The Tonga Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of
rugby union in Tonga. They are members of the
Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (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 in 1987 when they were invited to play in the inaugural Rugby World Cup.
National teams
The
Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed ''Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles)''. Like their Polynesian neighbours, the
Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Sipi Tau. They are members of the
Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
and
Samoa. Tonga achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in pool play in the
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...
, 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 participates occasionally in the
World Rugby Sevens Series, although they are not one of the core teams. Tonga has participated in five
Rugby World Cup Sevens, but has not qualified for the Summer Olympics.
Domestic competition
The
Datec Cup Provincial Championship
The Datec Cup Provincial Championship is the highest level of rugby union football competition within Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The ...
is the highest level of
rugby union competition within
Tongan 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.
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]
See also
*
Tonga national rugby union team
References
External links
Official sitePacific Islanders Rugby Team Supporters siteTonga 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