

Tonga advanced to next year's Rugby World Cup finals after crushing Hong Kong 44-22 on Australia's Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Israel Folau's return to international rugby lasted only half an hour as his Tonga team were thrashed 36-0 by a clinical Fiji in their Pacific Nations Cup opener in Suva on Saturday.
Israel Folau will be a prized addition to Tongan rugby but will have restrictions on what he posts on social media, along with all his teammates, coach Toutai Kefu said.
Richie Mo'unga is likely to leave New Zealand to play rugby in Japan after next year's World Cup in France, the All Blacks flyhalf told the New Zealand Herald on Tuesday.
Israel Folau will make his return to international rugby with Tonga three years after his Rugby Australia contract was terminated over anti-gay social media posts.
Australia A will compete in the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup, which could yet include a Tonga side laden with international talent including former Wallabies star Israel Folau.
England put on a dominant display at Twickenham on Saturday against Tonga but their route to that result was anything but smooth -- just as Eddie Jones likes, writes Tom Hamilton.
England's latest "new era" got off to a spectacular start on Saturday as they ran in 11 tries to crush an outclassed Tonga 69-3 in their first game in front of a Twickenham full house since March 2020.
Kyle Steyn scored four tries as Scotland ran riot against a feeble Tonga side to win 60-14 at Murrayfield on Saturday in the opening test of the Autumn internationals.
Scotland will have two captains and four uncapped players on the field when they kick off their autumn international test against Tonga at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Despite a fierce off-field battle with their governing body, the All Blacks have locked in their return to international competition with three Tests against Pacific opposition in July.
They are not there yet, but the decision to hand Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua conditional licences to join Super Rugby from 2022 is the biggest step toward forging genuine Pacific pathways since the turn of professionalism -- Liam Napier writes.
World Rugby (WR) is set to spend 1.2 million pounds ($1.65 million) annually over three years on two Pacific Island teams to help them join Super Rugby in 2022, the sport's governing body said on Wednesday.
New Zealand Rugby's decision to delay a Pacific islands entry into Super Rugby Aotearoa next year was just the latest in a history of the Pasifika nations being "shafted", the head of the Pacific Rugby Players (PRP) union has said.
The Pacific Island Rugby Players Union has welcomed comments from World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont that it could offer funding to help a Pasifika team take part in a revamped Super Rugby competition from next year.
Tonga hooker Paula Ngauamo has been banned for seven weeks for kicking an opponent in the head during his team's 31-19 win over the United States.
Tonga gave captain Siale Piutau a parting gift of a first victory of the Rugby World Cup with a 31-19 win over the United States on Sunday that left the Eagles pointless at the end of their campaign.
Zimbabwe-born Wallabies star David Pocock has enjoyed the improved performances of some of rugby's Tier 2 nations at the World Cup and believes there may be some merit in further relaxing the eligibility laws to help continue that upward trajectory.
France withstood a furious Tonga fightback to grind into the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup on Sunday with a nerve-jangling 23-21 win.
Julian Montoya scored a hat-trick in the first 26 minutes as the Pumas got their World Cup campaign back on track with a 28-12 victory over Tonga on Saturday that snapped a 10-match losing streak.
A first-half double from Manu Tuilagi and a late bonus-point sealing try by substitute Luke Cowan-Dickie gave England the perfect start to their Rugby World Cup campaign.
As the eyes of the world prepare to turn their gaze on the Rugby World Cup, the game got an early reminder of the Pacific Island discussion that pops up all too regularly. It continues to be nothing but rhetoric, Craig Dowd writes.
Rookie winger George Bridge scored four tries as the All Blacks completed their Rugby World Cup preparations with a 92-7 thrashing of Tonga at Waikato Stadium on Saturday.
Pool A | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
R | Team | GP | PD | P |
1 | Japan | 4 | +53 | 19 |
2 | Ireland | 4 | +94 | 16 |
3 | Scotland | 4 | +64 | 11 |
4 | Samoa | 4 | -70 | 5 |
5 | Russia | 4 | -141 | 0 |
Pool B | ||||
R | Team | GP | PD | P |
1 | New Zealand | 4 | +135 | 16 |
2 | South Africa | 4 | +149 | 15 |
3 | Italy | 4 | +20 | 12 |
4 | Namibia | 4 | -141 | 2 |
5 | Canada | 4 | -163 | 2 |
Pool C | ||||
R | Team | GP | PD | P |
1 | England | 4 | +99 | 17 |
2 | France | 4 | +28 | 15 |
3 | Argentina | 4 | +15 | 11 |
4 | Tonga | 4 | -38 | 6 |
5 | United States of America | 4 | -104 | 0 |
Pool D | ||||
R | Team | GP | PD | P |
1 | Wales | 4 | +67 | 19 |
2 | Australia | 4 | +68 | 16 |
3 | Fiji | 4 | +2 | 7 |
4 | Georgia | 4 | -57 | 5 |
5 | Uruguay | 4 | -80 | 4 |