Have just watched the video highlights of some Toulouse Olympique matches. The French club, which has defeated Leigh in the Challenge Cup and pushed Wakefield in a 40-22 Challenge Cup defeat at Wakefield (the score was Wakefield 28 Toulouse 22 at one stage), has unearthed an outstanding PNG winger/centre named Kuni Minga. The lad, who is only 23, has great speed and footwork and could be a SL star in the near future. He regularly scores tries for Toulouse.

I hope that Toulouse can keep him all the way in their rise to Super League status because he is a potential match winner. But his talent, appearing out of nowhere, suggests that there is a huge reservoir of rugby league talent in PNG that could bolster Super League, and the PNG national team, if only it could be uncovered by SL and NRL rugby league scouts.

He was the stand out player for Toulouse in the CC game at belle view, I remember thinking at the time he will be in super league before Toulouse are

You could be right. Toulouse will have to raise Kuni Minga's salary for next season if they want to keep him.

Shows how little you actually bother with the French game, he's not come 'out of nowhere', he was courted by Gilles dumas 3 years ago, yes that's right 'Frenchie' THREE years ago (when 19) becoming the first PNG player to play for Tolouse, keep up for facks sakes

we don't care.....

Quote ="knockersbumpMKII"Shows how little you actually bother with the French game, he's not come 'out of nowhere', he was courted by Gilles dumas 3 years ago, yes that's right 'Frenchie' THREE years ago (when 19) becoming the first PNG player to play for Tolouse, keep up for facks sakes '" This is probably the first he's heard of Kuni Minga. This is the same guy who spent about 6 months calling Fouad Yaha 'Mouad' and thought Gadwin Springer was German. At least he's heard of Jean Capdouze. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Capdouze

Quote ="knockersbumpMKII"Shows how little you actually bother with the French game, he's not come 'out of nowhere', he was courted by Gilles dumas 3 years ago, yes that's right 'Frenchie' THREE years ago (when 19) becoming the first PNG player to play for Tolouse, keep up for facks sakes '" This is probably the first he's heard of Kuni Minga. This is the same guy who spent about 6 months calling Fouad Yaha 'Mouad' and thought Gadwin Springer was German. At least he's heard of Jean Capdouze. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Capdouze

All joking aside Jean is right about one thing, PNG is a hotbed of RL talent. The recent test game, and relative success of the recently formed hunters in the QLD cup is testament to this.

For some reason though we don't see a great many in SL and only a few more in the NRL (most who have lived in Aus for most of their lives. I wonder if it's a visa thing, or they're just a little raw as I know there's a fair few Kumuls knocking round in the championship.

Kuni Minga is a top bloke.

After the Toulouse v Leigh match in the Cup me and my brother went back to the city centre and were in a bar when Kuni came over to us as he recognised our Leigh shirts and bought us a pint each. Sat with us for a while chatting all things RL and we bought him a couple of drinks in return before he went on his way.

Seemed a genuinely nice guy, glad to hear he is doing so well for TO.

Minga the Winger

I wonder if we will start seeing a few more PNG players in super league with the quality of NRL imports going down due to the gulf in salary caps. Sheffield Eagles seem to think their worth a punt, they have Menzie Yere, Garry Lo and Mark Mexico.

Garry Lo is outstanding. Looks like another Marcus Bai. Haven't seen him play much with the Eagles though.

Super League talent scouts need to go to PNG to grab the cream of the crop before the PNG Hunters do.

Only one problem with this. Toulouse and Catalans are the only clubs that can now get the likes of minga in. New uk visa regulations will prohibit 95% of Southern Hemisphere players from getting a gig in the uk

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What exactly are these new visa regulations and when do they become operative?

1 April, and the main proviso is that they must have played 50% of NRL matches over last 2 seasons

Kuni has kicked 2017 off with a hat-trick

Kuni is awesome. Like I said last year, Toulouse need to make sure that they can keep him.

You know, the score was also 0-0 at one point. Tolouse are clearly SL standard on that fact alone.

does he go straight into the top ten of great RL names to sit alongside the likes of willie poching and steele retchless though?

There is a reason he's still a league one player, 4 years since he burst on the scene

Regards

King James

If you go through the player profiles for players in the American comp, big numbers of them are PNG born.
The Americans worked out about 5 years ago that very high quality players from PNG would give them great value for the cost of sponsoring a green card and getting them a job as a dish washer.
It's a great partnership. The PNG boys are lifting the on field standards in America very quickly at practically no cost, and kids from PNG are turning rugby league skills into great life opportunities.

It is nice what the PNG players are doing for RL in the USA, but I would hope that the clubs could help them get some sort of education while they are playing so that they can eventually get decent paying work.

I am going to quote my own post because Kuni deserves it.

One of the nicest guys I have ever met in Rugby League,

Absolute Legend!

Minga the Winger

I don't think the code in America is in a strong enough position to help out a lot, but moving them from one of the poorest countries on earth to the richest is like them winning life's lottery - and if they want to make the most of that, they can.

Another hat-trick for Kuni Minga today.

This guy will soon be a legend in our game.