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Tonga
Tonga automatically qualified for RWC 2011 after making the top three teams in their Pool during the 2007 Tournament.
Tonga Rugby Football Union
Chairman: Sione Taumoepeau
Men's Coach: Quddus Fielea
Tonga Rugby Football Union
PO Box 369
Fasi moe Afi
Nuku'alofa
0 TONGA
Phone: +676 26045
Fax: +676 26044
Email: mettonga@kalianet.to
Key facts and figures
Number of clubs: 80
Number of registered players: 10,168
IRB Union ranking (as at 14 June 2010): 17
Key information
Rugby Union is the national sport of Tonga and, as in the rest of Polynesia, is a way of life. Rugby Union was brought to the region in the early 20th Century by sailors and missionaries. The main impetus for the
establishment of Rugby in Tonga came from the Irish missionaries in the 1920s. However, from then on, the main influence has been from New Zealand, as well as Samoa and Fiji.
Tonga has strong tendency towards Rugby sevens, which suits its population and geography, and has it performed well at the Hong Kong sevens tournament. The Tonga national Rugby Union team is nicknamed “Ikale Tahi” (the Sea Eagles) and starts its matches with a war dance called the “Kailao” (or “Sipi Tau”).
The International Rugby Board (IRB) estimates that Tonga has over 10,000 registered players and 80 clubs. Rugby is popular in schools and students from schools such as Tonga College and Tupou College are regularly offered scholarships from New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Tonga are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa.
Team and player statistics
View team and player statistics from the Rugby World Cup 2011 website
Phrases to greet Tongan supporters
| hello / good day | malo e lelei |
| good-bye | nofo a or 'Alu a |
| thank you | malo |
| excuse me | tulou |
| yes/no | ‘io / ‘ikai |
| what's your name? | ko hai ho hingoa |
