Growing up in Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand, Bayleigh Bentley-Hape did not need to look far for rugby league excellence.
Of Māori and Fijian (Rotuma) and heritage, 26-year-old Bayleigh was born in raised in Kawakawa and got into the game after watching his dad Jason, a Moerewa Rugby League Club stalwart, and brother Jaydenn play footy.
“I’d watch my dad and brother play when I was younger…I always looked up to them and wanted to be like them,” Bayleigh says.
Having started out playing junior rugby league for the Moerewa Tigers, Bayleigh was signed by the Sydney Roosters as a youth and progressed through their Harold Matthews, SG Ball, and Jersey Flegg systems between 2016 and 2021.
He joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs, debuting in the New South Wales Cup in mid-2023, and has played 10 NRL games for the top side since debuting in 2025.
The fullback/wing has been a key figure in the Rabbitohs’ Knock-On Effect NSW Cup side in 2026, making 16 appearances and scoring six tries, and to top off an excellent season, has been selected to represent Fiji at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC).
“It means the absolute world to me to be able to represent Fiji,” says Bayleigh about the achievement.
“My mum (Lavon) is the rock of our family, and she is my everything, so to be able to represent her and my family means a lot.”
Bayleigh and his Rabbitohs teammate Elijah Keung will make their international debuts at the RLWC tournament, kicking off on October 15 to November 15.
There will be no easy pool games, with Fiji drawing Pool A, alongside Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
However, Bayleigh is up for the challenge, and says he wants the team to go far in this World Cup, to make Fiji proud.
“Ahead of games, I try to stay calm and listen to my music, and just think about my role for the team.
“I think that is what motivates me — just not wanting to let my team down.
“That, and my family, who drive me to be my best.
“Especially my niece and nephew.”
Fiji will line up against Cook Islands in their opening match of the RLWC, on October 17, at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, NSW.
Digicel PNG has secured the exclusive broadcast and digital rights in the Pacific for the tournament and will screen matches to Tonga, PNG, and Fiji.
With support from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Pasifika TV will screen the men’s and women’s games to its affiliated broadcasters in other countries throughout the region.
For more information about match coverage, visit Pasifika TV or your local broadcaster.