Israel Folau is a member of Tonga, who defeated Hong Kong 44–22 in the Asia/Pacific playoff match that was played in Australia at the Sunshine Coast Stadium to earn a trip to France.
By making his Tonga debut against Fiji earlier this year, Folau put an end to his four years away from the Test field. Rugby Australia fired Folau in 2019 as a result of his divisive social media posts.
After defeating Hong Kong, Tonga will now compete in Pool B with the Boks at the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The ‘Ikale Tahi’s RWC 2023 campaign will get under way against Ireland in Nantes on September 16, then they’ll play South Africa in Marseille on September 1, Scotland in Nice on September 24, and Romania in Lille on October 8.
Here, with Folau slated to play a significant role in 2023, we take a quick look back at Tonga’s Rugby World Cup history:
début of the RWC: 24 May 1987, Canada 37-4 McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand, Tonga
RWC appearances: 29 games, 8 wins, 0 losses, 472 points for and 966 against, a 28% winning rate.
Siale Piutau and Sione Kalamafoni have appeared at the most RWCs (12 each).
Most RWC attempts: Telusa Veainu, 5.
Best result: the pool stages
RWC 2023 eligibility: Asia/Pacific 1
The most noteworthy game was France’s RWC 2011 victory over Tonga, 14-19.
As a result of the fantastic atmosphere that 6,000 red-shirted expats produced in Wellington, one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history occurred.
Tonga’s half-back Sukanaivalu Hufanga’s try was successfully converted by Kurt Morath, and the Pacific islanders finished the 2011 tournament in fine fashion.
Classic instance: Sipi Tau
Tonga’s exhilarating pre-game ritual, which challenges the opposition and is never boring to watch, sets the tone for the game.
Low point: Giving up 100 points to England in the 1999 Rugby World Cup
When they faced England at Twickenham, Tonga had hoped to emulate Samoa’s victory over Wales earlier in the competition by pulling off another World Cup upset, but they were severely let down by lack of discipline. Any chance they had to make an impact at the headquarters of English rugby were destroyed when they received three cards—one red and two yellow—in a span of three minutes just before the break.
Epi Taione, a legendary athlete
The lively, 19-stone center, no stranger to controversy in the past, created quite a sensation on the eve of the Rugby World Cup in 2007 when, after agreeing to a sponsorship agreement with the Irish bookmaker of the same name, he changed his name by deed poll to “Paddy Power” and coloured his hair green.
In his second Rugby World Cup competition after making his debut in 1999, Taione started all four games and scored a try in Tonga’s 19-15 victory against Samoa.
Breaker of records: Kurt Morath
With 73 points overall at Rugby World Cups, Morath is his nation’s all-time greatest point scorer. He was one of the heroes of the thrilling victory over France in 2011.
Did you realize?
In 2015, Tonga played Argentina in Pool C in Leicester with the oldest starting XV in Rugby World Cup history (31 years and 38 days).
Quote:
“In Tonga, our faith, family, and rugby come first, followed by food. Our country is what we play for. Really, all we’re up against is the planet. A few of us are even unpaid. the full-back At the 2019 RWC, Telusa Veainu was quite open about the sacrifices that Tonga’s players make.