IRL Men's Rugby League World Cup : Pool B & C

Sat 24th October 2026   - KO  14:25 - Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby , Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

6

FT

64

Half Time
6 - 14

Samoa

Tries

Bailey BIONDI-ODO (18)

Sua FAALOGO (1,44)
Spencer LENIU (30)
Stephen CRICHTON (36)
Francis MANULELEUA (47)
Hamiso TABUAI-FIDOW (52,68)
Brian TO'O (58)
Shawn BLORE (65,77)
Ronald VOLKMAN (66)
Izack TAGO (70)
Ata MARIOTA (79)

Goals

Rhyse MARTIN (1/1)

Stephen CRICHTON (1/1)
Chanel HARRIS-TAVITA (2/2)
Ronald VOLKMAN (3/3)

Match Preview | PNG and Samoa meet in second group game in IRL Men's World Cup

Papua New Guinea and Samoa meet on Saturday 24th October in their second group game of the 2026 IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup, with kick-off at 3:25pm local time.

Both sides made impressive starts to their World Cup campaigns, recording emphatic victories in their opening matches. With another two points up for grabs this weekend, both will be looking to strengthen their push for a place in the semi-finals.

Papua New Guinea claimed a 42-18 victory over Lebanon last time out and have made three changes to their starting line-up for the clash with Samoa. Bailey Biondi-Odo, Epel Kapinias and Jack De Belin all come into the side for Saturday’s meeting.

Samoa, meanwhile, ran in a commanding 78-4 victory over France in Sydney last Friday. Sua Faalogo scored four tries after coming off the bench in the first half and has been rewarded with a starting spot on the left wing against PNG. The remainder of the Samoan side remains unchanged as they look to build on their dominant opening performance.

Papua New Guinea (squad): Morea MOREA, Robert DERBY, Zac LAYBUTT, Nene MACDONALD, Dudley DOTOI, Gairo VORO, Bailey BIONDI-ODO, Epel KAPINIAS, Edwin IPAPE, Luca MORETTI, Rhyse MARTIN, Nixon PUTT, Jack DE BELIN, Finley GLARE, Liam HORNE, Valentine RICHARD, Khaiya WAIEMBI, Rodrick TAI, Josh FELEDY, Sylvester NAMO, Sanny WABO, Zev JOHN

Samoa (squad): Hamiso TABUAI-FIDOW, Brian TO'O, Izack TAGO, Stephen CRICHTON, Sua FAALOGO, Chanel HARRIS-TAVITA, Jarome LUAI, Francis MOLO, Benaiah IOELU, Junior PAULO, Connelly LEMUELU, Jermaine MCEWEN, Francis MANULELEUA, Jazz TEVAGA, Spencer LENIU, Shawn BLORE, Ata MARIOTA, Clayton FAULALO, Ronald VOLKMAN, Enari TUALA, Eddie IEREMEA-TOEAVA

20 October 2026
1 Morea MOREA
Full Back
Hamiso TABUAI-FIDOW 1
2 Robert DERBY
Right Wing
Brian TO'O 2
3 Zac LAYBUTT
Right Centre
Izack TAGO 3
4 Rodrick TAI
Left Centre
Stephen CRICHTON 4
5 Dudley DOTOI
Left Wing
Sua FAALOGO 5
6 Gairo VORO
Stand Off
Chanel HARRIS-TAVITA 6
7 Bailey BIONDI-ODO
Scrum Half
Jarome LUAI 7
8 Epel KAPINIAS
Prop
Francis MOLO 8
9 Edwin IPAPE
Hooker
Benaiah IOELU 9
10 Valentine RICHARD
Prop
Junior PAULO 10
11 Rhyse MARTIN
Second Row
Connelly LEMUELU 11
12 Nixon PUTT
Second Row
Jermaine MCEWEN 12
13 Jack DE BELIN
Loose Forward
Francis MANULELEUA 13
14 Finley GLARE (used)
Int 1
Spencer LENIU (used) 14
15 Liam HORNE (used)
Int 2
Shawn BLORE (used) 15
16 Khaiya WAIEMBI (used)
Int 3
Ata MARIOTA (used) 16
17 Zev JOHN (used)
Int 4
Ronald VOLKMAN (used) 17
18 Josh FELEDY
Int 5
Clayton FAULALO 18
19 Sanny WABO
Int 6
Jazz TEVAGA 19

Spencer Leniu has recreated his grand final heroics to inspire Samoa to a comprehensive victory over Papua New Guinea. 

Samoa trailed 6-4 at a sold-out Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby when Leniu was injected into the contest midway through the first half, with a raucous crowd daring to dream of a Kumuls upset. 

The prop, however, had other ideas and produced a match-turning stint reminiscent of his performance for the Roosters in the NRL grand final.

Leniu scored a try, nearly had a second, and ran for 166 metres with 10 tackle breaks in a 38-minute effort. By the time the 26-year-old left the field midway through the second half, Samoa had turned a two-point deficit into a 28-6 lead. 

From there, Samoa added seven more tries to close out a 64-6 victory and continue the nation's undefeated start to the IRL Rugby League World Cup. 

Ben Gardiner's side has now scored 142 points across the past two weeks and will carry plenty of momentum into next Sunday's showdown with fierce rivals Tonga at a sold-out CommBank Stadium. 

Both teams are unbeaten and will be out to secure a semi-final berth. 

The Kumuls were outclassed but remain a chance of progressing to the knockout phase with a win over England next week if other results go their way.

It took Samoa just one minute to open the scoring on Saturday after Francis Manuleleua latched on to a short kick-off and raced 40 metres down field. The lock was eventually dragged down before Sua Fa'alogo crossed out wide a couple of plays later.

While Samoa nearly scored a second a couple of minutes later, it was Papua New Guinea who struck next through halfback Bailey Biondi-Odo. 

The hosts looked set to extend their lead after a Dudley Dotoi break in the next set but Robert Derby was unable to latch on to a grubber in the in-goal. 

The teams traded sets until Samoa coach Ben Gardiner turned to his bench and injected Leniu into the fray. 

The prop crashed over for a try in the 30th minute to put his team in front. Leniu nearly had a second soon after but was denied by the Bunker after grounding the ball centimetres short of the line. 

Samoa, however, had one last try left in them before the break when Brian To'o soared through the air to tap a cross-field kick back infield to former Penrith teammate Stephen Crichton. The centre juggled the ball but did enough to secure possession to hand his side a 14-6 lead at the break.

Leniu kept the momentum rolling after the break and it didn't take long for Gardiner's side to kick further clear. 

Fa'alogo crossed for his second in the 44th minute before Manuleleua crashed over and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow got in on the action.

By the time Tabuai-Fidow scored his second in the 69th minute, the lead had blown out to 42 points and Samoa showed no signs of slowing down. 

Six tries in the final 15 minutes took Gardiner's men past 60 and they will now turn their focus to next week's blockbuster against Tonga. 

24 October 2026