Pacific Championships / Week 1
All games are streaming in New Zealand on Sky Sport Now. See below for a full schedule of games and start times.
About the Pacific Rugby League Championship
This is a reinvention of The Oceania Cup which began with a single tournament in 2019 before getting derailed by the COVID pandemic. Australia won that tournament, but it will be remembered for Tonga's epic victory over the Kangaroos (becoming only the third nation to beat the Australian men's rugby league team).
In the years since, the Australian Rugby League have given the concept a spit and polish, leading to this 2023 Pacific Championship involving men's and women's international teams from the Southern Hempisphere.
The comp will be played in three groups: the Pacific Cup (for three top ranked men's teams), the Pacific Bowl (for three lower ranked teams), and a selection of women's matches.
Tonga will not play in this edition, due to previous commitments to tour the UK.
When does the the Pacific Rugby League Championship start?
The tournament kicks off on 14 October 2023, with Australia taking on Samoa.
The Cup and Bowl teams play each other once, and then the top two qualifiers play finals on November 4 and 5.
What teams are playing the Pacific Rugby League Championship?
Pacific Cup: Australia, New Zealand, Samoa
Pacific Bowl: Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea
Women’s: Australia, , Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga
