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 ...

. They are members of

Oceania Rugby Oceania Rugby, previously known as the Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU), is the regional governing body for rugby union in Oceania. It was founded in 2000 to represent the interests of Oceania rugby within World Rugby, the international g ...

. 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

World Rugby World Rugby is the 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 competit ...

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 () represents Tonga in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ''ʻIkale Tahi (Sea Eagles)'' and is governed by the Tonga Rugby Union. Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans precede the ...

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

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 ...

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

. 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 World Rugby, International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japa ...

, 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 all but one of the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments. World Rugby Sevens Series 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series Tonga have partici ...

participates occasionally in the

World Rugby Sevens Series The SVNS, known as the HSBC SVNS for sponsorship reasons, 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 ...

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

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

, 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, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which ...

is the highest level of

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

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 National members of World Rugby Sports organizations established in 1923 1923 establishments in Tonga

National teams

Domestic competition

See also

References

External links