Tonga at the Rugby World Cup

The Tonga national rugby union team has played in all Rugby World Cup tournaments, except in 1991, when they did not qualify. Their best performances were in the 2007 and 2011 tournaments, when they won two matches. Their best single match win was an upset victory in 2011 over eventual finalists France.

Nation Number of appearances First appearance Most recent appearance Streak Best result
 Tonga8198720197Two wins, 2007, 2011
Map of nations best results, excluding nations which unsuccessfully participated in qualifying tournaments.

By position

By match

1987 Rugby World Cup

Pool 2 games -

Team
P W D L PF PA Tries Pts
 Wales 33008231136
 Ireland 32018441114
 Canada 3102659072
 Tonga 3003299830
4 May 1987
Canada  37 4  Tonga
Tries: Palmer (2)
Vaesen (2)
Stuart
Frame
Penalty try
Con: Wyatt (2)
Gareth Rees
Pen: Rees
Try: Valu

29 May 1987
Tonga  16 29  Wales
Tries: Fielea
Fifita
Con: Liavaʻa
Pen: Liavaʻa
Amone
Tries: Webbe (3)
Hadley
Con: Thorburn (2)
Pen: Thorburn (2)
Drop: Davies

3 June 1987
Ireland  32 9  Tonga
Tries: Mullin (3)
MacNeill (2)
Con: Ward (3)
Pen: Ward (2)
Pen: Amone (3)
Ballymore, Brisbane
Referee: Guy Maurette


1995 Rugby World Cup

Pool D games -

Team
P W D L PF PA Pts
 France 3300114479
 Scotland 3201149277
 Tonga 310244905
 Ivory Coast 3003291723
26 May 1995
France  38 10  Tonga
Tries: Thierry Lacroix (2), Aubin Hueber, Philippe Saint-André
Con: Thierry Lacroix (3)
Pen: Thierry Lacroix (3)
Drop: Yann Delaigue
Tries: Tevita Vaʻenuku
Con: Sateki Tu'ipulotu
Pen: Sateki Tu'ipulotu
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Attendance: 25 000
Referee: Steve Lander

30 May 1995
Scotland  41 5  Tonga
Tries: Scott Hastings, Eric Peters, Gavin Hastings
Con: Gavin Hastings
Pen: Gavin Hastings (8)
Tries: Ipolito Fenukitau
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Attendance: 21 000
Referee: Barry Leask

3 June 1995
Ivory Coast  11 29  Tonga
Tries: Alfred Okou
Pen: Athanase Dali (2)
Tries: Mana Otai, Sateki Tu'ipulotu, Pouvalu Latukefu
Con: Sateki Tu'ipulotu (3)
Pen: Sateki Tu'ipulotu
Olympia Park, Rustenburg
Attendance: 16 000
Referee: Don Reordan


1999 Rugby World Cup

Pool B games -

Team
P W D L PF PA Pts
 New Zealand 3300176289
 England 3201184477
 Tonga 3102471715
 Italy 3003351963
3 October 1999
New Zealand  45 9  Tonga
Tries: Jonah Lomu (2), Byron Kelleher, Norm Maxwell, Josh Kronfeld
Con: Andrew Mehrtens (4)
Pen: Andrew Mehrtens (4)
Pen: Siua Taumalolo (3)
Ashton Gate, Bristol
Attendance: 21,000
Referee: Derek Bevan

10 October 1999
Italy  25 28  Tonga
Tries: Alessandro Moscardi
Con: Diego Dominguez
Pen: Diego Dominguez (6)
Tries: Taunaholo Taufahema, 'Isileli Fatani, Sateki Tuipulotu
Con: Sateki Tuipulotu (2)
Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu (2)
Drop: Sateki Tuipulotu
Welford Road, Leicester
Referee: David McHugh

15 October 1999
England  101 10  Tonga
Tries: Jeremy Guscott (2), Phil Greening (2), Dan Luger (2), Austin Healey (2), Will Greenwood (2), Matt Dawson, Matt Perry, Richard Hill
Con: Paul Grayson (12)
Pen: Paul Grayson (4)
Tries: Dave Tiueti
Con: Sateki Tuipulotu
Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu
Twickenham, London
Attendance: 72,485
Referee: Wayne Erickson


2003 Rugby World Cup

Group D games-

Team
Pld W D L PF PA BP Pts
 New Zealand 440028257420
 Wales 430113298214
 Italy 42027712308
 Canada 41035413515
 Tonga 40044617811
2003-10-15
Italy  36 12  Tonga
Tries: M. Dallan, D. Dallan (2)
Con: Wakarua (3)
Pen: Wakarua (5)
Tries: Payne, Tu'ifua
Con: Tu'ipulotu
Canberra Stadium
Attendance: 18,967
Referee: Steve Walsh

2003-10-19
Wales  27 20  Tonga
Tries: Cooper, M. Williams
Con: S. Jones
Pen: S. Jones (4)
Drop: M. Williams
Tries: Hola, Kivalu, Lavaka
Con: Hola
Pen: Hola
Canberra Stadium
Attendance: 19,806
Referee: Paul Honiss

2003-10-24
New Zealand  91 7  Tonga
Tries: Braid, Carter, Flynn, Ralph (2), Spencer, Meeuws, Penalty try, Muliaina (2), MacDonald, Howlett (2)
Con: MacDonald (12), Spencer
Tries: Hola
Con: Tu'ipulotu
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Attendance: 47,588
Referee: Pablo De Luca

2003-10-29
Canada  24 7  Tonga
Tries: Fauth, Abrams
Con: Pritchard
Pen: Ross (4)
Tries: Kivalu
Con: Hola
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Attendance: 15,630
Referee: Alain Rolland


2007 Rugby World Cup

Pool A matches -

Team
Pld W D L TF PF PA +/ BP Pts
 South Africa 44002418947+142319
 England 43011110888+20214
 Tonga 420298996−719
 Samoa 4103569143−7415
 United States 4004761142−8111
12 September 2007
14:00
United States  15–25  Tonga
Tries: MacDonald 47' m
Stanfill 67' c
Con: Hercus (1/2)
Pen: Hercus (1/2) 33'
Report Tries: Maka 2' c
Vaka 59' m
Vaki 70' c
Con: Hola (2/3)
Pen: Hola (2/2) 7', 26'
16 September 2007
16:00
Samoa  15–19  Tonga
Pen: Williams (5/6) 6', 21', 23', 29', 69' Report Try: Taione 60' c
Con: Hola (1/1)
Pen: Hola (4/5) 3', 38', 47', 67'
22 September 2007
14:00
South Africa  30–25  Tonga
Tries: Pienaar (2) 18' c, 65' m
Smith 59' c
Skinstad 62' m
Con: Pretorius (1/1)
Montgomery (1/3)
Pen: Steyn (1/1) 54'
Montgomery (1/1) 76'
Report Tries: Pulu 44' c
Hufanga 70' m
Vaki 72' c
Con: Hola (2/3)
Pen: Hola (2/3) 9', 78'
Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens
Attendance: 40,069
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
28 September 2007
21:00
England  36–20  Tonga
Tries: Sackey (2) 20' m, 38' m
Tait 57' c
Farrell 66' c
Con: Wilkinson (2/4)
Pen: Wilkinson (2/3) 14', 36'
Drop: Wilkinson (2/2) 32', 72'
Report Tries: Hufanga 17' c
Pole 80' c
Con: Hola (2/2)
Pen: Hola (2/2) 11', 55'
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 45,085
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)


2011 Rugby World Cup

Tonga played in Pool A. After losing to New Zealand and Canada, they beat Japan and then had an upset victory over eventual finalists France, their greatest World Cup match result to date.

Team
Pld W D L TF PF PA +/ BP Pts
 New Zealand 44003624049+191420
 France 42021312496+28311
 Tonga 4202780981819
 Canada 41129821688606
 Japan 401386918411502
9 September 2011New Zealand 41–10 TongaEden Park, Auckland
14 September 2011Tonga 20–25 CanadaNorthland Events Centre, Whangarei
21 September 2011Tonga 31–18 JapanNorthland Events Centre, Whangarei
1 October 2011France 14–19 TongaRegional Stadium, Wellington


2015 Rugby World Cup

Pool C

Team
Pld W D L TF PF PA +/ BP Pts
 New Zealand 44002517449+125319
 Argentina 43012217970+109315
 Georgia 4202553123–7008
 Tonga 4103870130–6026
 Namibia 4004870174–10411
19 September 2015Tonga 10–17 GeorgiaKingsholm, Gloucester
29 September 2015Tonga 35–21 NamibiaSandy Park, Exeter
4 October 2015Argentina 45–16 TongaLeicester City Stadium, Leicester
9 October 2015New Zealand 47–9 TongaSt. James' Park, Newcastle


2019 Rugby World Cup

Pool C

Team
Pld W D L TF PF PA +/ BP Pts
 England 43101711920+99317
 France 431097951+28115
 Argentina 42021410691+15311
 Tonga 4103967105−3826
 United States 4004752156−10400
22 September 2019
19:15 JST (UTC+09)
(1 BP) England  35–3  Tonga
Try: Tuilagi (2) 24' m, 31' c
George 57' c
Cowan-Dickie 77' c
Con: Farrell (3/4) 33', 58', 78'
Pen: Farrell (3/3) 11', 37', 43'
Report Pen: Takulua (1/1) 15'
Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
Attendance: 35,923
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

28 September 2019
13:45 JST (UTC+09)
(1 BP) Argentina  28–12  Tonga
Try: Montoya (3) 7' c, 17' c, 26' c
Carreras 20' c
Con: Urdapilleta (4/4) 9', 19', 21', 28'
Report Try: Veainu (2) 30' c, 66' m
Con: Takulua (1/2) 32'

6 October 2019
16:45 JST (UTC+09)
France  23–21  Tonga (1 BP)
Try: Vakatawa 6' c
Raka 32' c
Con: Ntamack (2/2) 7', 34'
Pen: Ntamack (3/4) 4', 52', 60'
Report Try: Takulua 40' c
Hingano 47' c
Kapeli 79' c
Con: Takulua (2/2) 40'+1, 49'
Fosita (1/1) 80'
Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto
Attendance: 28,477
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

13 October 2019
14:45 JST (UTC+09)
United States  19–31  Tonga (1 BP)
Try: Te'o (2) 21' c, 26' m
Lamborn 77' c
Con: MacGinty (2/3) 22', 78'
Report Try: Fisiihoi 17' c
Hingano 58' c
Piutau 62' c
Veainu 80'+1 c
Con: Takulua (2/2) 19', 60'
Faiva (1/1) 64'
Piutau (1/1) 80+2'
Pen: Takulua (1/1) 51'


Hosting

So far Tonga has not hosted any World Cup games, and has not put in bids for future tournaments. Due to the lack of facilities, and the small size of the island nation, it is unlikely it will do so in the future.

References

  • Davies, Gerald (2004) The History of the Rugby World Cup (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, (ISBN 1860746020)
  • Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup, Australian Post Corporation, (ISBN 0-642-36811-2)
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