Kumuls continue rugby league fairytale

Oct 28, 2017 - 4:31 PM Papua New Guinea loom as dark horses to progress deep in the Rugby League World Cup after a record-breaking win over Wales on Saturday night.

The Kumuls dismantled the Dragons 50-6 in front of 14,800 screaming fans at the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby in hot and humid conditions.

A win next weekend against Ireland at the same ground all but ensures the rugby league-mad nation of a quarter-final berth.

The thrashing of Wales was sweet revenge for Kumuls assistant coach Marcus Bai who played in the 22-8 loss to the Dragons in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup quarter-final.

"It is, looking at that game it was a very cold night and this was a very hot day, so we returned the favour," the former PNG and Melbourne flyer said.

Skipper David Mead, who bagged a hat-trick, lamented the fact the hosts had stopped at 50 points.

"Our ball security to the back end of that second half, I thought if we controlled the ball a bit better it builds more pressure...I think we let them off the hook and could have done a bit more damage," the Brisbane Broncos star said.

2017 has been somewhat of a watershed year for rugby league in Papua New Guinea.

While their passion and love for the game has never been questioned, they have made huge strides on and off the field with their professionalism and dedication.

The PNG Hunters chalked up an emotional last-gasp win to take out the QRL Intrust Super Cup in late September, led by the Boas brothers Ase and Watson in the halves.

Saturday's match was the first ever Rugby League World Cup game in the country, but the players weren't overawed by the occasion.

Despite their ranking of 15th, they look set to do some damage and would make an uncomfortable opponent for any of the traditional powerhouses.

With Mead, centre Nene Macdonald and hookers Kurt Baptiste and James Segeyaro the Kumuls have genuine NRL stars, while the bulk of the squad come from the premiership-winning Hunters side.

Source: AAP