AT THE end of this year, 16 nations will contest the men’s World Cup
Most casual fans would know about Australia, New Zealand and England but over the coming weeks, we’ll introduce you to some of the other teams.
Tonga have become a rugby league force to be reckoned with since beating Great Britain and Australia at the end of the 2019 season. The impact of COVID-19 halted their momentum but a 26-6 loss to New Zealand in June 2022 is seen by Tonga as a mere setback.
Traditionally a rugby union playing nation, Tonga played their first rugby league internationals during the 1986 Pacific Cup. They recorded wins over Samoa and Tokelau and participated in the tournament every two years before making their World Cup debut in 1995.
Captained by former New Zealand hooker Duane Mann and featuring Illawarra forward Martin Masella and Manly powerhouse Solomon Haumono, Tonga were unlucky to gown 25-24 to New Zealand in their opening match. A 28-28 draw with Papua New Guinea and a 28-18 loss to NZ Maori ended their campaign.
Tonga started the 2000 World Cup in style with a 66-18 victory over South Africa but losses to France and Papua New Guinea saw them again bow out at the pool stage.
It was a similar story for Tonga in 2008, despite hard fought wins over Fiji and Ireland. In 2013, they defeated Italy and Cook Islands but a 26-24 loss to Scotland prevented them from moving into the second stage of the World Cup.
In 2017, Tonga started to gain attention when former Australian Test players Andrew Fifita, Michael Jennings, Will Hopoate and Daniel Tupou joined the squad. Captained by veteran forward Sika Manu, Tonga was bolstered by the inclusion of Jason Taumalolo, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Vatuvei, Konrad Hurrell and David Fusitu’a.
After smashing Scotland 50-4, and beating Samoa 32-18, Tonga upset New Zealand 28-22 to finish on top of their pool. After a tough 24-22 win over Lebanon, Tonga went down 20-18 to England in their semi-final. Despite the loss, Tonga had signalled they were now a major player in international rugby league.
Tonga defeated Great Britain 14-6, and Australia 16-12 at the end of 2019. It was Australia’s first loss to a new international opponent in 68 years.
Tonga are in a pool with Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands and Wales for the 2022 World Cup. With Fifita, Taumalolo, Hurrell, Hopoate and Tupou still available for selection, and a number of new stars such as Haumole Olakau’atu, Toluta’u Koula, David Fifita, Siosifa Talakai, Will Penisini and Izaac Thompson eligible, Tonga should have a squad that could worry any of the heavyweights in this tournament.