It may have come six years after he made his first-grade debut, but James Segeyaro finally made his long-awaited debut for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls on Saturday afternoon. And after such a strong performance, it seems heโs there to say.
Segeyaroโs debut saw the hooker become Kumul number 282, as well as earning his own slice of history.
Segeyaro became the first son of a Kumul to play for PNGโs international side, with his father Ifiso debuting for the Kumuls in October 1982, some 35 years ago now.
Ifiso became the 70th player to pull on the red and yellow of his home country, meaning over 200 hundred people have debuted the country between him and his son.
Jamesโ role in the Kumuls side was uncertain in the lead-up, with PNG Huntersโ hooker Wartovo Puara Jnr was named in the starting hooker role, with Segeyaro on the bench alongside fellow hooker Kurt Baptiste.
Earning 56 minutes on the field, the Cronulla Sharkโs utility made 98 metres from 10 runs, broke the line once and even put in a kick for David Meadโs third try.
But the opportunity almost never came for Segeyaro.
While he represented the PNGโs PM XIII side in 2011, he rejected his home country in 2015 for a chance to play for Australiaโs PM XIII side, against Papua New Guinea.
When asked why he chose Australia over his country of origin in 2015, Segeyaro said his fatherโs treatment was the reason heโd never play for the Kumuls.
โWhen I went back there (to Papua New Guinea) for my fatherโs funeral (last year), I learned PNG rugby league didnโt treat my father with the utmost respect he deserved, and I wasnโt too happy about that. I made my decision to never play for the country again.โ
Flash forward two years, and Segeyaro was instrumental in PNG handing Wales their biggest ever World Cup defeat.
Faced with an impressive Ireland side next weekend, Segeyaro will need to be at his scheming best if he is to lead Papua New Guinea to back-to-back victories.
