Tongan league players call for support as dispute continues

The naming of a star-studded Tonga invitational rugby league team, has been called a "slap in the face", as a long-running dispute refuses to die down.

This week a powerful "Invitational XIII" was named to take on Great Britain and Australia in upcoming matches to be held in Hamilton and Auckland respectively.

Elite players like Jason Taumalolo, Andrew Fifita, Daniel Tupou, Tevita Pangai Junior and Siosiua Taukei'aho will all turn out for the Kristian Woolf-coached side.

The team will play under the banner of "Invitational XIII" after aSupreme Court ruling declared the Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) was the only authority able to operate and control the official national representative side.

The ruling came after the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) suspended the TNRL after threats of a player boycott in support of Woolf, who had been sacked over disagreements around control and finances.

A similar invitational side has been named to take part in next weekend's World Nines tournament in Sydney.

In a statement, the chair of the Auckland-based Tongan Advisory Council, Melino Maka, claimed the NRL and RLIF had insulted the Kingdom of Tonga.