New Zealand 66–10 Papua New Guinea — World Cup Table, 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup
5 Jul 1992 · Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand · Attendance: 3,000
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
World Cup Table, 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup: New Zealand 66–10 Papua New Guinea, at Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand on 5 Jul 1992.
Scorers
| New Zealand | Tries: Blackmore (3); Clark (2); Freeman; Hill; Hoppe; Iro; Kemp; Mann; Ridge; Stuart Goals: Ridge (4); Halligan (3) |
| Papua New Guinea | Tries: Uradok (2) Goals: Boge |
Teams
| New Zealand | Papua New Guinea | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Ridge | Fullback | Phillip Boge | 1 |
| 2 | Sean Hoppe | Wing | Kini Tani | 2 |
| 3 | Kevin Iro | Centre | August Joseph | 3 |
| 4 | Tony Kemp | Centre | Richard Wagambie (Captain) | 4 |
| 5 | Richie Blackmore | Wing | Jack Uradok | 5 |
| 6 | Dean Clark | Five-eighth | Tuksy Karu | 6 |
| 7 | Gary Freeman (Captain) | Halfback | Aquila Emil | 7 |
| 8 | Brent Todd | Prop | Ben Biri | 8 |
| 9 | Duane Mann | Hooker | Michael Matmillo | 9 |
| 10 | Brent Stuart | Prop | Kera Ngaffin | 10 |
| 11 | Gavin Hill | Second Row | James Naipo | 11 |
| 12 | Quentin Pongia | Second Row | Nande Yer | 12 |
| 13 | Tawera Nikau | Lock | Joe Gispe | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Daryl Halligan | Korul Sinemau | 14 | |
| 15 | Brendon Tuuta | John Piel | 15 | |
| 16 | Tea Ropati | Michael Angara | 16 | |
| 17 | Mark Woods | Ngala Lapan | 17 | |
| Howie Tamati | Coach | John Wagambie | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Greg McCallum |
| Touch judges | — not identified in sources found |
| Player of the match | — not identified in sources found |
Match report
This Test was played on 5 July 1992 at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, catalogued as part of the 1989-92 Rugby League World Cup cycle, which — unlike later editions — did not use a group/knockout structure but instead designated one match from each nation's normal bilateral Test schedule between 1989 and 1992 as an official World Cup fixture (a cycle won overall by Australia). The match came at the end of a short Papua New Guinea (Kumuls) tour of New Zealand, which doubled as preparation before PNG proceeded to a three-match tour of Australia. Before the Test, PNG played three provincial fixtures, losing to a Hawke's Bay XIII and a Northland XIII either side of a win over the Kiwi Colts, suggesting a touring side competitive against invitational opposition but not yet the equal of a full-strength Test nation. That gap was emphatically confirmed in Auckland. New Zealand, captained by halfback Gary Freeman and coached by Howie Tamati, ran in 13 tries to 2, with fullback Matthew Ridge and specialist goal-kicker Daryl Halligan combining to convert at a high rate. Winger Richie Blackmore was the standout individual performer with a hat-trick of tries, while five-eighth Dean Clark crossed twice. PNG's only real attacking response came from winger Jack Uradok, who scored both of the tourists' tries. The 56-point margin underlined the gulf in depth and professional experience between the two nations at the time, with New Zealand fielding a squad drawn heavily from English and Australian clubs against a PNG squad that remained largely home-based.
Previous World Cup meetings
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Papua New Guinea 24–22 New Zealand
- 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): New Zealand 66–14 Papua New Guinea
- 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup (World Cup Table): Papua New Guinea 10–18 New Zealand
- 1995 Rugby League World Cup (Group B): New Zealand 22–6 Papua New Guinea
- 2008 Rugby League World Cup (Group A): New Zealand 48–6 Papua New Guinea
- 2013 Rugby League World Cup (Group B): New Zealand 56–10 Papua New Guinea