US to join Kukis at World Cup

The United States will join the Cook Islands pool in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup during their first appearance in the competitions history.

The Tomahawks, as the US team is known, defeated Jamaica 40-4 in the Atlantic Zone Qualifier to qualify for its first ever appearance at a World Cup final.

They now join Wales and the Cook Islands in Group D of the main tournament to be held in England and Wales.

The Cook Islands and the US have a long history of competition against each other in rugby league.

The teams have often competed at a similar level, in tournaments like 1995s Emerging Nations competition.

The US and the Cook Islands teams currently sit next to each other on the world ranking in scale, the Kukis placing 12th over the USs 13th position.

The United States also lay claim to being the losing side in the Cook Islands biggest ever win in international rugby league history.

In 1995, the Cook Islands smashed the Tomahawks 64-5 in a match on Rarotonga.

The 2013 World Cup will be the Cook Islands second appearance at the international competition.

The team will be playing for its first World Cup win in the 2013 competition, only managing a draw against Lebanon in its pool play.

US skipper, Apple Pope, said the team was looking forward to the chance to represent the country in the 2013 tournament.

Jamaica deserve enormous credit but a massive thank you has to be paid to our coach Matty Elliott who instilled an ethic around working hard for success which all the boys committed themselves to and it paid off, he said on code13rugbyleague.com.

Popes men put up a spirited second half performance to deny Jamaica, posting 36 unanswered points and sparking wild celebrations in the New Jersey suburb of Camden, where the match was played.