# Asia-Pacific Rugby League

The Asia-Pacific Rugby League (APRL) (previously Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC)) is an umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football in Oceania, East and South East Asia, and South America. The Confederation aims to act as a counterpart to the European Rugby League.

## History

The formation of the APRLC was agreed at the Rugby League International Federation's annual general meeting in May 2010. The Federation was established with 7 founding full members. The APRLC is based at the New Zealand Rugby League's Auckland headquarters and will focus much of its efforts on developing the sport in the Pacific Islands. Under the new RLIF constitution agreed in 2010, the APRLC may appoint a delegate to the five-person International Federation executive.
In 2011, the Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation met in a meeting in Auckland over December 5–6. At the meeting the chairman of the Fiji National Rugby League Peni Musunamasi has been elected as a director to represent the Asia Pacific region on the Rugby League International Federation which has been labelled a "significant milestone for the sport". Amongst many issues that were discussed at the two- day meeting was the application for membership of the federation from India, Philippines, Tahiti, Tokelau and American Samoa that shows the growing popularity of the sport in the region.
| Competitions (Inaugurated) | Champion (Year) | Title |
| Men's Pacific Championship (2019) | Australia (2024) | 2nd |
| Women's Pacific Championship (2024) | Australia (2024) | 1st |

## APRL board

    As of 10 April 2023
| Member | Nationality |
| Sandis Tsaka (Chairman) | Papua New Guinea |
| Greg Peters (Vice-Chairman) | New Zealand |
| Jeremy Edwards (Secretary) | Australia |
| Peter Beattie | Australia |
| Frank Puletua | Australia |
| Charles Carlson | Cook Islands |
| Tagaloa Faafouina Su’a | Samoa |
| Viliame Naupoto | Fiji |

## Members
### Full Members

| Country | Founded | IRL affiliation | APRL affiliation |
| Australia | 1907 | 1998 | 2010 |
| Cook Islands | 1995 | 1998 | 2010 |
| Fiji | 1992 | 1998 | 2010 |
| New Zealand | 1907 | 1998 | 2010 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1948 | 1998 | 2010 |
| Samoa | 1988 | 1998 | 2010 |
| South Africa | 1992 | 1998 | 2016 |
| Tonga | 1986 | 1998 | 2010 |

### Affiliate Members

| Country | Founded | IRL affiliation | APRL affiliation |
| Brazil | 2018 | 2019 | 2019 |
| Chile | 2015 | 2019 | 2019 |

### Observer Members

| Country | Founded | IRL affiliation | APRL affiliation |
| Colombia | 2016 | 2020 | 2020 |
| Japan | 1993 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Philippines | 2011 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Solomon Islands | 1999 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Vanuatu | 2011 | 2011 | 2011 |

## Official APRL Rankings

The Official Asia Pacific Rugby League Confederation Rankings are calculated on each nation’s performance over the current season and are influenced by a nation’s official RLIF ranking.
Influencers of position include:
* The result of the match i.e. win, lose or draw
* The margin of victory (or defeat)
* The relative strength of opposition faced
* The date of the match – more recent matches are weighted more heavily
* The importance of the match e.g. a World Cup match is given greater weighting than a standalone international.
* Official RLIF World Ranking
Rankings as of December 2018
| Rank | Movement | Team |
| 1 | 1 | Australia |
| 2 | 1 | New Zealand |
| 3 | 1 | Tonga |
| 4 | 1 | Fiji |
| 5 | | Samoa |
| 6 | | Papua New Guinea |
| 7 | | Cook Islands |
| 8 | 3 | Niue |
| 9 | 1 | Philippines |
| 10 | 1 | Vanuatu |
| 11 | 1 | Japan |
| 12 | | Solomon Islands |
| Unranked | | Thailand |
| Unranked | | American Samoa |
| Unranked | | Tokelau |

## Asia Pacific Rugby League World Cup results
### Men's

| Team | 1954 | 1957 | 1960 | 1968 | 1970 | 1972 | 1975 | 1977 | 1985-88 | 1989-92 | 1995 | 2000 | 2008 | 2013 | 2017 | 2021 |
| Australia | Group Stage | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Chile | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | DNQ |
| Cook Islands | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | DNQ | Group Stage | DNQ | Group Stage |
| Fiji | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | Group Stage | SF | SF | SF | QF |
| Japan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | DNQ | DNQ | - | - | - |
| New Zealand | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | 2nd | Group Stage | SF | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | QF | SF |
| Papua New Guinea | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | QF | Group Stage | Group Stage | QF | QF |
| Samoa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | QF | Group Stage | QF | QF | 2nd |
| South Africa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | Group Stage | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
| Tonga | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | SF | QF |

### Women's

| Team | 2000 | 2003 | 2008 | 2013 | 2017 | 2021 |
| Australia | Group Stage | SF | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Brazil | - | - | - | - | - | Group Stage |
| Cook Islands | - | Plate Runners Up | - | - | Group Stage | Group Stage |
| New Zealand | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
| Papua New Guinea | - | - | - | - | Group Stage | SF |
| Samoa | - | Plate Winner | Group Stage | - | - | - |
| Tonga | - | Bowl Runners Up | Group Stage | - | - | - |