Leigh Leopards coach Adrian Lam excited to continue Australia role in autumn internationals, working alongside Mal Meninga

Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam says he is looking forward to continuing his role as Mal Meninga’s assistant for Australia this autumn.

Lam, who helped guided Leigh to their first Challenge Cup since 1971 earlier this season, will continue to be Meninga’s right-hand man for this autumn’s Pacific Championships.

Lam has been part of the Kangaroos staff since before the 2017 World Cup, helping Meninga’s side win the last two World Cups.

Lam will head back to the southern hemisphere this autumn for the first-ever Pacific Championships, which takes place across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

The inaugural Pacific Championships will feature six men’s sides – including the three host countries aforementioned – split across two pools of three.

Australia, Samoa and New Zealand will make up the first of those, with Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Cook Islands making up pool number two.

Tonga aren’t involved in this year’s edition as they travel to face England in a three-match test series, but Kristian Woolf’s side are expected to compete in the 2024 Pacific Championships when they come around.

Challenge Cup-winning coach Adrian Lam ‘looking forward’ to assisting the Kangaroos again

Lam, whose Leigh side are on course for top four finish in Super League and make the play-offs for the first time ever, says he will link up with Meninga again later this autumn when the season has finished.

“I’ve got another year left there,” said Papua New Guinean Lam when asked about his role with the Kangaroos in his press conference ahead of last Friday’s defeat at St Helens.

“I’ve been working with Mal since 2016 so that’s coming up to seven or eight years now, so we’ve got a great friendship but also a good working relationship and we’ve had success with the Kangaroos through that system.

“I’m always looking forward to that, always looking forward to working with some of the best players in the world – you don’t get tired of that.

“It’s two World Cups I think we’ve won, Four Nations, Commonwealth Games Gold – all that sort of stuff is part of the honour of doing that and the prestige of doing that, so hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to retain that role at the end of the season.”

2023 Pacific Championships Schedule

Week One – October 14-15

• Australia v Samoa (men) at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
• Australia v New Zealand (women) at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
• Papua New Guinea v Cook Islands (men) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
• Samoa v Fiji (women) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby

Week Two – October 21-22

• New Zealand v Samoa (men) at Eden Park, Auckland
• New Zealand v Tonga (women) at Eden Park, Auckland
• Fiji v Cook Islands (men) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
• Papua New Guinea v Cook Islands (women) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby

Week Three – October 28-29

• Australia v New Zealand (men) at AAMI Park, Melbourne
• Australia v New Zealand (women) at AAMI Park, Melbourne
• Papua New Guinea v Fiji (men) at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby

Week Four – November 4-5

• The Final of the men’s Pacific Cup tournament on November 4 in Hamilton, New Zealand
• The Final of the men’s Pacific Bowl tournament on November 5 at Santos Stadium, Port Moresby

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