Every time the Rugby League World Cup rolls around, we all utter the same three nations in unison.

'Australia, New Zealand, England'. Usually in that order.

Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita's defection from Tier 1 nations to join Tonga had them uttered in fourth, while the amount to have jumped ship to Samoa will give them a massive boost this year.

But while we live to watch our nation succeed, it's hard not to crack a smile when one of the minnow nations snare an upset, or go almighty close to doing so. The underdog, the 'making up the numbers' sides, the ones you can't help but root for in a neutral contest.

Outside of the World Cup, we've seen some beauties. The Kangaroos last match was a standalone test defeat to the hands of Tonga in late 2019, a sour note for Australia to end on before COVID's reign began.

And you've got the 18-18 draw between Scotland and New Zealand at the 2016 Four Nations tournament, you can't help but get behind the little guy.

The little guy doesn't win often. Outside of the code, Japan's 34-32 victory over South Africa in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup is still talked about today, seven years on.

They're few and far between, but these minnow performances are special all the same.

4. Papua New Guinea 30 - Tonga 22

2000 Rugby League World Cup

The Tonga side we saw in 2000 was completely different to that of 1995, including a 20 year-old Willie Mason and Willie Manu in their forward pack, while Papua New Guinea had just three players from the NRL and only one of which in the spine.

Tonga were fresh off their first ever World Cup victory, a 66-18 thrashing of South Africa, setting up a tantalising clash against fellow minnow Papua New Guinea.

The Kumuls came out swinging, carrying an 18-12 lead into the break, extending the gap in the second half thanks to a Stanley Gene double.

While Tonga had some venom of their own, scoring a double through Melbourne winger Fifita Moala, they just couldn't match it with the physical Kumuls as they snared the eight-point win, and managed to escape the pool phase in the process.

PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - NOVEMBER 05: Papua New Guinean fans show their support during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup match between Papua New Guinea Kumuls and Ireland on November 5, 2017 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)