The Junior Kiwis side represents
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in the sport of
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native
bird of that name.
Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the
NRL,
Intrust Super Cup
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...
,
Intrust Super Premiership,
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), and is named for Easte ...
and
Hastings Deering Colts
The Hastings Deering Colts is a junior rugby league competition based in Queensland, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL), and is contested by fourteen t ...
. They are administered by the
New Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...
.
History
Prior to 2010, the Junior Kiwis consisted of the best New Zealand players aged 18 years or younger and would represent the country against the likes of the
Australian Schoolboys
The Australian Schoolboys refer to junior teams that represent Australia in various sports. The name is mainly used in rugby league, rugby union and baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players ...
, the
New South Wales Under 18 side and the
England Under 18 side, sometimes as curtain raisers to the senior
Kiwi
Kiwi most commonly refers to:
* Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand
* Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders
* Kiwifruit, an edible berry
* Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency
Kiwi or KIWI may also ref ...
games. Players such as
Adam Blair,
Thomas Leuluai,
Issac Luke,
Simon Mannering
Simon Alexander Mannering (born 28 August 1986) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. A New Zealand international second row forward, ...
,
Jerome Ropati,
Manu Vatuvei
Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986), also known by the nickname "The Beast", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and convicted methamphetamine importer who was both a Tonga and New Zealand international repres ...
and
Sonny Bill Williams represented the Junior Kiwis early in their careers and went on to play at the senior level for New Zealand.
In 2010, with the advent of the
National Youth Competition, the Junior Kiwis was switched to an under 20s team and played in a two Test series against the
Junior Kangaroos
The Junior Kangaroos side represents Australia in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kangaroos, after the native marsupial of that name.
Since 2019, they are an under-23 side, with players selected from the NRL. The ...
.
From 2011 to 2018, the Junior Kiwis faced the Junior Kangaroos at the end of each season in a one-off Test match, usually as a curtain raiser to a senior level Australia-New Zealand Test match. In 2019, the side faced the
Australian Schooolboys. The side reverted to an under-19 side for the fixture.
2010 series
1st Test
Played as a curtain raiser to the New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
-England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
Four Nations match.
2nd Test
Played as a curtain raiser to the New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
-Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
Four Nations match.
2011 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
pre- Four Nations tournament match.
Both coaches agreed to allow an 18th man be used during the match.
2012 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
end of year Test match.
2013 match
2014 match
2015 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
- Fiji Melanesian Cup match and the Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
-Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
Polynesian Cup match.
2016 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
- Fiji Melanesian Cup match and the Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
-Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
Polynesian Cup match.
2017 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the 2017 Anzac Test.
2018 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia-New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
end of year Test match.
2019 match
Played as a curtain raiser to the 2019 Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fou ...
Grand Final.
Players
Captains
*
Martin Taupau
Martin Taupau (born 3 February 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Brisbane Broncos as and and has played for both Samoa and New Zealand at international level.
He previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea ...
(2010)
*
Carlos Tuimavave
Carlos Tuimavave (born 10 January 1992) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for Hull F.C. in the Super League.
He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and the Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
Backgroun ...
(2011–2012)
*
Jason Taumalolo
Vaai "Jason" Taumalolo (born 31 May 1993) is a professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a or forward for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He has played for Tonga and New Zealand at international level.
Taumalol ...
(2012)
*
David Bhana (2013)
*
Manaia Cherrington
Manaia Cherrington (born 2 August 1994) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Wests Magpies in the New South Wales Cup. He plays at and previously played for the New Zealand Warriors, Wests Tigers and the Cro ...
(2014)
*
Zach Dockar-Clay
Zach Dockar-Clay (born 24 April 1995) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup.
He previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. He also played fo ...
(2015)
*
Mafoa'aeata Hingano (2016)
*
Jarome Luai
Jarome Luai (born 16 January 1997) is a international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL (National Rugby League).
He won both the 2021 and the 2022 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith club. He has repr ...
(2017)
*
Isaiah Papali'i
Isaiah Papali'i (born 20 September 1998) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League, NRL. He has played for both Samoa national rugby league team, Samoa and New Zealand na ...
(2018)
*Jordan Riki (2019)
Coaches
*
David Kidwell (2010–2011)
*
John Ackland (2012)
*Brent Gemmell (2013–2014)
*Kelvin Wright (2015–2016)
*
Nathan Cayless
Nathan Frederick Cayless (born 28 March 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has coached in the 2010s. He played at representative level for New Zealand (captain), and ...
(2017)
*Ezra Howe (2018–)
See also
*
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...
*
New Zealand Māori rugby league team
References
External links
Junior Kiwis Annual Results
{{Rugby League in New Zealand