The West Papua rugby league team, also known as the West Papua Warriors, is a rugby league team representing the secessionist region of West Papua, which is administered by Indonesia under Papua and West Papua provinces.
| Nickname(s) | West Papua Warriors |
|---|---|
| First match | |
 West Papua 54 - 8 Philippines Developmental  (5 February 2016) | |
Formed in Papua New Guinea,[1] the team composes of players from both West Papua and Papua New Guinea and was formed to promote awareness on alleged human rights abuse of the Indonesian government in the West Papua region[2] as well as the West Papuan secessionist movement.[3]
The West Papua team made their international debut in a Rugby League International Federation-sanctioned match[4] against the Philippine developmental national team.[5] The Warriors won over the Philippines 54-8 in a match hosted in Sydney. The match was the first 13-a-side game for the Warriors.[2]
References
edit- ^ "West Papua Warriors in it to win it". Radio New Zealand. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ a b "West Papua Warriors win on and off the field". Radio New Zealand. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Ewart, Richard (5 February 2016). "West Papua Warriors prepare to make their international debut after visa delays". ABC. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Ewart, Ewart (9 December 2015). "West Papua Warriors to play officially sanctioned international match". ABC. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Philippines announce squads for Friday's matches". Asia Pacific Rugby League Confederation. 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.