Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation
The Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC) is an umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football in the Southern Hemisphere. The Confederation aims to act as a counterpart to the Rugby League European Federation. 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. Pacific Rugby League International. The Pacific Rugby League International is a series of rugby league test matches that have been played during the National Rugby League's annual representative weekend since 2013. They consist of the Melanesian Cup, played between Papua New Guinea and Fiji, and the Polynesian Cup, between Tonga and Samoa. 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: Rankings as of December 2018