Tuvalu national rugby sevens team

Tuvalu

Union	Tuvalu Rugby Union
World Cup Sevens
Appearances	0

The Tuvalu national rugby sevens team (Tuvalu 7s) participates in the Rugby Sevens competitions at the Pacific Games and the Oceania Sevens Championship.

History

The Tuvalu Rugby Union (TRU) was established in 2007 as the organising body for Rugby Union in Tuvalu. ^[1] The TRU selects the members of the Tuvalu 7s.

Tuvalu is a lower ranking rugby nation, with the Tuvalu 7s focusing on skills development. ^{[2] [3]} The Tuvalu 7s lost all their matches at the 2011 Pacific Games, and at the 2017 Oceania Sevens Championships. ^{[4] [5]}

Elenoa Kunatuba was the Tuvalu men’s 7s coach, at the 2019 Pacific Games; she selected seven new players for the games squad. ^{[6] [7]}

In 2023, Tuvalu competed at the 2023 Oceania Sevens Championship where they finished eleventh overall. ^[8]

Players

Current squad

Tuvalu's squad to the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands: ^[9]

Players
Timoci Vidi
Mataese Dumaru
Asuelu Teniukita Falaimo
Tiliga Lomiata
Taitai Mika
Vaisameni Nafatali
Leiatu Fatiga Papa
Lofeagai Sanaila
Romeo Sovatabu
Simeon Taasi
John Jazzy Talava
Iliala Tolauapi
Jotame Levaci Sokobalavu Tupoulewa
Sileti Viliamu

Tournament History

Pacific Games

Pacific Games
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L
1999	Did Not Compete
2003
2007	9th Place Playoff	10th	5	0	0	5
2011	11th Place Playoff	12th	5	0	0	5
2015	Did Not Compete
2019	9th Place Playoff	10th	5	0	0	5
2023	9th Place Playoff	9th	4	2	0	2
Total	0 Titles	4/7	19	2	0	17

Oceania Sevens

Oceania Sevens
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L
2008–12	Did Not Compete
2013	7th Place Playoff	8th	6	0	0	6
2014–16	Did Not Compete
2017	Pool Stage	13th	3	0	0	3
2018	11th Place Playoff	11th	5	2	0	3
2019	11th Place Playoff	11th	6	2	0	4
2021	Did Not Compete
2022
2023	11th Place Playoff	11th	5	2	0	3
Total	0 Titles	5/15	25	6	0	19

References

1. Lalua, Silafaga (10 January 2007). "Rugby Union starts up". Tuvalu-News.TV. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
2. Narain, Parvin (19 March 2018). "Tuvalu here to learn". Fiji Times. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
3. Pareti, Alipate (10 November 2023). "The tides turn for rugby 7s in Tuvalu". Islands Business. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
4. "Rugby sevens at the 2011 Pacific Games". XIVth Pacific Games. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 29 Nov 2011.
5. "Tuvalu 7s at the 2017 Oceania Sevens Championships". Flashscore.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
6. "TUVALU TO DEBUT NEW FACES AT RUGBY 7S". 2019 Pacific Games. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
7. "Pioneer women's rugby coach passes on". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
8. Grey, Lachlan (2023-11-12). "Aussie women & NZ men claim Oceania 7s gold, Fiji and Samoa book tickets to Paris". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
9. "2023 Pacific Games – Tuvalu Rugby Sevens Team". sol2023.gems.pro. November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-19.

See also

• Tuvalu portal

• Rugby union in Tuvalu
• Sport in Tuvalu