PNG Orchids blitz France

The Papua New Guinea Orchids demolished France with a 58-4 drubbing in the opening round of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup on Saturday, October 17th, at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. 

Playing against France for the first World Cup on home soil, the Orchids put on a clinical show and delivered the biggest winning margin to start their international campaign on the front foot.

PNG ran rings around the visitors in the first half, scoring 7 unanswered tries through Relna Wuruki-Hosea, Shellie Long, Fleur Ginn, Tia Molo, Naomi Kelly (two tries), and Ivania Wong while France scored a try, trailing the home side 38-4 at halftime.

The red-hot Orchids continued their attacking raid in the second half, bagging five additional tries through Fleur Ginn, Tia Molo, Naomi Kelly (2 tries), and Shellie Long, annihilating the struggling French women.

Center Tia Molo won the player of the match with 2 tries, 2 try assists, and over 100 meters. Naomi Kelly scored 4 tries, equaling Belinda Gwasamun’s 4 tries in the 2022 World Cup. Relna Wuruki-Hosea and Ivania Wong scored a try each, while Fleur Ginn and Shellie Long scored two tries, respectively.

The Orchids made a statement at Papua New Guinea’s spiritual rugby league home ground, with captain Elsie Albert saying the team’s preparation throughout the week had paid off handsomely. 

“It was a great win in front of the home crowd. We had a good preparation leading up to this game, and I thought everyone went out there and did exactly what we needed to do. Great to be back home playing, and it’s awesome to get the win in front of the crowd,” she said.  

PNG Orchids rookie coach Graig Sandercock was impressed with the comprehensive victory, praising the players for their well-earned win.  

“I’m really pleased for the players. They’ve trained so hard since we came into the camp, and they want to get better and learn. I’m really pleased for them, and having the crowd support today was absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t be happier for the players because they deserved it,” he said.

The PNG women look to replicate Saturday’s performance against the confident Fiji Bulikula side when they host the Fijian women on Saturday, October 24th, at Santos National Football Stadium. 

The last time the Orchids won a World Cup match before their 58–4 victory over France was on November 6, 2022, during the 2021/2022 World Cup group stages. The win over France was a memorable one to kick off their campaign.