The Prime Minister's XIII shrugged off a bizarre pitch invasion and a second-half comeback as Daly Cherry-Evans led the Australians to a 34-18 win over Papua New Guinea.
The game had to be stopped for 10 minutes as thousands of the 14,007-strong rugby league-mad crowd streamed on to the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby on Saturday.
Coach Mal Meninga was told cloud and shadow movement prompted an earthquake scare which led some fans to fear the light towers were falling down.
When order was restored, Cherry-Evans crossed for a double before the Kumuls bounced back to score three of the next four tries to reduce the deficit to just 12.
Meninga conceded the incident caused his side to lose focus but was happy with the result given his side came away injury-free ahead of Tests against New Zealand and Tonga over the next two weeks.
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"We started well and then all the mayhem happened on the field, it was a typical PNG experience," Meninga said.
"From that point the Kumuls were on top really, we didn't control the ball all that well and put ourselves under pressure defensively."
Ahead of his first Kangaroos appearance in four years next weekend, Cherry-Evans was superb, setting up Nick Cotric's opening try and crossing for a brace before being rested midway through the second half.
Earlier the crowd was sent into raptures after Canterbury backrower Rhyse Martin dived on a Lachlan Lam grubber to narrow the margin to 24-6 at halftime.
South Sydney recruit Corey Allan, Kyle Laybutt and Justin Olam then crossed after the fans returned to the stands to raise hopes of a Kumuls upset at 30-18.
However, a Chad Townsend try ultimately put the game beyond reach of the hosts.
"It's just a great experience," Cherry-Evans said.
"Coupled with being in PNG, which is just an unreal experience in itself, it's certainly a special moment to be running back out in a green and gold jersey," he said.
"It's something I've been waiting patiently for for a couple of years now. I'm really proud to be back."
