New Caledonia at the double at the IHF Trophy Oceania

The women's youth and junior tournaments of the IHF Trophy Oceania were staged in Rarotonga, Cook Islands from 13 to 17 October 2025, with New Caledonia securing the titles in both competitions, thanks to flawless performances in both categories.

In the junior competition, six teams took part and were divided in two groups of three teams each, with the top two sides in each group progressing to the semi-finals.

In Group A, New Caledonia finished on the first place, securing a 28:11 win over the hosts, Cook Islands, and a 35:26 win over Australia, with Australia finishing second, thanks to a 27:13 win over the Cook Islands.

Group B saw Tahiti finish on the first place, thanks to two wins against Fiji, 33:13, and New Zealand, 42:7, providing the best defensive performance from all teams in the competition, with only 20 goals conceded, and the best attacking performance, with 75 goals scored.

New Zealand finished on the second place, courtesy of their 16:11 win over Fiji, but had little chances against New Caledonia in the semi-final, where New Caledonia once again dominated, taking a 33:4 win, with New Zealand scoring two goals in each half.

In the other semi-final, Australia produced the surprise, taking a 31:29 win over Tahiti and securing a place in the final, where they faced New Caledonia once again, this time keeping the match ever more balanced than in the first one.

While New Caledonia started the match well, taking an 8:5 lead after 15 minutes, Australia bounced back and were leading 14:13 at the break, ready to produce another shock. However, the match was decided in the last 10 minutes, when Australia entered the run-in with a 24:23 lead.

They scored only once in the last 10 minutes and New Caledonia rode a 7:1 run to end the match up to a 30:25 win, with the bronze being sealed by Tahiti, with a 25:12 win over New Zealand.

The youth competition had five teams at the start and, therefore, was played in a round-robin format, with every team playing against each other. 

New Caledonia was, once again, the best side in the competition, being the only unbeaten team at the end, with four wins in four matches, and a four-point advantage over the next team in the standings.

They beat Tahiti (25:12), Fiji (35:20), Australia (29:13) and had the decider against New Zealand, which could have turned the tables. The two teams were tied at the break, 12:12, and New Zealand stayed close until the end, only to eventually drop the match, 25:27.

That enabled New Caledonia to finish first, with New Zealand ending up on the second place, tied on points (four) with Fiji, but with the tiebreaker, the mutual match, going their way, 36:14.

Fiji were third, courtesy of their 24:19 win over Australia, while Australia finished fourth and Tahiti ended up on the fifth place, both with two points.
 
IHF Trophy Oceania – women’s junior competition

1. New Caledonia 
2. Australia
3. Tahiti
4. New Zealand
5. Fiji
6. Cook Islands

IHF Trophy Oceania – women’s youth competition

1. New Caledonia
2. New Zealand
3. Fiji
4. Australia
5. Tahiti

Photo credit: Jun Tanlayco