Tonga

Team information
Nickname	Mate Ma'a Tonga
Governing body	TBA
Region	Asia-Pacific
Head coach	Kristian Woolf
Captain	Addin Fonua-Blake
Most caps	Daniel Tupou (16)
Top try-scorer	Daniel Tupou (12)
Top point-scorer	Siosiua Taukeiaho (58) Isaiya Katoa (58)
IRL ranking	5th
Uniforms
First colours
Team results
First international
Western Samoa 68–5 Tonga  (Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 29 October 1986)
Biggest win
Tonga 92-10  Cook Islands (Middlesbrough, England; 31 October 2022)
Biggest defeat
New Zealand 74–0 Tonga  (Auckland, New Zealand; 23 October 1999)
World Cup
Appearances	5 (first time in 1995)
Best result	Semifinals (2017)

The Tonga national rugby league team (Tongan: timi līki ʻakapulu fakafonua ʻa Tonga) represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the fifth ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six Rugby League World Cups, 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 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: Die for Tonga). They are coached by Australian Kristian Woolf, and captained by Addin Fonua-Blake.

History

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.^[1] 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 Tongan team performing the Sipi Tau at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

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.

Jason Taumalolo has chosen to represent Tonga instead of New Zealand since 2017.

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.^[2][3] 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.^{[4][lower-alpha 1]}

In addition, Manu Maʻu declined a likely position in the New Zealand squad,^[6] 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.^[7][8] Michael Jennings also committed himself to Tonga after declining an opportunity to represent Fiji.^[9]

Tonga quickly became the most heavily backed team in the World Cup, dropping from $81 odds to $17.^[3] Entering into the tournament as the 11th ranked team in the world, Tonga comfortably won their opening two group matches, outclassing Scotland 50–4^[10] and Samoa 32–18.^[11] 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,^[12][13] and the first time since Wales defeated England 18–16 in 1995 if applied retroactively.^[14] Tonga beat Lebanon 24–22 in a hard-fought quarter-final,^[15] 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.^[16][17]

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^[18]

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^[19][20] for their contribution to sports.^{[21][22][23][24]} At the conclusion of the tournament, Tonga jumped to 4th in the RLIF world rankings.^[25][26]

After the tournament, several players^{[lower-alpha 2]} 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.^[34] Addin Fonua-Blake also announced his intention to represent Tonga after playing for New Zealand at the World Cup,^[35] commenting "I really enjoyed my time with the Kiwis but it just didn't feel like home."^[36] 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.^[37]

Tonga faced Australia for the first time ever on 20 October 2018, losing 34–16.^[38]

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.^[39] 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.^[40]

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.^[41] Jason Taumalolo rated the win above his 2015 NRL Grand Final victory with the North Queensland Cowboys.^[42]

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,^[43] before falling 18-20 against Samoa in a 'classic' quarter-final that was lauded for its 'athleticism, power and superb ball-handling skills'.^[44][45]

Identity

Coaching Staff

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
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

Players

Current squad

The Tongan squad for the 2023 Tonga rugby league tour of England. The squad was announced on 4 October 2023.^[47]
Jersey numbers in the table are those used in the Third Test against England.
Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project, and are up to 5 November 2023, including the Third Test.

J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Tonga						Club	NRL		SL		Other Reps
				Dbt	M	T	G	F	P		CM	TM	CM	TM
1	William Hopoate	31	Fullback	2017	13	3	0	0	12	St Helens R.F.C.	—	184	31	31	5 2 2
2	Will Penisini	21	Wing, Centre	2022	7	5	0	0	20	Parramatta Eels	57	57	0	0
3	Konrad Hurrell	32	Centre	2013	11	2	0	0	8	St Helens R.F.C.	—	116	48	103	1 2
4	Moses Suli	25	Centre	2017	8	1	0	0	4	St. George Illawarra Dragons	39	118	0	0
5	Toluta'u Koula	21	Wing, Centre	2022	6	2	0	0	8	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	39	39	0	0
6	Tuimoala Lolohea	28	Five-eighth, Fullback	2015	17	5	6	0	32	Huddersfield Giants	—	71	54	126	2 1
7	Isaiya Katoa	19	Halfback, Five-eighth	2022	6	2	24	0	56	Dolphins (NRL)	22	22	0	0
8	Hame Sele	26	Prop, Lock	2023	2	0	0	0	0	South Sydney Rabbitohs	49	72	0	0	1
9	Siliva Havili	30	Hooker	2013	16	2	0	0	8	South Sydney Rabbitohs	31	135	0	0	2 1
17	Felise Kaufusi	31	Prop, Lock	2015	10	1	0	0	4	Dolphins (NRL)	16	189	0	0	14 4
11	Tyson Frizell	32	Second-row	2023	3	1	0	0	4	Newcastle Knights	62	239	5	0	16 16 2 5
12	Haumole Olakau'atu	25	Second-row	2022	5	0	0	0	0	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	73	73	0	0
13	Keaon Koloamatangi	25	Lock, Second-row	2022	8	2	0	0	8	South Sydney Rabbitohs	82	82	0	0	1
14	Latu Fainu	18	Five-eighth	2023	1	0	0	0	0	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	—	0	0	0
15	Moeaki Fotuaika	23	Prop	2022	3	0	0	0	0	Gold Coast Titans	121	121	0	0	6
16	Eliesa Katoa	23	Second-row	2023	2	1	0	0	4	Melbourne Storm	21	67	0	0
18	Siua Wong	20	Second-row	2023	1	0	0	0	0	Sydney Roosters	10	10	0	0	4
20	Junior Tupou	21	Wing	2023	1	0	0	0	0	Wests Tigers	26	26	0	0
–	Addin Fonua-Blake	27	Prop	2017	11	0	0	0	0	New Zealand Warriors	62	159	0	0	1
–	Tevita Tatola	26	Prop	2018	8	1	0	0	4	South Sydney Rabbitohs	134	134	0	0
–	Dion Teaupa	—	Five-eighth	2023	2	0	0	0	0	South Sydney Rabbitohs	—	0	0	0
–	Starford To'a	23	Centre, Wing	2023	1	1	0	0	4	Wests Tigers	39	59	0	0
–	Daniel Tupou	32	Wing	2013	16	12	0	0	48	Sydney Roosters	241	241	1	0	10 2 1 2

Records

• Bold- denotes that the player is still active.

Competitive Record

IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of 21 December 2023
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		Australia	100.00
2		New Zealand	91.00
3	1	England	74.00
4	1	Samoa	70.00
5		Tonga	54.00
6		Papua New Guinea	50.00
7		Fiji	49.00
8	1	France	24.00
9	1	Lebanon	24.00
10	3	Cook Islands	22.00
11	1	Serbia	19.00
12	6	Netherlands	17.00
13	1	Italy	15.00
14	5	Malta	15.00
15	1	Greece	14.00
16	4	Ireland	14.00
17	6	Wales	13.00
18	3	Jamaica	10.00
19	2	Scotland	9.00
20	8	Ukraine	7.00
21	6	Czech Republic	7.00
22	1	Germany	6.00
23	10	Philippines	6.00
24	5	Poland	6.00
25	1	South Africa	5.00
26	4	Chile	5.00
27	4	Kenya	0.00
28	6	Norway	4.00
29	6	Nigeria	4.00
30	6	Ghana	4.00
31	6	Brazil	4.00
32	12	Turkey	3.00
33	4	United States	3.00
34	1	Bulgaria	3.00
35	5	Cameroon	2.00
36	2	Montenegro	2.00
37	5	Spain	2.00
38	6	Japan	1.00
39		Albania	1.00
40	4	Colombia	1.00
41	6	El Salvador	1.00
42		North Macedonia	1.00
43	1	Morocco	1.00
44	3	Sweden	0.00
45		Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.00
46	3	Canada	0.00
47		Niue	0.00
48	9	Solomon Islands	0.00
49	1	Belgium	0.00
50	10	Hungary	0.00
51	5	Vanuatu	0.00
52	3	Argentina	0.00
53	3	Denmark	0.00
54	3	Latvia	0.00
55		Estonia	0.00
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

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.

Country	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	% Won	Year/s
American Samoa	2	2	0	0	100%	1988–1998
Australia*	2	1	0	1	50%	2018–2019
Australian Aboriginies	1	0	0	1	0%	1994
Cook Islands	12	11	0	1	92%	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	38%	1986–2006
New Zealand	6	1	0	5	17%	1995–2019
New Zealand XIII	1	0	0	1	0%	1997
Niue	3	3	0	0	100%	1990–1994
Papua New Guinea	9	1	1	7	11%	1995–2022
Samoa	22	11	1	10	50%	1986–2022
Scotland	3	2	0	1	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	102	55	3	44	53.92%	1986–
*Includes matches played as Tonga Invitational.[48]

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

Honours

• Pacific Cup: 2

1994, 2006

See also

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

• Tongan National Rugby League, the national league competition.
• Tonga National Rugby League, the governing body of the sport in Tonga.
• Rugby league in Tonga
• Tonga women's national rugby league team

Notes

References

External links

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