The decision to name the new PNG NRL franchise the “Chiefs” has sparked a cross-code stoush, with New Zealand Rugby seeking legal advice in a bid to protect its Waikato-based Super Rugby franchise of the same name.

Four days after PNG Prime Minister James Marape revealed the moniker for the nation’s team ahead of its entry into the NRL in 2028, the NZRU filed a trademark application for the “Chiefs” name.

Rugby’s Chiefs, formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs, were founded in 1996. The NRL’s use of the name has raised eyebrows in rugby circles in New Zealand, given the black, red, and yellow colours associated with PNG are already in use at the Super Rugby club.

The NZRU has engaged lawyers to look into the matter and has written to the Australian Rugby League Commission seeking an expl

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