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Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about 750 km2 (290 sq mi), scattered over 700,000 km2 (270,000 sq mi) in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north-south. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west, Niue to the east and Kermadec to the southwest. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North Island.
Tupou VI is the current King of Tonga.
The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team based in Brisbane for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland. With the introduction of the professional Super 12 competition they moved to a model where players are contracted to the Reds through the Queensland Rugby Union rather than selected on the basis of club form.
George Smith is an Australian retired rugby union player. He was a flanker for 12 years (2000–10,13) at the ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby, earning 142 caps.
The Tonga national rugby league team represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the fifth ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six Rugby League World Cups, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament. Their best result was at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they were semi-finalists.
Anthony Tupou is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row and lock in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative, he played for the Sydney Roosters, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, while also having a stint in the Super League with the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.
Viliami Ofahengaue, widely known as Willie O, is a former rugby union player who earned 41 caps for the Australian Wallabies from 1990 to 1998, and played in the World Cups of 1991 and 1995 as well as the 1993 World Cup Sevens.
Drew Alan Mitchell is a former Australian rugby union professional player. He played on the wing or as fullback. Up to the 2006 season he played for the Queensland Reds. He played for the Western Force for the 2007–09 Super 14 seasons. From 2010 to 2013 he played for the New South Wales Waratahs. Since 2013 he has played for RC Toulon. He made his debut for Australia in 2005 and is Australia's highest try scorer in World Cup history.
Rodger Siaosi Toutai Kefu is a Tongan-Australian professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the Tonga national team since 2016.
Rugby union is the national sport of Tonga. Tonga are considered to be a tier 2 rugby nation by the International Rugby Board.
Kerry Cooper Vuna is a professional rugby footballer who plays on the wing for Newcastle Falcons in Premiership Rugby. He played rugby league as a wing for the New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League competition, before switching to rugby union to play Super Rugby for the Melbourne Rebels.
Quade Santini Cooper is a professional rugby union player and occasional boxer. Although born in New Zealand, he has represented Australia in rugby at international level. He currently plays for Hanazono Liners in Japan, and is a former player for the Queensland Reds and the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby competition in Australia. His preferred position is fly-half.
Israel ‘Isileli Folau is a professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a fullback for Japan Rugby League One club Urayasu D-Rocks. Born in Australia, he represents Tonga at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
Sport in Tonga consists of many games. Rugby union is the national sport, sumo has a following, while football, judo, surfing, volleyball, and cricket have gained popularity in recent years. Rugby league and Australian football are also played.
Sitaleki Timani, is a Tongan-born, Australian professional rugby union footballer. He made his test debut for the Wallabies in 2011. His usual position is lock. Timani's professional club career spanned eight seasons of Top 14 in France and seven seasons of Super Rugby in Australia. He currently plays for the RC Toulonnais in the Top 14.
Vaai Taumalolo, better known by the nickname Jason, is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock forward for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for Tonga and New Zealand at international level.
Daniel Tupou is a professional rugby league footballer who plays on the wing for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for Tonga and Australia at international level.
Tongan Australians are Australians who are of ethnic Tongan descent or Tongans who hold Australian citizenship.
Isi Naisarani is a professional rugby union player who represents Australia in international rugby. He is currently signed with the Western Force. He first played Super Rugby for the Western Force in 2017, before joining the Brumbies and Rebels. In 2021, he moved to Japan to play for Shizuoka Blue Revs. His usual position is No. 8. Born in Fiji, he qualified for Australia by residency.
Taniela "Dan" Hoko’ila Tufui, styled Lord Tufui of Talaheu was a Tongan lawyer and civil servant. He was the first Tongan to serve as Solicitor-General of Tonga, and was later appointed to the Privy Council of Tonga.
References
- ↑ "Video: Watch Sacred Heart College student Daniel Tupou score a devastating hat-trick". FoxSports. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "'Tongan Thor' Taniela Tupou set to snub New Zealand and defect to Australia". The Courier-Mail. 8 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ Marc Hinton (20 May 2014). "Tongan teen Taniela Tupou on the Blues' radar". Stuff. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ↑ "Teenage rugby superstar Taniela Tupou, the Tongan Thor, snubs All Blacks to defect to Australia". FoxSports. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ↑ "'Tongan Thor' Taniela Tupou set to snub New Zealand and defect to Australia". Fox Sports. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ↑ "'Tongan Thor' Taniela Tupou joins St.George Queensland Reds in 2015". Reds Rugby. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "Queensland Reds prodigy Taniela Tupou, better known as Tongan Thor, makes debut for Brothers club". FoxSports. 28 February 2015. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "NRC Preview: Five Rookies to watch in 2015". Green and Gold Rugby. 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "Queensland Under-20s team named for inaugural Super U20s Championship clash against NSW". Reds Rugby. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "For Taniela Tupou, the opportunity to be coached by Wallabies legend Toutai Kefu is a dream come true". Rugby Australia. 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "'Tongan Thor' Taniela Tupou selected for Wallabies European tour". Stuff. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "Scotland vs Wallabies: Player ratings". Rugby Australia. 25 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "Player Statistics". It's Rugby.