Tonga will not compete in the Championship competition of the upcoming Oceania Rugby U20 Championship in Gold Coast, Australia.
The highly-anticipated championship will feature Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand and Australia.
According to the tournament’s organising body, Oceania Rugby, only the top two Pacific teams after New Zealand and Australia would be selected for the Championship. The Tonga U20s were not considered because they were ranked lower than Fiji and Samoa.
The rankings were based on last year’s performances. The Fiji U20s defeated the Tonga U20s (18 - 13) in the Trophy competition of the 2016 U20 Oceania Rugby Championship, whilst the Samoa U20s won last year’s Junior World Trophy in Zimbabwe.
The U20 Oceania Rugby Under 20 Championship has been held annually since 2015. The tournament is composed of two competitions, the U20 Championship made up of the top Pacific teams and the U20 Trophy made up of lower ranked Pacific teams. It has not be confirmed if this year’s Oceania Rugby U20 Championship will continue with the Trophy competition.