft drinks business. And in 1973 captained a Rabaul representative side. In addition, he was selected for New Guinea alongside players from Rabaul, Lae, Goroka Mt Hagen, Madang and Bougainville. To play against Papua for a number of years. Eventually, the Papua versus New Guinea match was abandoned. After the New Guinea team lost at the Papuan Rugby League grounds in Pom. And riots caused injuries to many innocent people.
He made his sole national representative appearance for the Kumuls in their debut international match against England in Port Moresby in 1975. That match was played to celebrate the new nation’s independence. But, a few years earlier Kumul’s team including Chue went on tour to Australia. They played against the likes of Bundaberg and Northern Queensland.
Chue’s business career was with the PNG soft drink firm Pacific Industries Ltd. Founded by his father Gabriel Achun Chue. Paul Chue ran that business from 1968. And was later succeeded by his son Everett.