Rugby league is the most popular[1] team sport played in the Cook Islands.
The first international match was played against Niue at the 1986 Pacific Cup, which was hosted in Rarotonga and also included teams from Samoa, Tonga, NZ Maori and Tokelau.
In the mid 1990s rugby league received significant funding through the SuperLeague organisation.
[citation needed] In more recent times, Cook Islands rugby league has received a major boost through the involvement of former professional rugby league players Kevin Iro and Matt Rua - both native Cook Islanders - in the form of selector and defensive coach for the national side.
The domestic Cook Islands rugby league competition begins in early February on a yearly basis.