There's another Australian-hatched team at the Rugby League World Cup

For Australian-born rugby league player Jordan Samrani, the upcoming World Cup match between Lebanon and Papua New Guinea is significant — not only is it his international debut, but it's also his first test match representing his ancestors' birth country.

Samrani is in PNG, preparing for his international debut as Lebanon's Cedars face the PNG Chiefs in the Rugby League World Cup on Saturday.

Speaking with SBS News, Samrani said it was a "real privilege" to represent Lebanon, his grandparents' homeland.

"Australia has given our families everything, and we're very grateful for that. But when you get the chance to represent your homeland, it's a real privilege.

"When you get the chance to represent your homeland, you're really representing your family and your heritage," he said.

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The 24-year-old, who plays for Sydney's Parramatta Eels, was selected to play for Lebanon in the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s, but at 17, he was blocked from playing because he was under the NRL age limit of 18.

Lebanon's World Cup campaign has a strong Australian flavour, with Australian coaches Michael Cheika, former Wallabies coach, and Matt King, recently appointed New South Wales Blues State of Origin head coach, leading a 23-man squad — of which around 20 players are attached to Australian clubs.

"Our grandparents came from Lebanon seeking a better life, so Australia has given our families everything."

The team's assistant and kicking skills coach is Nick Davis, a former Sydney Swans player known for bringing home the premiership in 2005, and former Wallabies star Will Genia joined the support staff as a liaison officer and skills trainer for this weekend's opener against Papua New Guinea.

The additions complete a team with a long-standing connection to Australia — the Cedars were formed by Lebanese Australians in 1997.

Samrani said that while it was his debut for Lebanon, he'd already had a "great" time around the camp, and that making connections had been "much easier" in an environment of shared cultural background.

"We're Australian, but our heritage and ethnicity are Lebanese," he said.

"When you're with people from the same culture, who share similar values and family backgrounds, the connection comes much more naturally."