Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

is a popular

team sport A team sport is a type of sport where the fundamental nature of the game or sport requires the participation of multiple individuals working together as a team, and it is inherently impossible or highly impractical to execute the sport as a s ...

played in

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

History

The Tongan national team was formed to enter the 1986

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition, inaugurated in 1974, as a development competition for national teams from the Pacific region outside of Australia and New Zealand. The tournament ceased in 2009. In 2019, a similar com ...

. A domestic competition consisting of six clubs was launched in 1988. During the

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, Tonga joined the

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-backed

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

in June 1995. In February 2020, Tonga National Rugby League were expelled from the

International Rugby League The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. The IRL organises the Rugby League World Cup, the oldest international rugby World Cup, as well as the Women's Rugby League World Cup, Wom ...

(IRL) following refusal to enact necessary changes after the conclusion of an investigation by the IRL. Said investigation came after

Semisi Sika Semisi Kioa Lafu Sika (born 31 January 1968) is a Tongan politician, businessman, and Member of the Tongan Parliament from 2010 to 2021. He served as acting prime minister in September 2019, following the death of ʻAkilisi Pōhiva. He is curre ...

, then acting Prime Minister of Tonga, wrote to IRL expressing concerns that he had lost confidence in the governing body. The expulsion did not affect the national team as the IRL had ordered Tonga to fulfil a fixture with

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which was arranged before the investigation, setting a precedent for future matches, a game which Tonga National Rugby League wanted removed from official test records (despite winning) as they were not governing the national team. In Autumn 2023, Tonga became the first Pacific Island Nation to tour a European Nation with their tour of England. On 22 August 2024, Tonga were re admitted to the IRL under the new governance of

Tonga Rugby League XIII Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has List of islands and towns in Tonga, 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the ...

Competitions

The Tongan Rugby League competition comprises 12 teams in the first division, and 7 in the second. Following the

2017 Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...

, the competition was renamed the Jason Taumalolo Cup. Age-restricted competitions were also named for

Manu Vatuvei Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986), also known by the nickname "The Beast", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who was both a Tonga and New Zealand international representative er. He previously played for t ...

Solomone Kata Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a professional dual-code rugby footballer who plays as a centre for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team. Prior to rugby union, Kata played rugby league for the New Zeala ...

Konrad Hurrell Konileti "Konrad" Hurrell (born 5 August 1991) is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for Bradford Bulls in the RFL Championship on loan from St Helens in the Super League and Tonga at international level. He previou ...

and Tuimoala Lolohea. The 12 teams in the first division are: *Capital Warriors *Fuekafa Rabbitohs *Ha'akame Broncos *Ha'ateiho Spartans *Halaloto Green Barbarians *Havelu Bulldogs *Kolomotu'a Eagles *Lapaha Knights *Lavengamalie Hurricanes *Mu'a Saints *Nakolo Raiders *Silapeluua Crusaders *Vaini Doves A The 7 teams in the second division are: *Ha'ateiho Crusaders *Hihifo Rovers *Houma Tigers *Kolomu'a Warriors *Puke-Hofa Turtles *Silapeluua Crusaders *Vaini Doves B

Participation

First and Second Division

There are 10 first division sides in the Global Insurance Cup and there are 9 in the second division. Only Kolomu'a Warriors (One of two Nuku'alofa Clubs) and the Vaini Doves have first and second division sides. The First Division sides have been, to a greater extent, regular participants in the competition since the inception of League in 1988. Those sides are Kolomu'a, Vaini, Mu'a Saints, Silapeluua (Ha'ateiho) Crusaders, Lapaha Knights, Ha'akame Broncos, Hihifo Rovers, Havelu Bulldogs, Halaloto Barbarians and Nakolo Raiders. The Second Division consists of a number of clubs that have participated infrequently over a number of years. However, regulars in the Second Division are Fatumu, Ha'ateiho Spartans and Ngalukilo Stormers. The most recent competition (2013) was won by the Kolomua Warriors who defeated the Ha'akame Broncos in the grand final at Teufaiva Stadium in front of approximately 2 000 spectators.

School Competition

Secondary Schools Competition started in 2007 with 5 teams in the under 18s competition and 8 teams in the Under 16s. Takuilau High School won the Under 18s competition and Liahona High School won the Under 16s competition. It is the largest number of teams and players participating in rugby league in Tongan history, with the National Schools Committee starting the Under 12s, Under 14s and Under 15s in 2008. In 2013 the Secondary Schools Competition featured 8 schools with teams competing in Under 13s, Under 15s, Under 17's and Open's competitions. Tupou High School finished open age champions with Tonga College winning the U17's and Tupou College winning the Under 15's and U13's competition. Primary school rugby league was also introduced with Maufanga/Fanga and ACTS Community School winning the inaugural tournaments. TNRL estimate that there are roughly 1,500 players playing rugby league in Tonga for 2007.TNRL.com
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National teams

The men's national team was formed in 1986 to enter the 1986

. They have competed at five

Rugby League World Cup The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by senior men's national teams who each represent member nations of the International Rugby League who run and administer the tournament. The tournament has be ...

s (

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

). They achieved their best result as semi-finalists in 2017. The women's national team was formed in 2003 for the

2003 Women's Rugby League World Cup The 2003 Women's Rugby League World Cup was the second staging of the Women's Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in Auckland, New Zealand from 28 September, culminating in the final between New Zealand and New Zealand Maori on 12 ...

. They competed at their second World Cup in

References

External links

* {{Rugby League Playing Nations links