Kumuls Arrive

The Kumuls have arrived back to the country after losing all the pool B games at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. 

Meanwhile PAPUA New Guinea has made a bid to host the Kumuls’ pool matches for the 2017 World Cup Rugby League tournament. 

The 2017 edition of World Cup rugby league will be co-hosted by closest neighbours Australia and New Zealand. 

Sports Minister Justin Tkatchencko said he is expecting a positive response in six months time to give PNG the opportunity to host the Kumuls matches in Port Moresby. 

He described his World Cup trip as an eye-opener for his Ministry where they visited many different sporting facilities such as the soccer stadiums and saw how they operated and ran these facilities. 

“The trip was fantastic, positive trip,” he said.

Tkatchenko has negotiated with the head of World Cup Committee allocate World Cup games to be played in PNG. 

If all goes well the PNG pool games will be played in Port Moresby. Twelve games are expected to be played at the Lloyd Robson Oval, which is getting a massive facelift in preparation for the Pacific Games in 2015. 

Tkatchenko said many positives came out of the trip. 

He used the opportunity to encourage Papua New Guineans to get behind Team Kumul.

The boys did their best, he said. 

“We have wasted five years of bickering which distracted Team Kumuls preparation.”