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Tonga Rugby Team
The Tonga Rugby team - or the 'Ikale Tahi' (Sea Eagles) - are Tonga's international rugby union side and are currently members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, alongside neighbouring Polynesian nations Fiji and Samoa. The team plays in Rugby World Cup tournaments, as well as the annual World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, which they currently have yet to win.
Read on to discover everything there is to know about the Tonga Rugby team. On this page, you can learn more about the history of the team and see their latest fixtures and results.
Similar to other Pacific island nations, rugby union was first introduced to Tonga by sailors and missionaries in the 1920s, with the official establishment of the international side in 1923. The Tonga Rugby team then played their first game in 1924 in a test match against Fiji, beating them 9-6. In the decades following this, Tonga's international games were mainly against nearby Pacific nations and it was only in the late 60s and early 70s they travelled to Australasia and Europe.
These tours were often quite intense and the Tonga Rugby team developed a reputation for being quite an aggressive side. However, this wasn't to the detriment of their rugby prowess, as the side was invited to compete in the first Rugby World Cup in 1987, where they finished at the pool stage.
To date Tonga has yet to place higher at a Rugby World Cup tournament, but they have featured in all competitions except the 1991 tournament. This has seen some memorable performances from the side, such as the surprising 19-13 win over France in 2011.
The Tonga Rugby team has seen its fair share of quality players in the past. Popular flanker Nili Latu - who also is Tonga's most capped player - being one example. There's also record try scorer and winger Fetu'u Vainikolo and all-time leading point scorer and fly-half Kurt Morath.
The current squad includes popular players like Stade Français fullback Telusa Veainu and Bristol Bears centre Siale Piutau. Much like other Pacific nations, the Tonga Rugby team typically perform a war dance before each game, this is called the Sipi Tau