Kumuls ignite the Rugby League World Cup

Papua New Guinean flair, power and passion ignited the Rugby League World Cup tonight as the Kumuls re-emerged on the international stage with a courageous 32-22 loss to England at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville.

Kumuls coach Adrian Lam was overcome with emotion even at halftime of the scintillating match as his team – including just one regular NRL first-grader in Neville Costigan – leapt to a 16-12 halftime lead against their highly fancied opponents.

And there is more to come from Papua New Guinea with coach Adrian Lam saying tonight he believes the side will be just as competitive against Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks.

"Tonight we showed we are a young, courageous and spirited side and I couldn’t be prouder of the way the guys played," Lam said.

“Tonight was a little bit about getting some respect back from the world of Rugby League.

“Guys like David Moore who is just 19, George Kepa who put an outstanding finish on that try, and performances like the one from James Nightingale – we showed we have a lot to look forward to.

“We’ve obviously got a big task against New Zealand next week, and to be honest the last four weeks we have been planning to play and beat England.

“We entered the game truly believing we could win it and if we had a few of the 50/50 calls go our way who knows what could have happened.

“It’s a young team and it’s a team we’re going to grow with over a period of time, as long as we can get more international games year in and year out.

“I think we can be competitive against Australia and New Zealand, same as tonight, but it’s another big step up for us again.”

Local Papua New Guinean player Jesse Joe Parker typified the courageous Kumuls performance, putting his body on the line in a terrific first half before leaving the field with a fractured eye socket.

But with just 16 men and millions of dollars of UK Super League talent opposing them, the Kumuls produced the type of Rugby League fans love to see with a combination of raw power, incredible offloads and pure emotion fuelling an entertaining performance.

A devastating forward pass ruling denied the Kumuls of a 20-12 lead early in the second half, to which England responded and eventually wrapped up the match 32-22, but not before a spirited fight to the finish from the Kumuls had the crowd of 10,780 on their feet.

In fact, those fans present had a difficult time hearing any of the famous Barmy Army chants from English fans, with every Kumuls line break greeted with raucous applause.