Leigh Leopards stars Lachlan Lam & Edwin Ipape ‘humbled’ by Papua New Guinea support as hooker takes a trip down memory lane
Leigh Leopards stars Lachlan Lam & Edwin Ipape (right) proudly fly the flag of Papua New Guinea in Super League - Alamy
Edwin Ipape grew up in Mount Hagen with posters of Papua New Guinean rugby league stars on his bedroom wall while Lachlan Lam idolised the Kumuls from further afield. Now, both are shining for Leigh Leopards in Super League as well as impressing on the international stage, and they’re humbled by the nation’s backing.
The duo both starred last autumn as Justin Holbrook’s side were crowned the first-ever winners of the Pacific Bowl, Ipape scoring the opening try in the tournament’s final as they swept aside Fiji.
That 32-12 triumph on Bonfire Night came at the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, the same venue in which the Kumuls beat Great Britain’s touring Lions in 2019, Ipape also on the scoresheet that day.
Lam & Ipape both joined Leigh – then Centurions – in 2022 and more than played their part in firing the club back into Super League, headed up by Lachlan’s dad Adrian, another ex-Kumul.
Leigh Leopards stars Lachlan Lam & Edwin Ipape ‘humbled’ by Papua New Guinea support
Following promotion up with a stunning 2023 campaign which saw the newly-branded Leopards win the Challenge Cup with a man of the match showing at Wembley from Lam junior, the ‘hero’ tagline has never been more apt when it comes to PNG, as Ipape explained in an exclusive interview with Love Rugby League.
Taking a walk down memory lane, he told us: “I’m more humbled (to be inspiring people) than proud of doing it, because I was one of those kids once upon a time always looking up to our local PNG boys.
“Dion Aiye, Larsen Marape, Jessie Joe Parker, Menzie Yere… I always had their pictures on my wall, those are my heroes, I grew up watching them play and represent the Kumuls.
“Just to know that now there are some kids back home with my picture on their wall, it just gives me goosebumps. It’s something that inspires me when I think about it – there’s people looking up at you, and they believe in you.
“I’m blessed to be in this position, but it comes with accountability and responsibility. I’m aware of that, and the way I carry myself on the pitch, but off it as well, will impact on a lot of young kids coming through. It places a lot of responsibility on you to be a good hero.”
Mount Hagen-born hooker Ipape on ‘awesome’ few weeks back home during 2023 Pacific Championships
PNG’s final win against Fiji in the inaugural Pacific Championships saw close to 15,000 in attendance, the vast majority of those donning the colours of the Kumuls.
Appreciative of that support, Ipape – who has now made 10 international appearances – continued: “To go back and play in front of my home fans, that’s the dream, 100%.
“You always want your country and your home crowd behind you playing in a stadium that’s packed with people supporting you rather than those who are rooting against you.
“That was definitely a moment I was looking forward to, and something that I’ve dreamt of. To go back after having the year I had here, winning the Challenge Cup and achieving stuff on a personal level, you always have that pressure on you.
“I had to go back and show what I could do, but it was awesome to go back and play back home. I think we’ve had a good amount of boys who have been the core of the Kumuls team for a few years now.
“We’re building on the back of that with the momentum we have and the combinations we have in our spine. Hopefully, we’re only going to get better. There’s a couple of young guns coming through, so I think if we can get those guys exposed to an elite environment, we’re going to have a really explosive team.”
The hooker’s home city Mount Hagen is more than 8000 miles away from Leigh, and for much of his first year over in England, he lived alone, relying on his new community to embrace him, and they did just that.
It’s no surprise that heading back to PNG is a rarity now, but the Kumuls star insists it makes it even sweeter when the opportunity does arise, as he said: “We don’t get the chance to go back and forth during the year. I came here in 2022 and only went back home at the end of that year, so when I went back for the Pacific Champs, it was almost a year since I’d been in PNG.
“It’s always good to go back and play, and to be in camp with your countrymen, but there are heaps of people coming to see you too, which is great.
“They honestly flock you if you’re out in public sometimes just to show their appreciation for you representing them at an international level and stuff like that, it’s humbling. It’s always awesome to catch up and be able to see our family and friends back home.”
Lachlan Lam on ‘unreal’ time in Papua New Guinea: ‘It’s a special place’
Half-back Lam – whose international appearance tally entered double figures during the Pacific Championships – has a different connection to PNG having been born and raised in Sydney, also spending time in England as a youngster while dad Adrian played for Wigan Warriors.
Nevertheless, through his family roots, he’s learned to love PNG and they now have learned to love him just as much, as he detailed: “It’s special to me, and I’ve created some special moments in that jersey, some of my proudest moments on a rugby league field have come while playing for the Kumuls.
“It was special for us to win it (Pacific Bowl), especially because it was my first time going back to Papua New Guinea in a very long time, I think I hadn’t been back since about 2018.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played at home in front of the PNG fans, experienced the culture and all that sort of stuff. When you’re not there for a long time, you end up a little bit out of touch, so it was special to be able to spend a month there.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time over the autumn, it was unreal. Papua New Guineans are the type of people that once they see that you put effort in for them and turn up, giving your best no matter the result, they love you for that.
“It’s a special place and it makes you want to rip in every time just because of what it means to them to see you doing that.
“With the trajectory, I guess the next step is for us to make it into the semi-final of a World Cup, that’s something that PNG have never managed before, so it’s a big driver.”
As Love Rugby League reported back in August, talks are ongoing behind the scenes of Leigh eventually heading over to Papua New Guinea to play a game, given the ever-growing relationship between the club and the nation.
There’s nothing in the diary just yet, but that’s something Lam would relish – and believes all involved at the Leopards would too!
He added: “I wouldn’t like to play against the Kumuls mate, they’d be trying to take my head off! But I’d love to get over there with Leigh.
“Me, Edwin and my dad always talk about PNG with the group, what it’s like over there and tell our stories of it, so I think it would be great for the boys here to get over there and experience it, not just the rugby side of things but the culture and all that comes with it.
“They’d be well looked after with us, so I’m sure it’d be pretty nice, but they might struggle in the heat!”
Lam & Ipape enjoying growth of Kumuls presence in Super League with PNG internationals at six of 12 clubs
Lam & Ipape will account for two of nine Papua New Guinea internationals playing in Super League in 2024, with three of the other seven joining Super League clubs this off-season and another in Emmanuel Waine gaining promotion with London Broncos.
Leigh also handed another of those, Nene Macdonald ,his first crack in the British game when they recruited him for the 2022 season which saw them promoted. The outside-back moved on to Leeds Rhinos before the start of last season, and is now with Salford Red Devils.
Ipape wants to see the tally continue to grow as a marker of the Kumuls’ progress, saying: “It’s awesome to see one of your countrymen getting an opportunity to come and play at an elite level.
“I came here to come and pave the way for other players, especially from Papua New Guinea. Just to see the boys come over already, it inspires me to do more, play well and play to inspire people.
“Hopefully when it comes to test footy, or when it comes to internationals, we’ll have the trust in those boys because they have been involved at an elite level.”
And having joined Leigh from Down Under himself, 25-year-old Lam says he understands why more PNG aces are giving Super League a try when presented the chance to rather than putting all their energy into getting a shot in the NRL.
Lam added: “It’s a known fact that boys might get more of a chance here than the NRL, certainly sooner here than there (Australia) anyway.
“Super League is always a good option in my opinion. Even though it’s the furthest thing imaginable from Papua New Guinea and home that these boys could think of, it’s brilliant for their rugby and their career.
“I think if you asked any of the guys that have been in this comp for a few years now, they’d all say the same.”
