The Tonga national rugby league team is a national sporting side, representing Tonga in rugby league football. Rugby league is a popular sport in Tonga, and the national team has become one of the best performed nations in the world. Tonga competes biennually with other several other Pacific Islands nations in the Pacific Cup a competition they have won outright on two occasions, along with finishing as the runner-up on another two. They are the ninth-ranked team in the world currently, behind nations that include the "big three" rugby league nations in Australia, New Zealand and England. Tonga to date have competed at two Rugby League World Cups in 1995 and 2000 and were the first team to qualify for the 2008 tournament.
Rugby league was introduced to Tonga in 1986 with the staging of the Pacific Cup in Rarotonga and in 1988 the national side played its first Test match against Western Samoa in Apia. Since then Tonga has played regularly against the Pacific Islands nations and on a less regular basis against nations such England, France and New Zealand.
While Tonga have always been a well performed rugby nation since their début match in 1988 it is more recently where they have made their most serious progress in the international game. They finished second in the inaugural Federation Shield in 2006 where they beat both France and Samoa and since 1988 have qualified for two World Cups where Tonga have however performed unexceptionally and have as of yet failed to qualify past the group stages at the tournament.
Tonga traditionally play in a predominately red uniform with white sides and socks, they are commonly referred to as the mate ma'a Tonga which when translated means Die for Tonga. The Tongan emblem is a red and blue badge with a rugby ball and the mate ma'a written across it. Tonga internationals are played at a variety of venues throughout the country, though it is Mangweni Stadium in the capital of Nukuʻalofa that is most commonly used.
Read more about Tonga National Rugby League Team: History, Current Squad, Notable Players, Honours
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