Original Summary

"Back home when we play in front of our own fans, just to see the fans, the crowd get behind us, singing the national anthem... it makes me cry every time." Edwin Ipape gets emotional when travelling with his Papua New Guinea team-mates to the national stadium. Children, so mad about rugby league that they will fashion a ball out of anything they can find, run alongside the team bus, eager to catch a glimpse of their heroes. Players are mobbed wherever they go. The buzz around rugby league in Papua New Guinea can sometimes be daunting for visiting teams. In the past, passion has boiled over to the point where police have fired tear gas into the crowds. But the national game – and in particular its men's national team, the Kumuls – is also a powerful symbol of unity in a land that can be torn apart by tribal fighting and where more than 800 different languages and dialects are spoken. When the PNG fans are at their best and noisiest, a 15,000 crowd can sound like twice that number and is so loud that the players on the field cannot hear each other. They will be at full volume this month when the island's capital Port Moresby is the venue for four Rugby League World Cup matches, as PNG co-hosts the tournament with Australia and New Zealand. "People in Papua New Guinea probably don't know who the prime minister is, but they know all the NRL [National Rugby League] players," joked Elsie Albert, a prop who plays for PNG's women's side – the Orchids – and for Parramatta Eels in Australia's NRL Women's Premiership. So, how has an island perched off Australia's northern tip become so obsessed with the sport? The seeds were sown by Australian miners in the 1930s, who introduced the game, one with deep roots in New South Wales and Queensland, to the local population. It took hold as the devotion spread. The ferocious physicality of rugby league sat easily with the Papuans, who had long fought battles without a ball on their soil. These days, the people of PNG are among the most knowledgeable and passionate. Only the Cook Islands can lay similar claims to an all-out obsession with the game in terms of national importance. Sometimes that fervour spills over, with violence souring matches in their domestic league, something the authorities are keen to stamp out. In the past, tear gas was needed to quell over-excited crowds, such as when Great Britain came to tour in 1992. Generally though, rugby league is more of a peacekeeper. Villages will settle around a television set to watch rugby league, whether it is the NRL or Super League. Participation levels are high. There are thousands of would-be Edwin Ipapes across the island, running about on bits of grass, on gravel, on the scrawniest patch of clear land somewhere, anywhere they can get the ball out and play. The games can be rough, bordering on brutal. They are the perfect breeding ground for talent. But kit can be basic. "If you're lucky enough, you play with a rugby league ball," Ipape recalled of his childhood, growing up in Mount Hagen, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. "Otherwise, you play with containers, you put stuff in it, fill it up and then make it like a ball and whatever... whatever we can get our hands on, we may pretend that it was our rugby ball. "I remember saving up my lunch money to buy myself one of those American footballs and using it as a rugby ball so we could play." Getty Images / Edwin Ipape played for Papua New Guinea at the last Rugby League World Cup in 2022 The Highlands of Papua New Guinea were a testing place to grow up - there is a long history of brutal tribal rivalries. Today, violence in those parts of the country has escalated - as access to increasingly sophisticated weaponry has brought deadly consequences. Ipape, though, only ever had eyes for rugby league. Larsen Marape and Menzie Yere were the heroes of his youth: the faces on the posters adorning his walls in Mount Hagen. The sport not only brings unity to the country - for those who make it to the top, it also offers a chance to cross the globe. Ipape, 27, has played for his country, and travelled worldwide. The hooker now plays in Super League for Leigh Leopards. The 'Birds of Paradise' - as Kumuls translates - have been life-transforming. "Rugby league has given me pretty much everything," he said. "It's instilled discipline and it's taught me a lot of lessons about life. "I've welled up with tears a few times on our way to the stadium in Papua New Guinea, just looking at the young kids running alongside the bus. "I'm so blessed and privileged to be in the position to represent my country. It's a dream I'm living right now." Getty Images / Justin Olam (left) was a star in the NRL with Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers before retiring in 2025 For any young hopeful looking to become the next Ipape, the first goal is to play for a village, then a province. Then it is the PNG Hunters, who play in Australia's Queensland Cup. That can be the ticket to the big leagues, whether that be the NRL - as it was for former Melbourne Storm centre Justin Olam - or Super League, as it has been for Ipape. From 2028 onwards, there will be an NRL team based on the island, the PNG Chiefs. While much of their initial recruitment has been high-profile, such as Samoa half-back Jarome Luai, compatriot Brian To'o, and New Zealand international Joey Manu, Papuan players have also been sought to bolster the ranks. SWPix / Wayne Bennett, then the coach of Great Britain, received a warm welcome from Papuan fans when his team visited the country in 2019 Visiting teams can sometimes find the excitement around rugby league in Papua New Guinea unsettling. Any familiar face from the sport draws attention - but the fans only want to show affection and respect. "We went to a little market and people were recognising us," Leigh Leopards' Papuan hooker Liam Horne told BBC Sport. "We actually needed a lift to go to one of these shopping centres, so we just hitchhiked. "We got this random gu

  • 情报分类：商业与市场研究
  • 分类依据：内容涉及商业、投资或市场动态
  • 信息来源：英语新闻 / BBC News Top Stories
  • 发布时间：2026/10/15 13:37:41