Australia v Papua New Guinea

1992 in Australia
Test - 15 July : won 36-14 / Townsville Sports Reserve (12,470)

Only a fortnight after beating the touring Lions in Brisbane to win the Ashes, Australia met the Kumuls in Townsville in a game scheduled as a commitment by the ARL to the game in PNG. The team was dominated by Canberra, Brisbane and (to a lesser extent) Penrith players and the season's wear on the Aussies was soon evident.

They could only muster a 8-0 half-time lead with the sole debutant player, Graham Mackay, the only player threatening the PNG defence. In the 2nd half the Australians lifted the score as their fitness told over their opponents. It was an unconvincing win, yet credit was earned by PNG for producing their best result (numerically and in general play) in six Tests against Australia.

© Sean Fagan / RL1908

RL1908 Test Matches

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