Pasifika Youth Cup 2024
Pacific and Māori players make up almost 50% of both the NRL and NRLW competitions, and last week saw the next generation showcase their rugby league talents on the big stage.
Thousands poured through the gates at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe as it played host to the 2024 Pasifika Youth Cup (PYC) Under 18 Boys and Girls Festival. 28 games were played over five days with 13 teams competing across the Boys Championship Section, the Girls Section, and the Boys Premiership Section. Samoa, Tonga, Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) Māori, Niue, Fiji, Tokelau, and the Cook Islands were all represented by hundreds of young athletes who put on a fantastic display for those in attendance and those watching every game live on Sky.
The Pasifika Youth Cup, organised by the Pasifika Aotearoa Collective (PAC), is one of the premier rugby league competitions in Aotearoa, and it is also a chance to honour and celebrate the contribution that Pacific and Māori people have made, and continue to make, in the game.
PAC Chairperson, John Devonshire, emphasises how the tournament was about more than just sport. “The week is about celebrating culture” he said, “[and] rugby league is the vehicle.” He continued, “It’s not only about the finals, it’s about seeing the smiles on the families and the grandmothers, the grandfathers, koros and papas, the kuia… it really is about a whole family, Pasifika, Māori, environment.”
Sunday featured six games to close out the week, and as supporters sang and danced through the day, they were treated to some fantastic rugby league. It kicked off with one of the games of the tournament as Niue took on Tokelau in the 3rd vs 4th playoff for the Boys Championship. They needed two periods of extra time to find a winner after finishing the game at 24-24, but Tokelau managed to break the deadlock and take the win 28-24.
Samoa were too strong for a brave Cook Islands side in the 3rd vs 4th playoff for the Boys Premiership, taking a 50-24 win to end their campaign. History was made in the Girls Section as the first ever Niue Under 18 girls side took the field in Pukekohe. They announced themselves with a win over Tonga in their 3rd vs 4th playoff, taking the game 10-4 in a thrilling back and forth contest.
Tonga were unable to defeat a strong Aotearoa NZ Māori side in the Boys Premiership final, but Tonga Development were able to claim a win for the nation by beating Fiji 28-10 for the Boys Championship trophy.
In another contender for match of the tournament, the Girls Section final between Samoa and Aotearoa NZ Māori was a rematch of the last PYC final at the end of 2022. A wonderful showcase for women’s rugby league, Samoa trailed late in the see-sawing game but scored in the final minute to take a narrow 20-18 victory. It was a high-quality game of rugby league that demonstrated the rapid growth of the women’s game in Aotearoa, and the bright future the game has ahead of it.
Alongside the quality of the games, pride and passion were on full display all week long as the players had the chance to represent their families, their people, and their culture. Devonshire said, “In the mainstream system, this is probably what they’d refer to as ‘high performance’, but it’s ‘high performance’ our style. It is not mainstream, and I’ll make no bones about that. I’m not ashamed to say that this is a flair, and an atmosphere, and a degree of passion, that you can only get from representing your nation.”
PYC 2024 Under 18 Results
Boys Premiership Final
Aotearoa New Zealand Māori 24 defeated Tonga 6
Tournament MVP
Kahu Capper (Aotearoa New Zealand Māori)
Girls Final
Samoa 20 defeated Aotearoa New Zealand Māori 18
Tournament MVP
Braxton Sorensen-McGee (Samoa)
Boys Championship Final
Tonga Development 28 defeated Fiji 10
Tournament MVP
Solomona Vaka (Tonga Development)
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By Luke Laban
Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ on Air.
Photo's by NZRL
Video by @Roycesportspromo