Tonga national rugby union team

Tonga

Nickname(s)	ʻIkale Tahi
Emblem	White dove
Union	Tonga Rugby Football Union
Head coach	Toutai Kefu
Captain	Siale Piutau
Most caps	Nili Latu (43)
Top scorer	Kurt Morath (338)
Top try scorer	Fetu'u Vainikolo (15)
Home stadium	Teufaiva Sport Stadium
First colours Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current	15 (as of 21 November 2016)
Highest	9 (2011)
Lowest	20 (2006)
First international
Tonga 9–6 Fiji (Nuku'alofa, Tonga; 25 August 1924)
Biggest win
Tonga 119–0 South Korea (Nuku'alofa, Tonga; 22 March 2003)
Biggest defeat
New Zealand 102–0 Tonga (Albany, New Zealand; 16 June 2000)
World Cup
Appearances	7 (First in 1987)
Best result	Pool stage, 1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Website	www.tongarugbyunion.net

The Tonga National Rugby Union team is nicknamed ʻIkale 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 and Samoa. The Ikale Tahi achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but having lost to New Zealand and Canada, were unable to achieve what would have been their first ever presence at the quarter-finals.

History

Rugby was brought to the region in the early 20th Century by sailors and missionaries and the Tonga Rugby Football Union was formed in late 1923. Tonga beat Fiji 9–6 in their first test in 1924 played in the capital Nukuʻalofa. However, Tonga lost the second test 14–3 and drew the decider 0–0.

Between 1924 and 1938 Tonga and Fiji played three test series every alternate year. Matches between the two Pacific nations were hard fought; many have claimed that the ancient feuding wars between the Islanders were transplanted onto the rugby field. Troubles during the third Test of Fiji’s 1928 tour to Tonga forced the game to be abandoned with Tonga leading 11–8. In 1954 Tonga played host to a touring Western Samoa.

Tonga beat New Zealand Māori in 1969 but had to wait until 1973 before they played their second test match a 30–12 defeat against Australia in Sydney. They got their revenge when they beat Australia in Ballymore, Brisbane 16–11, scoring four tries to two in June 1973. The following year they travelled to the Arms Park for a non-cap international against Wales, a game that ended in a 26–7 defeat.

The first Tongan tour to Great Britain was in 1974 when they played 10 games, including those in Wales against East Wales, Llanelli, North Wales, Newport, West Wales and a Wales XV. The only tour victory was by 18–13 in the opener against East Wales. The 'tests' were lost by 44–8 to a Scotland XV and by 26–7 to the Wales XV.

They remained a little-known quantity in Europe until 1986 when Wales embarked on a tour of Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa. Early in the game against Tonga Welsh flanker Mark Brown was flattened by three Tongan forwards, leading to a mass brawl involving the entire team except Malcolm Dacey and Mark Titley. Robert Jones describes the event in his book Raising The Dragon as "the worst brawl I have ever seen on a rugby field." At the post-match dinner Jonathan Davies was asked to give a few words in Welsh and as the hosts politely applauded he described them as "the dirtiest team I have ever played against!"

Tonga were drawn to play Wales again in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The previous meeting, plus the decision to rest some of the leading players, led to a poor Welsh performance though they managed to win 29–16. Tonga lost its other two games to Ireland (32–9) and Canada (37–4).

They failed to qualify for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. In 1994 they won the South Pacific championship on try count and so qualified for the Super 10, they finished bottom of their pool with only one point.

They qualified for the 1995 World Cup ahead of Fiji on points difference. Tonga managed only two victories in the next two World Cups, against the 29–11 Côte d'Ivoire in 1995 and Italy in 1999. The win over the Côte d'Ivoire brought tragedy when Ivorian winger Max Brito was left paralyzed.

June 1999 brought their greatest home victory, a 20–16 defeat of France in Nukuʻalofa over a touring France but in 2000 they were humiliated 102–0 (including 15 tries) by New Zealand.

After losing their first four matches to Fiji and Samoa, Tonga finished third in the Oceania qualifying group. As a result, they had to play home and away matches against Papua New Guinea, which they won 47–14 and 84–12, followed by a play-off against South Korea, who finished as runners-up in the Asian section. Tonga thrashed them 75–0 and 119–0.

At the 2003 Rugby World Cup Tonga lost all their games and finished bottom of their pool. Despite keeping Wales to 20–27, they were again thrashed by New Zealand 91–7.

In 2007 Tonga participated in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, winning 2 of their pool matches and nearly defeating the eventual champions, South Africa, in one of the most memorable and exciting games of the tournament, eventually going down 30–25.

Tonga achieved one of the greatest victories in Rugby World Cup history with their 19 – 14 win over France in the 2011 World Cup.

On 24 November 2012, Tonga beat Scotland, at Pittodrie Stadium, 21–15 for their first victory over a traditional rugby power on a European pitch

Sipi Tau

Like a lot of the big Pacific rugby nations, Tonga has a pre-game war dance (Haka). The Sipi Tau is a form of the Kailao. Tonga perform the kailao/Sipi Tau prior to the commencement of a match. The kailao was originally a war dance that was imported to Tonga from Wallis Island. It is usually performed at both public and private ceremonies.

One of the most memorable performances in modern times of the Sipi Tau was during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, in Tonga's match against the All Blacks. The All Blacks began their traditional haka, and then Tonga answered to the haka through the sipi tau whilst the All Blacks were performing it, bringing the teams within metres of one another just prior to kick-off.^[1]

Wins against Tier 1 nations

30 June 1973	Australia	11–16	Tonga	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
	Try: Cole Tindall Con: McGill	Report	Try: Kavapalu Latu Mafi Pahulu Vave	Attendance: 9,563 Referee: Bob Burnett (Australia)

16 June 1999	Tonga	20–16	France	Teufaiva Sport Stadium, Nukuʻalofa
	Try: Taufahema Taumalolo (2) Con: Sateki Tuipulotu Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu	Report	Try: Sarraméa Con: Lamaison Pen: Lamaison (3)	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Clayton Thomas (Wales)

10 October 1999	Italy	25–28	Tonga	Welford Road, Leicester
	Try: Moscardi Con: Domínguez Pen: Domínguez (6)	Report	Try: Fatani Taufahema Sateki Tuipulotu Con: Sateki Tuipulotu (2) Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu (2) Drop: Sateki Tuipulotu	Attendance: 10,244 Referee: Dave McHugh (Ireland)

1 October 2011	France	14–19	Tonga	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
	Try: Clerc 80' m Pen: Yachvili (3/3) 1', 23', 49'	Report	Try: Hufanga 26' c Con: Morath (1/1) 28' Pen: Morath (4/8) 6', 35', 66', 72'	Attendance: 32,763 Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)

24 November 2012	Scotland	15–21	Tonga	Pittodrie, Aberdeen
	Pen: Laidlaw (5/7) 10', 38', 46', 55', 61'	Report	Try: Lokotui 51' c Vainikolo 65' m Con: Apikotoa (1/2) 52' Pen: Apikotoa (3/5) 5', 64', 72'	Attendance: 20,306 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)

---

26 November 2016 15:00 CET (UTC+1)

Italy	17–19	Tonga
Try: Cittadini 12' c Allan 54' c Con: Canna (1/1) 13' Allan (1/1) 55' Pen: Padovani (1/1) 77'	Report	Try: Piutau 51' c Con: Takulua (1/1) 53' Pen: Takulua (4/5) 32', 45', 77', 80'

Stadio Euganeo, Padua Attendance: 18,125 Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)

Overall Record

World Rugby Rankings
Top 30 rankings as of 5 December 2016[2]
Rank	Change*	Team	Points
1		New Zealand	94.78
2		England	89.84
3		Australia	86.97
4		Ireland	84.62
5	1	Wales	82.55
6	1	South Africa	81.79
7		Scotland	80.67
8		France	80.13
9		Argentina	79.91
10		Fiji	76.46
11		Japan	74.22
12		Georgia	74.14
13		Italy	72.47
14	1	Tonga	71.94
15	1	Samoa	71.25
16		Romania	69.36
17		United States	64.66
18		Canada	63.95
19		Russia	63.25
20		Namibia	62.78
21		Uruguay	60.66
22		Spain	60.17
23		Kenya	59.28
24		Germany	58.99
25		Portugal	56.97
26		Belgium	56.87
27		Hong Kong	56.50
28		South Korea	55.50
29		Chile	55.08
30		Netherlands	54.93
*Change from the previous week
Tonga's historical rankings
Source: World Rugby - Graph updated to 5 December 2016[2]

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Tongan national XV at test level up until 26 November 2016.^[3]

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
Argentina	1	0	1	0	0%	16	45	−29
Australia	4	1	3	0	25%	42	167	−125
Australia A	1	0	1	0	0.00%	15	60	−45
Canada	8	3	5	0	37.50%	155	193	−38
Chile	1	1	0	0	100.00%	32	30	+2
Cook Islands	3	3	0	0	100.00%	235	22	+213
England	2	0	2	0	0.00%	30	137	−107
England XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	17	37	−20
Fiji	89	26	60	3	29.21%	1181	1747	−566
France	5	2	3	0	40.00%	75	149	−74
Georgia	5	2	3	0	40.00%	117	83	+34
Ireland	2	0	2	0	0.00%	28	72	−44
Italy	5	2	3	0	40.00%	82	154	−72
Ivory Coast	1	1	0	0	100.00%	29	11	+18
Japan	16	9	7	0	56.25%	440	379	+61
Junior All Blacks	2	0	2	0	0.00%	23	77	−54
Namibia	2	2	0	0	100%	55	35	+20
New Zealand	5	0	5	0	0.00%	35	326	−291
Māori	12	4	8	0	33.33%	165	319	−154
Papua New Guinea	2	2	0	0	100.00%	131	26	+105
Portugal	1	1	0	0	100.00%	24	19	+5
Romania	2	1	1	0	50.00%	39	35	+4
Samoa	62	25	33	4	40.32%	898	1075	−177
Scotland	4	1	3	0	25.00%	58	136	−78
Scotland XV	2	0	2	0	0.00%	13	67	−55
Spain	1	1	0	0	100.00%	28	13	+15
South Korea	6	6	0	0	100.00%	464	66	+398
South Africa	2	0	2	0	0.00%	35	104	−69
United States	9	8	1	0	88.89%	241	134	+107
Wales	7	0	7	0	0.00%	78	203	−125
Wales XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	7	26	−19
Zimbabwe	1	1	0	0	100.00%	42	13	+29
Total	265	102	156	7	38.49%	4830	5960	-1130

World Cup Record

World Cup record									World Cup Qualification record
Year	Round	P	W	D	L	F	A		P	W	D	L	F	A
1987	Pool Stage	3	0	0	3	29	98		Automatically qualified
1991	Did not qualify								3	1	0	2	64	62
1995	Pool Stage	3	1	0	2	44	90		2	1	0	1	34	26
1999	Pool Stage	3	1	0	2	47	171		7	2	0	5	317	241
2003	Pool Stage	4	0	0	4	46	178		8	4	0	4	398	178
2007	Pool Stage	4	2	0	2	89	96		7	3	0	4	329	136
2011	Pool Stage	4	2	0	2	80	98		Automatically qualified
2015	Pool Stage	4	1	0	3	70	130
2019	To be determined								To be determined
Total	7/8	25	7	0	18	405	861		27	11	0	16	1142	643

Current squad

Tonga's 30-man squad for their 2016 end-of-year tests against Spain (12 November), United States (19 November) and Italy (26 November).^[4] Former Wallabies player Cooper Vuna, is eligible haven used the Olympic 7s loophole in the 2015/16 season.

On November 1, Kotoni Ale was a late call up to the squad after recovering from an injury.^[5]

European based players Paea Faʻanunu and David Halaifonua joined the squad on 7 November in preparation for their opening test against Spain.

• Head Coach: Toutai Kefu
• Assistant Coach: Matt O'Connor
• Caps Updated: 26 November 2016

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player Position Date of Birth (Age) Caps Club/province Lea, SioneSione Lea Hooker 12 January 1987 3 Taranaki Ngauamo, PaulPaul Ngauamo Hooker 19 February 1990 9 Stade Montois Taione, ElvisElvis Taione Hooker 25 May 1983 26 Exeter Chiefs Faʻanunu, PaeaPaea Faʻanunu Prop 4 November 1988 6 Dax Halanukonuka, SiuaSiua Halanukonuka Prop 9 August 1986 4 Highlanders Mailau, TevitaTevita Mailau Prop 25 April 1985 21 Perpignan Puafisi, SilaSila Puafisi Prop 15 April 1988 26 Glasgow Warriors Tameifuna, BenBen Tameifuna Prop 30 August 1991 0 Racing 92 Taumalolo, SonaSona Taumalolo Prop 13 November 1981 20 Grenoble Mafi, SteveSteve Mafi Lock 9 December 1989 20 Castres Olympique Manu, VainanumaVainanuma Manu Lock 1 August 1992 0 Marist Mataele, HarrisonHarrison Mataele Lock 0 Grammar TEC Tuineau, JoeJoe Tuineau Lock 18 August 1981 28 Dax Ale, KotoniKotoni Ale Flanker 3 August 1990 2 Manly Faleafa, DanielDaniel Faleafa Flanker 13 February 1989 10 Albi Fukofuka, BillBill Fukofuka Flanker 22 April 1995 0 Southland Lolohea, SioneSione Lolohea Flanker 0 Silapelu’ua Mapapalangi, ValentinoValentino Mapapalangi Flanker 13 July 1993 3 Manawatu Ram, JackJack Ram Flanker 14 January 1987 11 Blues Koloamatangi, TevitaTevita Koloamatangi Number 8 9 July 1988 3 Chiefs Maʻake, SosefoSosefo Maʻake Scrum-half 15 September 1991 1 Havelu Bulldogs Palu, TomasiTomasi Palu Scrum-half 23 September 1986 13 Wellington Takulua, SonataneSonatane Takulua Scrum-half 11 January 1991 20 Newcastle Falcons Fosita, LatiumeLatiume Fosita Fly-half 25 July 1992 21 Auckland Hala, KaliKali Hala Fly-half 6 March 1991 5 Counties Manukau Piutau, SialeSiale Piutau (c) Centre 13 October 1985 27 Yamaha Júbilo Taufu’i, TevitaTevita Taufu’i Centre 21 March 1988 1 Waikato Tuitavake, NafiNafi Tuitavake Centre 29 January 1989 4 Northampton Saints Paea, FetuliFetuli Paea Wing 1 Silapelu’ua Vainikolo, FetuʻuFetuʻu Vainikolo Wing 30 January 1985 28 Oyonnax Vuna, CooperCooper Vuna Wing 5 July 1987 1 Worcester Warriors Halaifonua, DavidDavid Halaifonua Fullback 5 July 1987 21 Gloucester Veainu, TelusaTelusa Veainu Fullback 26 December 1990 9 Leicester Tigers

Individual all-time records

Most caps

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Won	Lost	Draw	%
1.	Nili Latu	Flanker	2006–	43	42	1	23	4	0	1	0	18	24	1	43.02
2.	Vunga Lilo	Fullback	2007–	42	39	3	87	12	3	7	0	19	23	0	45.23
3.	Elisi Vunipola	Fly-half	1990–2005	41	40	1	50	8	2	2	0	15	26	0	36.58
4.	Pierre Hola	Fly-half	1998–2009	39	38	1	317	11	68	39	3	13	26	0	33.33
	Benhur Kivalu	Number 8	1998–2005	39	35	4	40	8	0	0	0	14	24	1	37.17
6.	Aleki Lutui	Hooker	1999–	38	30	8	25	5	0	0	0	12	25	1	32.89
7.	Manu Vunipola	Scrum-half	1987–1999	36	31	5	9	2	0	0	0	12	23	1	34.72
8.	Fe'ao Vunipola	Hooker	1988–2001	34	32	2	15	3	0	0	0	13	20	1	39.70
9.	Ephraim Taukafa	Hooker	2002–2011	33	17	16	30	6	0	0	0	14	19	0	42.42
	Viliami Vaki	Lock	2001–2008	33	26	7	35	7	0	0	0	9	24	0	27.27

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most tries

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Fetu'u Vainikolo	Wing	2011–	24	23	1	75	15	0	0	0
2.	Josh Taumalolo	Centre	1996–2007	26	23	3	118	14	6	12	0
3.	Vunga Lilo	Fullback	2007–	41	38	3	87	12	3	7	0
4.	Pierre Hola	Fly-half	1998–2009	39	38	1	317	11	68	39	3
5.	Fepikou Tatafu	Centre	1996–2002	23	21	2	50	10	0	0	0
6.	Viliame Iongi	Wing	2011–2013	18	12	6	40	8	0	0	0
	Benhur Kivalu	Number 8	1998–2005	39	35	4	40	8	0	0	0
	Elisi Vunipola	Fly-half	1990–2005	41	40	1	50	8	2	2	0
9.	5 players on 7 tries

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Leading point scorers

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Kurt Morath	Fly-half	2009–	30	25	5	338	2	47	78	0
2.	Pierre Hola	Fly-half	1998–2009	39	38	1	317	11	68	39	3
3.	Sateki Tu'ipulotu	Fullback	1993–2003	20	19	1	190	5	33	32	1
4.	Fangatapu Apikotoa	Fly-half	2004–2014	30	20	10	147	2	40	19	0
5.	Josh Taumalolo	Centre	1996–2007	26	23	3	118	14	6	12	0
6.	Gustavo Tonga	Fullback	1996–2001	13	12	1	114	1	32	15	0
7.	Vunga Lilo	Fullback	2007–	42	39	3	87	12	3	7	0
8.	Fetu'u Vainikolo	Wing	2011–	25	24	1	75	15	0	0	0
9.	Fepikou Tatafu	Centre	1996–2002	23	21	2	50	10	0	0	0
	Elisi Vunipola	Fly-half	1990–2005	41	40	1	50	8	2	2	0

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most points in a match

#	Player	Pos	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Pierre Hola	Centre	44	2	17	0	0	South Korea	Nuku'alofa	22/03/2003
2.	Fangatapu Apikotoa	Fly-half	30	2	10	0	0	South Korea	Henderson	10/02/2007
3.	Sateki Tu'ipulotu	Fullback	27	1	8	2	0	South Korea	Seoul	04/05/1999
4.	Pierre Hola	Fullback	24	0	9	1	1	Papua New Guinea	Nuku'alofa	07/12/2002
5.	Gustavo Tonga	Fullback	23	1	9	0	0	Cook Islands	Nuku'alofa	05/07/1997
6.	Benhur Kivalu	Fly-half	20	4	0	0	0	South Korea	Nuku'alofa	22/03/2003
	Viliame Iongi	Centre	20	4	0	0	0	United States	Esher	08/06/2011
	Kurt Morath	Fly-half	20	0	4	4	0	Fiji	Lautoka	02/07/2011
9.	3 players on 19 points

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most tries in a match

#	Player	Pos	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Benhur Kivalu	Number 8	20	4	0	0	0	South Korea	Nuku'alofa	22/03/2003
	Viliame Iongi	Wing	20	4	0	0	0	United States	Esher	08/06/2011
3.	Josh Taumalolo	Fly-half	15	3	0	0	0	Cook Islands	Nuku'alofa	05/07/1997
	Josh Taumalolo	Fullback	17	3	1	0	0	Georgia	Tbilisi	28/03/1999
	Jonathan Koloi	Flanker	15	3	0	0	0	South Korea	Seoul	04/05/1999
	Viliami Hakalo	Wing	15	3	0	0	0	Cook Islands	Raratonga	24/06/2006
7.	46 players on 2 tries

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most matches as captain

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Draw	%	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Nili Latu	Flanker	2006–	39	15	23	1	39.74	23	4	0	1	0
2.	Inoke Afeaki	Lock	2001–2003	12	4	8	0	33.33	15	3	0	0	0
3.	Fakahau Valu	Flanker	1977–1987	11	0	11	0	0.00	12	3	0	0	0
4.	Aleki Lutui	Hooker	2004–2011	9	1	8	0	11.11	5	1	0	0	0
	Elisi Vunipola	Fly-half	1999–2001	9	4	5	0	44.44	15	3	0	0	0
6.	Sione Mafi Pahulu	Number 8	1973–1975	7	1	6	0	14.28	15	3	0	1	0
7.	Siaosi Atiola	Number 8	1987–1990	6	1	4	1	25.00	4	1	0	0	0
8.	Mana Otai	Number 8	1995	5	3	2	0	60.00	5	1	0	0	0
	Fe'ao Vunipola	Hooker	1994–1998	5	2	3	0	40.00	0	0	0	0	0
10.	5 players on 4 matches

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Youngest players

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#	Player	Pos	Age	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Elisi Vunipola	Fly-half	17 years and 292 days	Fiji	Nukualofa	24/03/1990
2.	Viliami Hakalo	(Wing)	18 years and 182 days	Japan	Fukuoka	04/06/2006
3.	Sione Kalamafoni	(Flanker)	18 years and 268 days	South Korea	Henderson	10/02/2007
4.	Soane Havea	Scrum-half	18 years and 292 days	New Zealand	North Shore City	16/06/2000
5.	Semi Taupeaafe	Wing	18 years and 317 days	Fiji	Suva	11/06/1991
6.	Sinali-Tui Latu	Number 8	18 years and 320 days	Fiji	Suva	07/07/1984
7.	Unuoi Va'enuku	Centre	19 years and 51 days	France	Pretoria	26/05/1995
8.	Pita Alatini	Centre	19 years and 119 days	Samoa	Nuku'alofa	08/07/1995
9.	Tevita 'Ahoafi	(Scrum-half)	19 years and 171 days	Australia A	Sydney	25/05/2007
10.	Isi Tapueluelu	Centre	19 years and 176 days	Fiji	Nuku'alofa	24/03/1990

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Oldest players

#	Player	Pos	Age	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Aleki Lutui	Hooker	37 years and 95 days	Argentina	Leicester	04/10/2015
2.	Hale T-Pole	(Number 8)	36 years and 152 days	Namibia	Exeter	29/09/2015
3.	Rudi Kapeli	Hooker	35 years and 311 days	Australia	Brisbane	04/07/1993
4.	Tukulua Lokotui	Lock	35 years and 282 days	New Zealand	Newcastle	09/10/2015
5.	Kuli Faletau	Lock	35 years and 185 days	Canada	Nuku'alofa	03/07/1999
6.	Ephraim Taukafa	Hooker	35 years and 80 days	Canada	Whangarei	14/09/2011
7.	Hemani Lavaka	Prop	34 years and 292 days	Canada	Wollongong	29/10/2003
8.	Tonga Lea'aetoa	Prop	34 years and 168 days	Fiji	Lautoka	19/08/2011
9.	Kisi Pulu	Prop	34 years and 144 days	Fiji	Lautoka	23/06/2012
10.	Taufa'ao Filise	Prop	34 years and 118 days	Japan	Whangarei	21/09/2011

Last updated: Tonga vs New Zealand, 9 October 2015. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Coaches

Name	Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Draw	%
Jim Love	2001–2003	19	6	13	0	31.58
Willie Ofahengaue	2004–2005	8	0	8	0	0.00
Adam Leach	2006–2007	7	5	2	0	71.43
Quddus Fielea	2007–2010	16	5	11	0	31.25
Isitolo Maka	2010–2011	14	7	7	0	50.00
Toutai Kefu (caretaker)	2012	3	1	2	0	33.33
Mana Otai	2012–2015	24	11	12	1	47.91
Toutai Kefu	2016–

Notable Former Players

Inoke Afeaki Stanley Afeaki Ipolito Fenukitau Salesi Finau Aisea Havili Pierre Hola Benhur Kivalu Nili Latu

Usaia Latu Gus Leger Viliami Ma'asi Sililo Martens Maama Molitika Nisifolo Naufahu Mana Otai John Payne

Hale T-Pole Lisiate Tafa Epi Taione Josh Taumalolo Sateki Tuipulotu

See also

• Tonga national rugby league team
• World Cup
• Pacific Tri-Nations
• Pacific Nations Cup
• 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup
• Pacific Islanders rugby union team
• Tonga Rugby Football Union

Notes

1. Haka and Sipi Tau set Lang Park alight ABC
2. "World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
3. Tonga rugby stats
4. Fukofuka in Tongan squad for November
5. Rugby star Kotoni Ale’s amazing call-up into national squad

Sources

• Tongan rugby history (from the BBC)
• The good and bad of Tonga (from the BBC)

External links

• Official site
• Tongan rugby union news from Planet Rugby
• Tongan Rugby News
• Details on Rugby WC's squads
• World Cup Preview
• Supporters website of The Pacific Islanders Rugby Team