Tonga had hoped to follow Samoa’s win over Wales earlier in the tournament by causing another World Cup upset when they met England at Twickenham, but they were badly let down by ill-discipline. Low point: Conceding a century of points v England, RWC 1999 Tonga’s electrifying pre-match ritual lays down the challenge to the opposition and never fails to disappoint as a spectacle. Tonga fly-half Kurt Morath kicked four penalties and converted Sukanaivalu Hufanga's try as the Pacific islanders signed off from the 2011 in tournament in style. Most memorable match: France 14-19 Tonga, Wellington, RWC 2011Īround 6,000 red-shirted ex-pats created a brilliant atmosphere in Wellington and were rewarded with one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history. Qualification for RWC 2023: Asia/Pacific 1 Most RWC appearances: Siale Piutau, Sione Kalamafoni, 12 RWC appearances: Played 29, Won 8, Draw 0, Lost 21, Points for 472, Points against 966, Win percentage 28 per cent RWC debut: 24 May, 1987 – Canada 37-4 Tonga, McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand Here, we take a brief look back at their Rugby World Cup history …
Of the three Pacific Island nations to compete at the Rugby World Cup Tonga are the only one not to progress beyond the pool stages, something they will hope to put right in France next year. The ‘Ikale Tahi then bounced back with a 54-10 win against Cook Islands earning them the right to compete in the Asia/Pacific 1 play-off against Hong Kong on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.Ī 44-22 win in that game means they can now look forward to their ninth Rugby World Cup tournament, having only missed out on the 1991 edition. Tonga’s bid to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023 started just over a year ago when they were beaten by Samoa in both legs of their Oceania 1 play-off (42-13 and 37-15), to lose 79-28 on aggregate.
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