As the Papua New Guinea Kumuls look to achieve the impossible against the New Zealand Kiwis on Sunday,ย Zero Tackleย sat down with one of their key spine players, Judah Rimbu.
In the previous 18 outings between the two nations, Papua New Guinea have only managed one victory against their opponents, and that was nearly four decades ago in the 1986 World Cup held in Port Moresby, where they won by two points, 24-22.
Beginning the year in the QLD Cup for the PNG Hunters, Judah Rimbu has had a remarkable 12 months that has seen the hooker guide the Kumuls to win the Pacific Bowl and earn a maiden Super League contract with the Castleford Tigers for next season.
As Rimbu and the Kumuls prepare to defeat the New Zealand Kiwis on Sunday for the first time in 39 years, the 23-year-old sat down with Zero Tackleย in an exclusive interview to discuss his rugby league journey and the pride of representing his nation on the international arena.
"Playing in the school's league back in the day, I was putting my goal to represent my country one day and I did that," Rimbu toldย Zero Tackle.
"This is my second time with the Kumuls boys to represent my nation again and it's really pleasing for me.
"I'm so blessed and so grateful to represent my family, my tribes, everyone back in the village and the country as a whole."
Starting his career in 2011 at the age of nine, Rimbu also took up kickboxing in his younger days before shifting the focus solely to the 13-man code.
From the Southern Highlands Province, he admitted that he didn't watch too much football growing up but supported the Brisbane Broncos and idolised former Storm and Roosters premiership-winner halfback Cooper Cronk.
Away from the football field, his mother has been his biggest role model and has significantly contributed to his journey to date.
"I spent most of my time with my mum. My dad passed on, so my mum has always been my rock, and she's been my role model while I was growing up," Rimbu added.
"We are six in the family, so she used to look after all of us and I look at her as my role model and I respect her as much as anything.
"I have to do it for my mum and my tribesmen in my country back in the village and my country as a whole.
"Every time in PNG, she normally comes watch me, cheer me on (and) she just watches me running around. The whole 80 minutes she just sits in the grandstand and crying but she's a happy mum."
