The Tonga national rugby league team ( to, timi līki ʻakapulu fakafonua ʻa Tonga) represents

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

football. They are currently the second ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six

Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was ...

s, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament. Their best result was at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they were semi-finalists. Formerly administered by the

Tonga National Rugby League The Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) was the governing body for rugby league in Tonga. It is based in the capital Nuku'alofa. The TNRL was founded in 1949 and has been a member of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) since 1974. A ...

, the team is now in a state of limbo with administration. They wear a predominantly red uniform with white sides and are associated with the phrase Mate Ma'a Tonga (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''Die for Tonga''). They are coached by Australian

Kristian Woolf Kristian Woolf (born 6 July 1975) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the assistant coach of the Dolphins in the NRL and the head coach of Tonga at international level. He previously was the head coach of St Hel ...

, and co-captained by

Sio Siua Taukeiaho Sio Siua Taukeiaho (born 3 January 1992) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. He plays for Tonga and played for New Zealand at international level. He previously played for ...

and

Jason Taumalolo Vaai "Jason" Taumalolo (born 31 May 1993) is a professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a or forward for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He has played for Tonga and New Zealand at international level. Taumalol ...

History

Rugby league first gained attention in Tonga when the

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region. History The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

and by 1988 the nation had enough depth in their player pool to begin playing national fixtures and entered the 1988 Pacific Cup competition held in

Apia, Samoa Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

. During that Pacific Cup the Tongans played in three fixtures winning a sole match while losing the other two, with their first international victory coming against the

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

side a match that ended 38–14. Over the next two years the national side sporadically played international fixtures but it was not until the 1992 Pacific Cup when they again began playing with some regularity. At the 1992 Cup competition the side showed significant improvement on their previous inaugural cup effort with victories over , , and the New Zealand Maori. This run of victories earned them a place in the final of the 1992 Pacific Cup against the Western Samoan side but they eventually lost a close fought match by four points 18–14. The following tournament two years later saw the Tongan side show further improvement with several comfortable victories again earning them a spot in final of the

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region. History The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

and were seeded in the strong group B with both and . They narrowly lost to the New Zealand team by a single point and earned a draw against Papua New Guinea. Sipi tau 2008 RLWC

The next four years saw the Tongan side appear in a further

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region. History The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.2000 World Cup with comfortable victories over , and . Prior to appearing at the 2000 competition the Tongans arranged a friendly fixture against the New Zealand side but lost 74–0. After the heavy defeat to New Zealand their next international fixture was during their second World Cup where the Tongans were again placed in a group with , again, and . Tonga faced South Africa in their first match of the tournament where they won 66–18, however they lost to both France and Papua New Guinea meaning the Tongans again failed to make it past the first stage of the tournament. The Pacific Cup saw the Tongans again qualify for the tournament final with victories over both the Cook Islands and Fiji but the side suffered defeat at the hands of neighbouring

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

51–18. 2006 saw the Tongan side re-enter the

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region. History The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.2008 World Cup after they finished top of their Pacific group ahead of the Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa and then defeat the Samoans 18–10 in the qualifying final. They also entered the inaugural

Federation Shield The inaugural Federation Shield rugby league competition was held in 2006. This competition is organised by the Rugby Football League and was contested by England, France, Samoa and Tonga. England defeated Tonga 32-14 in the final to lift the Feder ...

competition along with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and Samoa and eventually finish second. England to face Tonga in League final to the English in the final 32–14 after they had defeated both France and Samoa.

2013 Pacific Rugby League Test

In April 2013, Tonga took on in the '2013 Pacific Rugby League Test' at

Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium (known commercially as BlueBet Stadium) is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthers who play in the N ...

. The International was created as a

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

warm-up match. Tonga beat Toa Samoans by 36–4.

2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign

Tonga automatically qualified for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup after participating in the 2008 tournament. They took on , and the in the pool stage. In their first match they took on 'the Scots'. It was a tight and intense rugby league battle, but Scotland won 26–24. Tonga then went on and beat 'the Kukis', 22–16, and Italy, 16–0, but it wasn't enough. Scotland finished the group stage unbeaten, sealing their place in the quarter-final and ending Tonga's World Cup campaign in the process.

2015 Pacific Rugby League Test

In May 2015, Tonga took on in the 2015 Polynesian Cup at

Cbus Super Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; t ...

. The International was part of a triple header which also included the Melanesian Cup, between Papua New Guinea and Fiji, and the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis. Samoa beat Mate Ma'a Tonga to win the Polynesian Cup by 18–16.

2017 Rugby League World Cup qualifying

In October 2015, Tonga took on the in the Asia-Pacific elimination play-off to determine which of the two Asia-Pacific nations qualified for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. After a tight first half, Mate Ma'a Tonga went on win the match scoring 16 points within the last 20 minutes of the game.

2016 Pacific Rugby League Test

In May 2016, Tonga took on in the 2016 Polynesian Cup at Pirtek Stadium. The International was part of a triple header which also included the Melanesian Cup, between Papua New Guinea and Fiji, and the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis. The match resulted in a 12-point defeat to Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup.

2017 World Cup and best win in Tongan history

Tonga fielded its strongest ever team at the 2017 World Cup after

and

Andrew Fifita Andrew Fifita ( to, ʻAnitelū Fifita) (born 28 June 1989) is a retired professional rugby league footballer who played as a . He has played for Tonga and Australia at international level. Fifita previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland ...

chose to represent their Tongan heritage rather than their respective birthplaces, and . At the time, they were considered to be among the best forwards in the world. Both players cited a desire to honour family and strengthen the Tongan team as motivating factors for their defections, while Taumalolo's relationship with Tonga head coach

was also acknowledged. In addition, Manu Maʻu declined a likely position in the New Zealand squad, while David Fusitu'a,

Solomone Kata Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a Tongan professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a wing for Gallagher Premiership club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team. Prior to rugby union, Kata played rugby league for the Ne ...

Tuimoala Lolohea Tuimoala Lolohea (born 23 January 1995) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Huddersfield Giants in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both New Zealand and Tonga at international level. Lolohea previou ...

, and

dismissed any possibility of a New Zealand re-call in order to represent Tonga. Michael Jennings also committed himself to Tonga after declining an opportunity to represent . Tonga quickly became the most heavily backed team in the World Cup, dropping from $81 odds to $17. Entering into the tournament as the 11th ranked team in the world, Tonga comfortably won their opening two group matches, outclassing 50–4 and 32–18. In their third and final group match, Tonga upset New Zealand 28–22 after trailing 16–2 at half-time. This marked the first time since the introduction of the tiered-nation system that a tier-two team defeated a tier-one team, and the first time since defeated 18–16 in 1995 if applied retroactively. Tonga beat 24–22 in a hard-fought quarter-final, and then lost 18–20 to England in the semi-final. England were leading 20–0 with 8 minutes remaining until Tonga scored three tries in quick succession, however, a contentious refereeing decision in the last seconds of the game denied them scoring a fourth try and progressing to the World Cup final. After Tonga's semi-final against England, which was attended by

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Tupou VI Tupou VI (; born 12 July 1959) is the King of Tonga. He is the younger brother and successor of the late King George Tupou V. He was officially confirmed by his brother on 27 September 2006 as the heir presumptive to the Throne of Tonga, as his ...

, 29 November 2018 was declared a public holiday in Tonga as Mate Ma'a Tonga Day and the entire Tongan squad was invited to the Royal Palace. Every player was honoured as Knight Commander of the ''Most Illustrious'' Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III for their contribution to sports. At the conclusion of the tournament, Tonga jumped to 4th in the RLIF world rankings. After the tournament, several players publicly reaffirmed their allegiance to the Tongan team as the media speculated whether they would return to their tier-one nations, assuming they were to be welcomed back.

Addin Fonua-Blake Addin Fonua-Blake (born 6 November 1995) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. He has played for both Tonga and New Zealand at international level. He previously played for the Man ...

also announced his intention to represent Tonga after playing for New Zealand at the World Cup, commenting "I really enjoyed my time with the Kiwis but it just didn't feel like home." As a consequence, New Zealand's squad for their match against England on 24 June 2018 contained just one Tongan-eligible player,

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (born 17 August 1995) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er or for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and New Zealand at international level. He previously played for the Penrith Pant ...

, who reportedly pledged his loyalty to the Kiwis to honour his great-grandfather

Puti Tipene Watene Puti Tipene (Steve) Watene (18 August 1910 – 14 June 1967), of Ngāti Maru and Te Arawa, was a New Zealand rugby league footballer and politician. He was the first Māori to captain the New Zealand league side and he is the only person to ...

, the first Māori to captain the side. Tonga faced for the first time ever on 20 October 2018, losing 34–16. On 22 June 2019, Tonga faced New Zealand again at Mount Smart Stadium as part of the 2019 Oceania Cup. The Kiwis won 34–14 in a dominant display. After the NRL season ended, Tonga played against the touring on 26 October, winning 14–6 at

Waikato Stadium FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. This was Great Britain's first match after a twelve-year hiatus. The following week at Auckland's Eden Park, Tonga faced the Australia in an Oceania Cup match. Tonga stunned the world number one nation, winning 16–12, their best win in their history. This match was labelled one of the greatest upsets in rugby league history, marking the first time Australia had lost to a tier 2 nation since 1978. Jason Taumalolo rated the win above his 2015 NRL Grand Final victory with the

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

2021 World Cup

Tonga competed at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England, having qualified automatically as semi-finalists of the 2017 tournament. The tournament was delayed until 2022 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The team won all three group games, before falling 18-20 against

in a 'classic' quarter-final that was lauded for its 'athleticism, power and superb ball-handling skills'.

Players

Current squad

The Tongan squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Notable former players

Since rugby league was introduced to the nation of Tonga in 1986 many players of Tongan birth or heritage have gone on to attain notability by participating in

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

, or both. Additionally many Tongan heritage players have represented other nations (mainly

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

) in addition to Tonga. A list of seventeen former notable Tongan heritage players below that have played in NRL & Super League all played internationally for Tonga, with twelve of them also having played for other nations.

International results

The following table underneath shows Tonga's all-time rugby league results record. Matches include those played as the Tonga Invitational XIII side. They have been participating in International fixtures since 1986. Tonga have played 86 internationals with the most recent being played on 2 November 2019 against Australia. †Includes matches played as Tonga Invitational.

Coaching History

Also see '' :Tonga national rugby league team coaches.''

Honours

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region. History The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Kit supplier

Tonga's kit suppliers are

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since 2018.

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

(1995 RLWC), Mitre (2000 RLWC), Kombat (2004–2005),

KooGa BLK (initials for "Beyond Limits Known") is an Australian sporting goods manufacturing company which was established in 1999 in the city of Gold Coast in Queensland. The overall but now heavily transitioned company has origins as far back as ...

(2006–2012) and FI-TA (2013–2018) were previous suppliers. As of 2019, the current kit supplier is Dynasty Sport.

Notes

References

External links

* *
2008 Rugby League World Cup Website

Matangi Tonga Online

Tonga Broadcasting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonga National Rugby League Team National rugby league teams Pacific Rugby League International Rugby league in Tonga