The Tonga Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of

rugby union in Tonga Rugby union is the national sport of Tonga. Tonga are considered to be a tier 2 rugby nation by the International Rugby Board. Tonga has four main rugby playing islands, Vava'u (which produced players like Epi Taione), Ha'apai (which produced p ...

. They are members of the

Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance The Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) was set up in 2002 as a basis of co-operation between the Fiji, Samoa and Tonga Rugby Unions. Niue and the Cook Islands also became members of the Alliance and supplied players to the Pacific Islanders ...

(PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa. There is a rugby union playing population of fewer than 800 out of a total population of 100,000. They were formed in 1923, and joined the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international ru ...

in 1987 when they were invited to play in the inaugural Rugby World Cup.

National teams

The

Tonga national rugby union team The Tonga national rugby union team ( to, timi feohi ʻakapulu fakafonua ʻa Tonga) represents Tonga in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ''Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles)''. Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start the ...

is nicknamed ''Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles)''. Like their Polynesian neighbours, the

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 ...

ns start their matches with a war dance – the Sipi Tau. They are members of the

(PIRA) along with Fiji and

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 and Apolima); ...

. Tonga achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in pool play in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but with a 2-2 record in pool play, were unable to achieve what would have been their first ever presence at the quarterfinals. The

Tonga national rugby sevens team The Tonga national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series. Tonga has participated in five Rugby World Cup Sevens. Tournament history Rugby World Cup Sevens Tonga's first appearance was at the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens ...

participates occasionally in the

World Rugby Sevens Series The World Rugby Men's Sevens Series is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national sevens teams. Organised for the first time in the 1999–2000 season as the IRB World Sevens Series, the com ...

, although they are not one of the core teams. Tonga has participated in five

Rugby World Cup Sevens Rugby World Cup Sevens (RWCS) is the quadrennial world championship of rugby sevens, a variant of rugby union. Organised by World Rugby, it currently consists of men's and women's tournaments, and is the highest level of competition in the sport ...

, but has not qualified for the Summer Olympics.

Domestic competition

The Datec Cup Provincial Championship is the highest level of

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 it ...

competition within

n rugby and is a stepping stone for local players into international rugby union. Tongan Premier Cup teams include: Army (Ngaahi Koula), and Ma’ufanga Marist.

References

External links

Official site

Pacific Islanders Rugby Team Supporters site

Tonga Rugby – World Cup 2007
{{World Rugby Rugby union in Tonga Rugby union governing bodies in Oceania World Rugby members Sports organizations established in 1923 1923 establishments in Tonga

National teams

Domestic competition

See also

References

External links