The Cook Islands national rugby league team have represented the Cook Islands in international rugby league football since 1986. Administered by the Cook Islands Rugby League Association (CIRLA), the team has competed at three Rugby League World Cups, in 2000, 2013 and 2021.
| Team information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Aitu, Kuki's | |||||
| Governing body | Cook Islands Rugby League Association | |||||
| Region | Asia-Pacific | |||||
| Head coach | Karmichael Hunt | |||||
| Captain | KL Iro | |||||
| Most caps | Brad Takairangi | |||||
| IRL ranking | 9th | |||||
| Uniforms | ||||||
| ||||||
| Team results | ||||||
| First international | ||||||
| Cook Islands 22-8 Niue (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 1986) | ||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||
| Cook Islands 66-6 South Africa (Sydney, Australia; 2019) | ||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||
| Tonga 92-10 Cook Islands (Middlesbrough, England; 31 October 2022) | ||||||
| World Cup | ||||||
| Appearances | 3 (first time in 2000) | |||||
| Best result | Group stage, 2000; 2013; 2021. | |||||
History
1990s
Before 1995, the Cooks' international experience was limited to participation in the Pacific Cup, and hosting the touring British Amateur Rugby League Association Great Britain Amateur teams. Nonetheless, the sizeable number of expatriate Cook Islanders living and playing in New Zealand has ensured that they have never been short of players with rugby league experience.
They won the 1995 Emerging Nations tournament, defeating United States, Russia and Scotland before beating Ireland in the final.
In 1996 and 1997 the Cook Islands competed in the Super League World Nines. They also played several full internationals against other South Pacific nations, most notably as part of the Papua New Guinea 50th Anniversary Tournament in October 1998. 2000 saw the Cook Islands competing in the World Cup for the first time. They finished third in their pool after losing to Wales and the Kiwis and only managing a draw against Lebanon.
2000s
The Cook Islands successfully toured New Zealand in 2005 with a three test series against the New Zealand Māori ending in a draw after the first test was drawn 26–26 and the second and third tests were split between both sides.
The Cook Islands played Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in the Pacific pool of Qualifying for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Fiji and Tonga qualified, and Samoa earned a second chance in the repecharge round. The Cook Islands, having lost to all three teams, were eliminated.
The Cook Islands participated in the 2009 Pacific Cup. Having beaten Samoa to earn a place in the tournament, they went on to defeat favourites Fiji and earn a place in the final of the competition.
2010s
The Cook Islands were given automatic entry into the 2013 Rugby League World Cup they were placed in Pool D alongside Wales and the United States before playing an Inter-Group match against Tonga. Going into the Tournament, 'the Kukis' had never won a World Cup match. The team lost to the USA and to Tonga, but they won their last match against the Tournament co-hosts Wales, making history for the sport of rugby league in the Cook Islands. This is the Cook Islands' best Rugby League World Cup result to date.
In October 2015 the Cook Islands took on Tonga in the Asia-Pacific elimination play-off to determine which of the two Asia-Pacific nations would qualify for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. After a tight first half, the Tongans would go on win the match scoring 16 points within the last 20 minutes of the game.
In June 2019, Cook Islands took on South Africa at Ringrose Park in Wentworthville, winning 66–6. They then went on to play the United States at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville in November. They won 38–16, qualifying them into the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. At the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, the Cook Islands narrowly beat part timers Wales 18-12 before losing their second group stage match against Papua New Guinea. In their final group stage match, the Cook Islands suffered their worst ever defeat as they were beaten 92-10 by Tonga at the Riverside Stadium.
Players
Current squad
The Cook Islands squad for the 2025 Pacific Championships and 2026 World Cup qualification playoff. The squad was announced via social media on 7 October 2025.
Jersey numbers in the table reflect selections for the World Cup Qualifier versus the South Africa Rhinos
Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project. They include the match against Papua New Guinea on 25 October 2025.
| J# | Player | Age | Position(s) | Cook Islands | Club | Club Matches | Other Representative Matches | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dbt | M | T | G | F | P | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | ||||||
| 1 | Esom Ioka | 22 | Fullback, Wing | 2023 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 34 | Northern Pride RLFC | 0 | 52 | |
| 2 | Paul Ulberg | 29 | Wing | 2019 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | Toulouse Olympique | 0 | 159 | |
| 3 | KL Iro | 25 | Centre | 2019 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 38 | 0 | |
| 4 | Reubenn Rennie | 30 | Centre | 2016 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | Toulouse Olympique | 0 | 165 | |
| 5 | Teapo Stoltman | — | Wing, Centre | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Souths Logan Magpies | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Cassius Cowley | — | Five-eighth, Halfback | 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wynnum Manly Seagulls | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | Esan Marsters | 29 | Halfback, Fullback | 2015 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Salford Red Devils | 145 | 37 | 6 4 |
| 8 | Makahesi Makatoa | 32 | Prop | 2015 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Sydney Roosters | 61 | 164 | |
| 9 | Mason Teague | 22 | Lock, Hooker | 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Newcastle Knights | 8 | 57 | |
| 10 | Davvy Moale | 22 | Prop | 2022 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 70 | 14 | |
| 11 | Brendan Piakura | 23 | Second-row | 2022 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brisbane Broncos | 54 | 29 | |
| 12 | Marata Niukore | 29 | Second-row | 2017 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | New Zealand Warriors | 157 | 41 | |
| 13 | Pride Petterson-Robati | 30 | Lock, Prop | 2019 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Souths Logan Magpies | 0 | 97 | |
| 14 | Rua Ngatikaura | 25 | Hooker | 2022 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 0 | 48 | |
| 15 | Reuben Porter | 28 | Second-row | 2017 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 8 | 126 | 1 |
| 16 | Justin Makirere | — | Prop | 2023 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Norths Devils | 0 | 21 | |
| 17 | Rhys Dakin | 24 | Prop | 2023 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sydney Roosters | 0 | 61 | |
| 18 | Amare Milford | 19 | Second-row | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Melbourne Storm | 0 | 0 | |
| – | Caelys-Paul Putoko | — | Wing, Five-eighth | 2025 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | New Zealand Warriors | 0 | 1 | |
| – | Delahia Wigmore | — | Centre, Lock | 2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Penrith Panthers | 0 | 1 | |
| – | Brody Tamarua | 26 | Second-row | 2019 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Norths Devils | 0 | 14 | |
| – | Tepai Moeroa | 30 | Prop | 2019 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Western Suburbs Red Devils | 134 | 32 | 1 1 |
| – | Brad Takairangi | 36 | Five-eighth, Centre | 2009 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | South West Goannas | 202 | 3 | 4 2 |
Notes:
- KL Iro was named captain for the Round 1 match after 2024 captain Brad Takairangi withdrew due to an injury.
- Takairangi was replaced in the Round 1 team by Caelys-Paul Putoko, who had been added to the squad.
- Rhys Dakin was added to the squad and named in the team for Cook Islands' first round match, after initially being omitted.
- Initial selections Davvy Moale and Marata Niukore were not named for Cook Islands' first round match.
- The shading in the Clubs column of the above table indicates players selected from teams outside the 2025 NRL season
- First Tier
- Salford Red Devils (Super League) (1): Marsters
- Second Tier
- Northern Pride (Qld Cup) (1): Ioka
- Norths Devils (Qld Cup) (2): Makirere and Tamarua
- Souths Logan Magpies (Qld Cup) (1): Porter
- Toulouse Olympique (RFL Championship) (2): Rennie and Ulberg
- Western Suburbs Magpies (NSW Cup) (1): Porter
- New Zealand Warriors (NSW Cup) (1): Caelys-Paul Putoko
- Wynnum Manly Seagulls (Qld Cup) (1): Cowley
- Third Tier
- South West Goannas (Macarthur RL) (1): Takairangi
- Western Suburbs Red Devils (Illawarra RL) (1): Moeroa
- Souths Logan Magpies (Brisbane A Grade) (1): Stoltman
- First Tier
- Amare Milford played for Melbourne Storm in the SG Ball Cup in early 2025.
- Two members of the squad have previously played for another national team.
- New Zealand (3): Marsters and Takairangi
- Four squad members have played for other representative teams:
- Māori All Stars (3): Marsters, Porter, and Takairangi
- NRL All Stars team (1): Moeroa
- Prime Minister's XIII (1): Moeroa
Competitive record
Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Cook Islands national XIII at test level up until 23 October 2025.
| Opponent | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 22 | 20 | +2 |
| Fiji | 15 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 33.33% | 251 | 449 | –198 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 22 | 6 | +16 |
| Lebanon | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | 80 | 66 | +14 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 10 | 134 | –56 |
| New Zealand Maori | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 33.33% | 216 | 312 | –96 |
| New Zealand Residents | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 10 | 134 | –124 |
| Niue | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67% | 67 | 74 | –7 |
| Papua New Guinea | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0% | 114 | 312 | –198 |
| Rotuma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 10 | 17 | –17 |
| Russia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 58 | 20 | +38 |
| Samoa | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 25% | 112 | 334 | –222 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 21 | 10 | +11 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 66 | 6 | +60 |
| Tokelau | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 19 | 10 | +9 |
| Tonga | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 8.33% | 151 | 425 | –274 |
| United States | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67% | 122 | 56 | +66 |
| Wales | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67% | 52 | 74 | –22 |
| Total | 78 | 26 | 3 | 49 | 33.33% | 1,403 | 2,459 | –1056 |
Rugby League World Cup
| Rugby League World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA |
| 1954 | did not participate | |||||||
| 1957 | ||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||
| 1968 | ||||||||
| 1970 | ||||||||
| 1972 | ||||||||
| 1975 | ||||||||
| 1977 | ||||||||
| 1985–88 | ||||||||
| 1989–92 | ||||||||
| 1995 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2000 | Group stage | 13th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 144 |
| 2008 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2013 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 78 |
| 2017 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2021 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 136 |
| Total | – | – | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 146 | 358 |
Other competitions
The Cook Islands have also participated in:
- Pacific Cup (since 1986)
- Super League World Nines (1996, 1997)
- Super League Oceania Tournament (1997)
- Papua New Guinea 50th Anniversary Tournament (1998)
- Pacific Rim Competition (2004)
IRL Rankings
| Official rankings as of November 2025 | |||
| Rank | Change | Team | Pts % |
| 1 | Australia | 100 | |
| 2 | New Zealand | 79 | |
| 3 | England | 72 | |
| 4 | 1 | Samoa | 56 |
| 5 | 1 | Tonga | 52 |
| 6 | Papua New Guinea | 45 | |
| 7 | Fiji | 33 | |
| 8 | France | 23 | |
| 9 | 1 | Cook Islands | 23 |
| 10 | 1 | Serbia | 23 |
| 11 | 2 | Netherlands | 22 |
| 12 | 3 | Ukraine | 20 |
| 13 | 1 | Wales | 18 |
| 14 | 4 | Ireland | 16 |
| 15 | 1 | Greece | 15 |
| 16 | 3 | Malta | 14 |
| 17 | Italy | 11 | |
| 18 | 2 | Jamaica | 8 |
| 19 | United States | 7 | |
| 20 | 5 | Poland | 7 |
| 21 | 5 | Lebanon | 7 |
| 22 | 5 | Norway | 6 |
| 23 | 3 | Germany | 6 |
| 24 | 3 | Czech Republic | 6 |
| 25 | 2 | Chile | 6 |
| 26 | 2 | South Africa | 5 |
| 27 | 3 | Philippines | 5 |
| 28 | 6 | Scotland | 5 |
| 29 | Brazil | 4 | |
| 30 | 1 | Canada | 4 |
| 31 | 1 | Kenya | 3 |
| 32 | 2 | Morocco | 3 |
| 33 | North Macedonia | 3 | |
| 34 | 1 | Argentina | 2 |
| 35 | 3 | Montenegro | 2 |
| 36 | Albania | 1 | |
| 37 | 3 | Turkey | 1 |
| 38 | 1 | Bulgaria | 1 |
| 39 | 1 | Ghana | 1 |
| 40 | 1 | Nigeria | 1 |
| 41 | 3 | Colombia | 0 |
| 42 | 1 | Cameroon | 0 |
| 43 | 1 | Japan | 0 |
| 44 | 1 | Spain | 0 |
| 45 | 1 | Russia | 0 |
| 46 | 1 | El Salvador | 0 |
| 47 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | |
| 48 | Hong Kong | 0 | |
| 49 | Solomon Islands | 0 | |
| 50 | Vanuatu | 0 | |
| 51 | Hungary | 0 | |
| 52 | Latvia | 0 | |
| 53 | Denmark | 0 | |
| 54 | Belgium | 0 | |
| 55 | Estonia | 0 | |
| 56 | Sweden | 0 | |
| 57 | Niue | 0 | |
| Complete rankings at www.internationalrugbyleague.com | |||
See also
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