Junior Kumuls pull off a historic win over Australian Schoolboys

The Junior Kumuls created history after upsetting the Australian Schoolboys with a gutsy 18-10 win in the Prime Minister’s XIII match on Saturday, 3 October 2026, at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. 

Drawing 22-22 in last year’s PM’s XIII fixture, the match was predicted to go either way this year, with the Junior Kumuls defying the odds and stunning the invincible Australian Schoolboys on home soil.

With the home ground advantage, the Junior Kumuls capitalized on that to shine in the first half. The PNG boys caught the Australian Schoolboys flat-footed, scoring two tries and keeping the Aussies scoreless at the break (10-0).

The boys from Down Under started strong in the second half, registering their first points and reducing the deficit to a respectable margin (10-4). The Junior Kumuls hit back with a try and a penalty goal before the Aussies scored a consolation try, losing by 8 points.

Chief playmaker Ellyjah Birve and five-eight Issac Puan managed the game well in the halves department, while the backline and forwards combined with the spine to upset the Aussies for the first time. 

The PNG NRL Academy Head of Elite Pathway and Junior Kumuls coach, Joe Grima, was filled with an overwhelming joy after the full-time siren sounded.

“It’s really hard to explain. We’ve been trying to beat the Australian Schoolboys for three or four years. There was something special about today. It’s really hard to put it into words,” Grima said.

Coach Grima praised Ellyjah Birve’s leadership and game management: “When you have guys like this (Ellyjah), you don’t really have to teach them how to play rugby league. 

“He won the competition against New South Wales in the U-19, and did the same thing for the Penrith Panthers in the U-21 competition. It’s really easy when we have a fast car and a good driver.” 

Young Birve expressed satisfaction: “It’s unbelievable. We spoke about team legacy throughout the week to leave a legacy behind.

“With the past players and what they did to us to take that one step, it’s amazing that we came out here and created a bit of history for our country.”

The promising half-back said when Grima called him a few weeks ago, he promised the coach that he would create history for PNG, which he did.   

Grima added: “We completed our sets very high and defended quite well, and we didn’t make the errors that we used to make previously.  

“It’s telling me that the game of rugby league is coming forward in truckloads. The players start to understand shapes,  and when we add a bit of the eliteness into a team of Papua New Guineans who are raw-boned, strong, and powerful, it comes together.”

Mr. Grima said the PNG development side will be a force in the near future, explaining that the academy has done wonders for the emerging talents coming through the elite system. 

The head of the PNG development pathway believes that some of the players coming through the PNG NRL Academy will make it to the PNG Chiefs in 2028 and beyond.