Before the most important game in the nation’s rugby league history, the Aitu went home. The squad spent time in Rarotonga reconnecting with their culture ahead of the World Cup qualifier against South Africa.
The trip coincided with 30 years since the 1995 Cook Islands team, captained by Craig Bowen, won the Emerging Nations World Cup in England. Both squads attended a function hosted by Prime Minister Mark Brown, the King’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters, Ministers, MPs and Numangatini Ariki. Australian High Commissioner Susannah Hodson also hosted the team.
Players visited local clubs and ran junior coaching clinics. Valentine Holmes, recovering from a shoulder injury, travelled as a mentor. His mother Lucy was born in the Cook Islands.
For captain KL Iro the trip was a homecoming. He grew up in Rarotonga before moving to New Zealand for high school. His mother Tina is president of the Arorangi Bears, and his father Kevin is widely regarded as the Cook Islands’ greatest player.
That is our most important game, qualifying for the World Cup.KL Iro, Aitu captain
