20 Feb 2014

Sport: PNG to host games at 2017 Rugby League World Cup

12:02 pm on 20 February 2014

Papua New Guinea will host a minimum of two matches at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, with the potential for further matches throughout the Pacific.

New Zealand and Australia have been named joint hosts, with the Trans-Tasman bid beating out a proposal by South Africa.

The CEO of New Zealand Rugby League, Phil Holden, says the international game grew an extra leg during last year's World Cup and spreading games round will continue that momentum.

"So there will be a pool based in Far North Queensland. That was part of our proposal, of which a couple of games would be played in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. And then there was discussion during the actual presentation whether there might be an opportunity to play a fixture in the South Pacific somewhere, either Fiji or Samoa. Again, that's all got to be worked through but the Papua New Guinea one is locked in."