The 24 Players Selected Ahead of Vanuatu’s Inaugural Test

Vanuatu named an extended 24-player train-on squad on 8 September 2012 in preparation for a match against Greece in Port Vila on 20 October. The selection documents the players initially in contention for Vanuatu’s first full thirteen-a-side test; it was not a confirmed match-day team.

Vanuatu’s complete 24-player train-on squad

Twenty-four-player train-on squad announced 8 September 2012—not the confirmed match-day team.

No.	Player
1	Javarn White
2	Patrick August
3	James Wood
4	Justin O’Neill
5	Paul O’Neill
6	Ben Henaway
7	Josh Henaway
8	Nelson Law
9	Joe Meninga
10	Jake Meninga
11	Emosi Ugavule
12	Alehana Mara
13	Samuela Loaloadravu
14	Kunro Kalo
15	John Nash
16	Jason Pakoasongi
17	Samsen O’Neill
18	Apisai Loaloadravu
19	Kalpart Steedman
20	Sam Pierce
21	Josh Tanner
22	Zachariah Blair
23	Alex Marango
24	Herbie Henderson

A train-on squad is an extended selection from which a smaller team may later be chosen. This list therefore establishes who was selected to prepare for the Greece fixture, but not who started, sat on the interchange bench or ultimately played.

What happened in the Vanuatu–Greece test?

When the squad was announced in September, the international was still a future fixture. The announcement specified Port Vila and 20 October 2012, but said discussions about the precise venue were continuing. Port Vila Municipal Stadium was therefore not confirmed in that contemporary report.

A later, crowd-edited Wikipedia record of the Vanuatu national team lists the match at Port Vila Municipal Stadium on 20 October 2012 and records the result as Vanuatu 14, Greece 24. The same page distinguishes that match from Vanuatu’s earlier participation in the Cabramatta International Nines in February 2012.

The two records answer different questions. The contemporary announcement establishes what Vanuatu planned and who entered the extended preparation squad. The later team record indicates that the fixture took place and gives the venue and score, although those match details remain dependent on that secondary account.

An unqualified claim that it was the national side’s first representative rugby league appearance would overlook the earlier nines tournament. “First full test” preserves the distinction without asserting a particular classification by an international governing body.

How the inaugural squad was assembled

The selection brought together players assessed through trials in Port Vila over the preceding six months and players competing overseas. Dane Campbell was named head coach, with Rhys Wesser and Ken Nagas as his assistants. These details, including the way the squad was assembled, were set out in the archived contemporary announcement.

Five squad members were expressly identified as local players:

• Kunro Kalo
• Patrick August
• Jason Pakoasongi
• Kalpart Steedman
• Nelson Law

The announcement also highlighted five notable selections from the wider group:

• Justin O’Neill
• Alehana Mara
• James Wood
• Joe Meninga
• Jake Meninga

Together, the two groups illustrate how the emerging national program approached its first full international campaign. Locally trialled players entered the same extended squad as players selected from overseas competitions, giving the coaching staff a broader preparation group ahead of the Greece match.

The record supports the players’ inclusion in that train-on group and identifies the three coaches. It does not provide a separately confirmed final lineup, so positions or match-day roles cannot be assigned from the squad list alone.

From a new governing body to a first full test

The early development of Vanuatu’s national rugby league program can be followed through four recorded milestones:

Date	Development
September 2011	Vanuatu Rugby League was reported as established.
February 2012	Vanuatu participated in the Cabramatta International Nines.
8 September 2012	The 24-player train-on squad for the planned Greece fixture was announced.
20 October 2012	The later team record lists Vanuatu’s 24–14 loss to Greece in Port Vila.

The distinction between the February and October appearances is one of format. Vanuatu could therefore have appeared in national colours earlier in the year while still treating the October match as its first full test.

This distinction matters because historical sources do not always use “first international” and “first test” consistently. In Vanuatu’s case, the more precise description avoids turning two different formats into a contradiction.

The period from the reported establishment of Vanuatu Rugby League in September 2011 to the Greece fixture in October 2012 traces the program’s initial progression: participation in a nines tournament, six months of local trials, the selection of players competing overseas and preparation for a full international in Port Vila.

The September record preserves the names of Vanuatu’s inaugural 24-player train-on squad, not the final match-day selection.