People in Papua New Guinea really love their rugby league
news.com.au
11 minutes ago
EVERY year the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII plays against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby at the end of the season.
Game day is always special. NRL players who are lucky enough to get the chance to play in the annual fixture always speak about the incredible atmosphere born out of the sheer passion the locals have for their rugby league.
The stadium is packed, the noise is deafening and you can see the joy Papua New Guineans get from watching their sporting heroes from Down Under written all over their faces from miles away.
But this is something else.
The PM’s XIII touched down in the PNG capital roughly 48 hours before game time and already they could see just what their stay in the Pacific would be like.
Thousands of screaming fans crammed outside the airport to get a glimpse of the footy stars. They squashed close together near the exits, flattened themselves up against the windows of the team bus and even climbed high on top of ledges to get the best view possible.
Roosters back-rower Boyd Cordner uploaded footage of the team’s arrival on Instagram, as did Dragons and NSW forward Tyson Frizell.
Someone in Frizell’s video can be heard saying “Holy crap” in reference to the crazy scenes when they managed to pile into the bus.
That there was this much action well before the game is played is incredible. Can you imagine something like that ever unfolding for a visiting team at an Australian airport well in advance of the actual match?
The two teams will do battle on Saturday, and Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has made no secret of the fact that the clash will be used as an official trial for the 24-man Four Nations squad to be announced next month.
Greg Inglis will captain the side.
“Greg is an outstanding leader and his selection in the team and as captain shows the mindset I have around this game,” Meninga was quoted as saying by
NRL.com.
“I want to select the strongest team possible. All players who play in the Prime Minister’s XIII game will be genuine chances of playing in the Four Nations.”
