Tonga national rugby union team
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| Tonga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Union | Tonga Rugby Football Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | ʻIkale Tahi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emblem(s) | The White Dove | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach |  Quddus Fielea |
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| Captain | Nili Latu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tonga 9 - 6  Fiji(15 August 1924) |
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| Largest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tonga 119 - 0  Korea(22 March 2003) |
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| Worst defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Zealand  102 - 0 Tonga(16 June 2000) |
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| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Appearances | 4 (First in 1987) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | First round, third in pool 1995 & 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Kailao (aka the Sipi Tau). They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa.
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[edit] 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 Ivory Coast in 1995 and Italy in 1999. The win over the Ivory Coast brought tragedy when Ivory Coast winger Max Brito was left prone on the turf and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.
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. However, Tonga finished 3rd in their pool and failed to advance to the Quarter Finals when they lost to England in another hard-fought match.
[edit] Sipi Tau
Like a lot of the big Pacific rugby nations, Tonga has a pre-match ritual. 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]
[edit] Overall Record
Their Test match record against all nations, updated to 8 October 2007, is as follows:[2]
| Nation | Games | Won | Lost | Drawn | Percentage of wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% |
 Canada |
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40% |
 Cook Islands |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 England |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
 Fiji |
78 | 23 | 52 | 3 | 29.5% |
 France |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
 Georgia |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% |
 Ireland |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
 Italy |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% |
 Côte d'Ivoire |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Japan |
8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% |
| Korea |
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Namibia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| New Caledonia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| New Zealand |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
 New Zealand Māori[3] |
11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 36.4% |
 Papua New Guinea |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Samoa |
37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 40.5% |
 Scotland |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
 Solomon Islands |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 South Africa |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0% | |
 Tahiti |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 United States |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% |
 Wales |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0% |
 Zimbabwe |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Total | 188 | 72 | 111 | 5 | 38.3% |
[edit] Current squad
[edit] Forwards
- Ephraim Taukafa (Oyonnax)
- Aleki Lutui (Worcester Warriors)
- Feki Moala (Tautahi Gold)
- Soane Tonga'uiha (Northampton Saints)
- Taufa'ao Filise (Cardiff Blues)
- Tevita Taumoepeau (Worcester Warriors)
- Tonga Lea’aetoa (London Irish)
- Milton Ngauamo (Calvisano)
- Sione Kalamafoni (Auckland Grammar)
- Daniel Morath Fine (Waitemata Reds)
- Paino Hehea (Racing Paris)
- Lisiate Fa'aoso(Doncaster Knights)
- Viliami Vaki (Perpignan)
- Maama Molitika (Cardiff Blues)
- Jon Hardy Kaufusi (Mancester Knights)
- Nili Latu (Wellington Hurricanes)
- Chris Hala'ufia (Harlequins)
- Hale T-Pole (Highlanders)
- Samiu Vahafolau (Biarritz Olympique)
[edit] Backs
- Aniseto Tu'ungafasi (New Zealad Un'19, Auckland Blues)
- Soane Havea (Stourbridge)
- Tevita Palu (Manawatu)
- Sioeli Nau (Racing Paris)
- Fangatapu 'Apikotoa (Marist)
- Pierre Hola (Kobe Steel)
- Villiami Hakola (Spartan Club)
- Suka Hufanga (Brive)
- Epi Taione (Sanyo)
- Sione Mone Tu’ipulotu (Yokogawa)
- Kaiongo Tupou (Kolofo'ou)
- Hudson Tonga’uiha (Vaini)
- Tevita Tui’fua (Counties Manukau)
- Tevita Vaikona (Saracens)
- Aisea Havili (Worcester Warriors)
- Sione Fonua (Silapelu Ua)
- Seti Kiole (ASM Clermont Auvergne)
- Josh Taumalolo (Bristol Shoguns)
[edit] Notable Former Players
[edit] Notes
- ^ Haka and Sipi Tau set Lang Park alight ABC
- ^ RugbyData.com - International Rugby Union Statistics - Statistics for Tonga - Teams Played
- ^ Although the New Zealand Maori are not New Zealand's national representative team (see All Blacks) many Test nations award their players Test caps when playing them.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
[edit] 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
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