Tonga national rugby league team

Rugby league first gained attention in Tonga when the Pacific Cup was partially held in the country during 1986. After this initial exposure to the Tongan people several clubs began to form or switch from rugby union to rugby league 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. 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 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 , Cook Islands, Fiji and the New Zealand Maori.^[2] 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 this time against the Fijians who had never defeated the Tongans at that time. The Mate Ma'a were again victorious over Fiji 34–11 and claimed their maiden Pacific Cup title.

During 1995 Tonga qualified for their first World Cup and were seeded in the strong group B with both New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. They narrowly lost to the New Zealand team by a single point and earned a draw against Papua New Guinea.

 

The next four years saw the Tongan side appear in a further Pacific Cup in 1997 and then qualify for the 2000 World Cup with comfortable victories over Cook Islands, Tokelau and American Samoa. 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 France, Papua New Guinea again, and South Africa. 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 51–18. 2006 saw the Tongan side re-enter the Pacific Cup where again they performed strongly qualifying for their second consecutive final where this time they reversed their previous effort with a strong victory over Fiji 22–4 giving them their second Pacific Cup title. 2006 continued to be a busy year of international fixtures for the Tongans which saw them gain qualification into the 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 competition along with England, France 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.

In April 2013, Tonga took on Samoa in the '2013 Pacific Rugby League Test' at Penrith Stadium. The International was created as a World Cup warm-up match. Tonga beat Toa Samoans by 36–4.

Tonga automatically qualified for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup after participating in the 2008 tournament. They took on Scotland, Italy and the Cook Islands 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.

In May 2015, Tonga took on Samoa in the 2015 Polynesian Cup at Cbus Super 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. Samoa beat Mate Ma'a Tonga to win the Polynesian Cup by 18–16.

In October 2015, Tonga took on the Cook Islands 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.

In May 2016, Tonga took on Samoa 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.

 

Tonga fielded its strongest ever team at the 2017 World Cup after Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita chose to represent their Tongan heritage rather than their respective birthplaces, New Zealand and Australia. At the time, they were considered to be among the best forwards in the world.^[3][4] 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 Kristian Woolf was also acknowledged.^[5][a]

In addition, Manu Maʻu declined a likely position in the New Zealand squad,^[7] while David Fusitu'a, Solomone Kata, Tuimoala Lolohea, and Sio Siua Taukeiaho dismissed any possibility of a New Zealand re-call in order to represent Tonga.^[8][9] Michael Jennings also committed himself to Tonga after declining an opportunity to represent Fiji.^[10]

Tonga quickly became the most heavily backed team in the World Cup, dropping from $81 odds to $17.^[4] Entering into the tournament as the 11th ranked team in the world, Tonga comfortably won their opening two group matches, outclassing Scotland 50–4^[11] and Samoa 32–18.^[12] 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,^[13][14] and the first time since Wales defeated England 18–16 in 1995 if applied retroactively.^[15] Tonga beat Lebanon 24–22 in a hard-fought quarter-final,^[16] 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.^[17][18]

Playing for the Kangaroos is the pinnacle in rugby league. If you make that team, you’re up there with the best in the world in your position... But it’s a very different feeling playing for Tonga. There’s more emotion in the Tongan jersey. You know what your family has been through and you think about them every time you put it on.

— Michael Jennings, AthletesVoice^[19]

After Tonga's semi-final against England, which was attended by King Tupou VI, 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^[20][21] for their contribution to sports.^{[22][23][24][25]} At the conclusion of the tournament, Tonga jumped to 4th in the RLIF world rankings.^[26][27]

After the tournament, several players^[b] 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.^[35] Addin Fonua-Blake also announced his intention to represent Tonga after playing for New Zealand at the World Cup,^[36] commenting "I really enjoyed my time with the Kiwis but it just didn't feel like home."^[37] 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, who reportedly pledged his loyalty to the Kiwis to honour his great-grandfather Puti Tipene Watene, the first Māori to captain the side.^[38]

Tonga faced Australia for the first time ever on 20 October 2018, losing 34–16.^[39]

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 Great Britain on 26 October, winning 14–6 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. This was Great Britain's first match after a twelve-year hiatus.^[40] 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.^[41]

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.^[42] Jason Taumalolo rated the win above his 2015 NRL Grand Final victory with the North Queensland Cowboys.^[43]

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 team won all three group games,^[44] before falling 18-20 against Samoa in a 'classic' quarter-final that was lauded for its 'athleticism, power and superb ball-handling skills'.^[45][46]

Tonga's kit suppliers are ISC since 2018. Classic (1995 RLWC), Mitre (2000 RLWC), Kombat (2004–2005), KooGa (2006–2012) and FI-TA (2013–2018) were previous suppliers. As of 2019, the current kit supplier is Dynasty Sport.^[47]

Also see Category:Tonga national rugby league team coaches.

No.	Name	Years	G	W	L	D	%
1	Graham Mattson	1994
2	Mike McClennan	1995–1998	3	0	2	1	0
3	Murray Hurst	1998–2000	8	6	2	0	75
4	Duane Mann	2006-2007	7	5	2	0	80
5	Jim Dymock	2006–2008	8	4	4	0	50
6	Rohan Smith	2009	3	0	0	0	0
7	Charlie Tonga	2010–2013	5	3	2	0	60
8	Kristian Woolf	2014–present	15	9	6	0	60
9	Dean Young (caretaker)	2022	0	0	0	0	0

The Tongan squad for the 2024 Pacific Championships. The squad was announced on 8 October 2024.^[48]
Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project, and are up to 11 November 2024, including the week 4 cup final against Australia.

J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Tonga						Club	NRL		Other Reps
				Dbt	M	T	G	F	P		CM	TM
1	Lehi Hopoate	19	Fullback, Wing	2024	3	0	0	0	0	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	14	14
2	Daniel Tupou	33	Wing	2013	19	12	0	0	48	Sydney Roosters	265	265	1   2   10   1   2
18	Toluta'u Koula	22	Centre	2022	8	3	0	0	12	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	60	60
4	Paul Alamoti	20	Centre	2024	3	0	0	0	0	Penrith Panthers	16	35
5	Sione Katoa	27	Wing	2022	8	4	0	0	16	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	113	113
6	Tui Lolohea	29	Five-eighth, Fullback	2015	21	5	6	0	32	Huddersfield Giants	0	71	1   2
7	Isaiya Katoa	20	Halfback	2022	10	2	33	1	75	Dolphins (NRL)	44	44
8	Addin Fonua-Blake	29	Prop	2017	15	1	0	0	4	New Zealand Warriors	85	182	1
9	Siliva Havili	31	Hooker	2013	19	3	0	0	12	South Sydney Rabbitohs	46	150	1   2
10	Felise Kaufusi	32	Prop, Second-row	2015	13	1	0	0	4	Dolphins (NRL)	34	207	1   17
11	Haumole Olakau'atu	26	Second-row	2022	9	2	0	0	8	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	94	94	2
12	Eliesa Katoa	24	Second-row	2023	5	2	0	0	8	Melbourne Storm	46	92
13	Jason Taumalolo	31	Lock	2013	17	4	0	0	16	North Queensland Cowboys	275	275	10   2   1
14	Soni Luke	28	Hooker	2022	8	1	0	0	4	Penrith Panthers	26	26
19	Keaon Koloamatangi	26	Second-row	2022	11	2	0	0	8	South Sydney Rabbitohs	106	106	1
16	Taniela Paseka	27	Prop	2024	3	0	0	0	0	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	120	120
17	Siua Wong	21	Second-row	2023	3	0	0	0	0	Sydney Roosters	19	19	4
15	Sitili Tupouniua	27	Second-row	2019	4	0	0	0	0	Sydney Roosters	106	106	1
3	Moses Suli	26	Centre	2017	11	1	0	0	4	St. George Illawarra Dragons	58	137
20	Isaiah Iongi	—	Fullback	—	0	0	0	0	0	Penrith Panthers	1	1
21	Kulikefu Finefeuiaki	20	Second-row	—	0	0	0	0	0	North Queensland Cowboys	37	37

Notes

•   Tuimoala Lolohea played 25 games for Huddersfield Giants in the 2024 Super League season and a further three matches in the 2024 Challenge Cup. He has played 82 matches for his current club and 154 matches for Super League clubs.
•   Five members of the squad previously played for New Zealand
•   Two members of the squad previously played for Australia, Kaufusi and Tupou in 2014. Tupou has also played for NSW, NSW City and Prime Minister's XIII.
•   Three members of the squad have played State of Origin for NSW and
•   One member, Kaufusi, has played State of Origin for Queensland.

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 or Super League, or both. Additionally many Tongan heritage players have represented other nations (mainly Australia or New Zealand) 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.

• Bold- denotes that the player is still active.

The following table underneath shows Tonga's all-time rugby league results record up to 10 November 2024. Matches include those played as the Tonga Invitational XIII side. They have been participating in International fixtures since 1986.

Country	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	% Won	Year/s
American Samoa	2	2	0	0	100%	1988–1998
Australia*	4	1	0	3	25%	2018–2024
Australian Aboriginies	1	0	0	1	0%	1994
Cook Islands	12	11	0	1	91.67%	1988–2022
England	6	0	0	6	0%	2006–2023
France	2	1	0	1	50%	2000–2006
Fiji	12	6	1	5	50%	1992–2017
Presidents XIII	1	1	0	0	100%	1994
Great Britain*	1	1	0	0	100%	2019
Ireland	1	1	0	0	100%	2008
Italy	2	2	0	0	100%	2013–2017
Lebanon	1	1	0	0	100%	2017
Māori	8	3	0	5	37.5%	1986–2006
New Zealand	8	2	0	6	25%	1995–2024
New Zealand Residents	1	0	0	1	0%	1997
Niue	3	3	0	0	100%	1990–1994
Papua New Guinea	9	1	1	7	11.11%	1995–2022
Samoa	22	11	1	10	50%	1986–2022
Scotland	3	2	0	1	66.67%	2008–2017
South Africa	1	1	0	0	100%	2000
Tokelau	4	4	0	0	100%	1986–2006
United States	1	1	0	0	100%	2012
Wales	1	1	0	0	100%	2022
Total	106	56	3	47	52.83%	1986–
*Includes matches played as Tonga Invitational.[49]

World Cup Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	Win	Draw	Loss
1954	did not enter
1957
1960
1968
1970
1972
1975
1977
1985–88
1989–92
1995	Group Stage	7th out of 10	2	0	1	1
2000	Group Stage	9th out of 16	3	1	0	2
2008	Group Stage	7th out of 10	3	2	0	1
2013	Group Stage	9th out of 14	3	2	0	1
2017	Semi-final	3rd out of 14	5	4	0	1
2021	Quarter-final	5th out of 16	4	3	0	1
2026	qualified

• Pacific Cup: 2

1994, 2006

• Rugby league in Tonga
• Tonga women's national rugby league team

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tonga national rugby league team.

• Official website
• Tonga national rugby league team on Facebook
• 2008 Rugby League World Cup Website
• Matangi Tonga Online
• Tonga Broadcasting