“I always knew and felt the passion the people of Papua New Guinea have for rugby league,” Jarryd Hayne told Exepreneur. “But spending two weeks in Port Moresby truly opened my eyes to just how deep that love runs.”

Hayne spent a fortnight in the capital, and the timing puts him in the country at the point where its national sport stops being only a national sport and becomes an industry. Papua New Guinea will field a team in Australia’s National Rugby League from 2028. Prime Minister James Marape announced the franchise name on 12 October 2025, before the Prime Minister’s XIII match at the Santos National Football Stadium, according to Love Rugby League, which reported the naming competition drew more than 20,000 public submissions. The team will be called the PNG Chiefs.

He shares his thoughts about sports diplomacy here.