Pacific rugby league has become the defining story of the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals, with nations from the region present in every remaining men’s and women’s fixture. In Newcastle, New Zealand’s Kiwi Ferns face Fetu Samoa before the Kiwis meet unbeaten Tonga. In Sydney, Australia’s Jillaroos play Fiji, while the Kangaroos take on Samoa in a repeat of the previous men’s final. The results have placed Pacific identity at the centre of a tournament increasingly shaped by movement across borders.
The squad lists also reveal how closely that identity is connected to Australia and New Zealand. Across the women’s semi-final teams, 85% of players were born in those two countries; among the men, the figure rises to 95%. In the women’s competition, 57% were born in Australia and 28% in New Zealand. In the men’s semi-finals, the split is 50% born in Australia and 45% born in New Zealand. Those numbers reflect family histories, migration patterns and sporting pathways as much as national selection rules.
Eligibility and allegiance have made the tournament more complex than a simple comparison of population size. England and France, with populations of about 59 million and 66 million, are no longer in contention, while Tonga, with roughly 105,000 residents, remains in the men’s race. The Cook Islands, home to fewer than 15,000 people, is absent from the semi-finals but still connected to them through seven players who have previously represented the country, including New Zealand players Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Apii Nicholls.
Club rugby league explains another part of the picture. In the women’s semi-finals, 86% of players compete in the National Rugby League Women’s Premiership, mostly through Australian clubs, with seven based at the Warriors Women in New Zealand. Fiji are the main exception, drawing more heavily from outside that competition. In the men’s semi-finals, only two players are attached to clubs outside the National Rugby League. The concentration shows why the professional systems in Australia and New Zealand remain central to the development of players representing Pacific nations.
The demographic backdrop adds wider significance to the semi-finals. Australia and New Zealand recorded net migration gains in 2023, while Tonga, Samoa and Fiji recorded net losses. Pacific teams also tend to be younger: in the women’s semi-finals, Fiji and Samoa have median squad ages of 22, compared with 26 for Australia and 27 for New Zealand; among the men, Tonga’s median age is 24 and Samoa’s 26, below Australia at 28 and New Zealand at 29. The tournament therefore highlights both sporting depth and the importance of opportunities for young people whose identities often span more than one country.
