The Tonga national rugby union team has played in all Rugby World Cup tournaments, except in 1991, when they did not qualify. Their best performances were in the 2007 and 2011 tournaments, when they won two matches. Their best single match win was an upset victory in 2011 over eventual finalists France.

Nation	Number of appearances	First appearance	Most recent appearance	Streak	Best result
Tonga	9	1987	2023	8	Two wins, 2007, 2011

By position

Rugby World Cup										Qualification
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	Squad		Pos	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA
1987	Pool Stage	3	0	0	3	29	98	Squad		Invited
1991	Did not qualify									3rd	3	1	0	2	64	62
1995	Pool Stage	3	1	0	2	44	90	Squad		1st	2	1	0	1	34	26
1999	Pool Stage	3	1	0	2	47	171	Squad		4th	7	2	0	5	317	241
2003	Pool Stage	4	0	0	4	46	178	Squad		3rd	8	4	0	4	398	178
2007	Pool Stage	4	2	0	2	89	96	Squad		3rd	7	3	0	4	329	136
2011	Pool Stage	4	2	0	2	80	98	Squad		Automatically qualified
2015	Pool Stage	4	1	0	3	70	130	Squad		Automatically qualified
2019	Pool Stage	4	1	0	3	67	105	Squad		2nd	4	1	0	3	68	93
2023	Pool Stage	4	1	0	3	96	177	Squad		2nd	4	2	0	2	126	111
Total	Pool Stage	33	9	0	24	568	1143				35	14	0	21	1336	847
Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

By match

1987 Rugby World Cup

Pool 2 games -

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	Pts	Qualification
Wales	3	3	0	0	82	31	+51	13	6	Knockout stage
Ireland	3	2	0	1	84	41	+43	11	4
Canada	3	1	0	2	65	90	−25	8	2
Tonga	3	0	0	3	29	98	−69	3	0

24 May 1987

Canada	37–4[1][2]	Tonga
Try: Palmer (2) Vaesen (2) Stuart Frame Penalty try Con: Wyatt (2) Gareth Rees Pen: Rees		Try: Valu

McLean Park, Napier Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Clive Norling (Wales)

29 May 1987

Tonga	16–29[3][4]	Wales
Try: Fielea Fifita Con: Liavaʻa Pen: Liava'a Amone		Try: Webbe (3) Hadley Con: Thorburn (2) Pen: Thorburn (2) Drop: Davies

Showgrounds Oval, Palmerston North Attendance: 19,000 Referee: Dave Bishop (New Zealand)

3 June 1987

Ireland	32–9[5][6]	Tonga
Try: Mullin (3) MacNeill (2) Con: Ward (3) Pen: Ward (2)		Pen: Amone (3)

Ballymore, Brisbane Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Guy Maurette (France)

1995 Rugby World Cup

Pool D games -

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
France	3	3	0	0	114	47	+67	9
Scotland	3	2	0	1	149	27	+122	7
Tonga	3	1	0	2	44	90	−46	5
Ivory Coast	3	0	0	3	29	172	−143	3

26 May 1995

France	38 – 10	Tonga
Tries: Thierry Lacroix (2), Aubin Hueber, Philippe Saint-André Con: Thierry Lacroix (3) Pen: Thierry Lacroix (3) Drop: Yann Delaigue		Tries: Tevita Vaʻenuku Con: Sateki Tuipulotu Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu

Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Steve Lander (England)

30 May 1995

Scotland	41 – 5	Tonga
Tries: Scott Hastings, Eric Peters, Gavin Hastings Con: Gavin Hastings Pen: Gavin Hastings (8)		Tries: Ipolito Fenukitau

Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Barry Leask (Australia)

3 June 1995

Ivory Coast	11 – 29	Tonga
Tries: Alfred Okou Pen: Athanase Dali (2)		Tries: Mana Otai, Sateki Tuipulotu, Pouvalu Latukefu Con: Sateki Tuipulotu (3) Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu

Olympia Park, Rustenburg Attendance: 16 000 Referee: Don Reordan (United States)

1999 Rugby World Cup

Pool B games -

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
New Zealand	3	3	0	0	176	28	+148	9
England	3	2	0	1	184	47	+137	7
Tonga	3	1	0	2	47	171	−124	5
Italy	3	0	0	3	35	196	−161	3

3 October 1999

New Zealand	45 – 9	Tonga
Tries: Jonah Lomu (2), Byron Kelleher, Norm Maxwell, Josh Kronfeld Con: Andrew Mehrtens (4) Pen: Andrew Mehrtens (4)		Pen: Siua Taumalolo (3)

Ashton Gate, Bristol Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales)

10 October 1999

Italy	25 – 28	Tonga
Tries: Alessandro Moscardi Con: Diego Dominguez Pen: Diego Dominguez (6)		Tries: Taunaholo Taufahema, Isi Fatani, Sateki Tuipulotu Con: Sateki Tuipulotu (2) Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu (2) Drop: Sateki Tuipulotu

Welford Road, Leicester Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)

15 October 1999

England	101 – 10	Tonga
Tries: Jeremy Guscott (2), Phil Greening (2), Dan Luger (2), Austin Healey (2), Will Greenwood (2), Matt Dawson, Matt Perry, Richard Hill Con: Paul Grayson (12) Pen: Paul Grayson (4)		Tries: Dave Tiueti Con: Sateki Tuipulotu Pen: Sateki Tuipulotu

Twickenham, London Attendance: 72,485 Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia)

2003 Rugby World Cup

Group D games-

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	BP	Pts	Qualification
New Zealand	4	4	0	0	282	57	+225	4	20	Quarter-finals
Wales	4	3	0	1	132	98	+34	2	14
Italy	4	2	0	2	77	123	−46	0	8
Canada	4	1	0	3	54	135	−81	1	5
Tonga	4	0	0	4	46	178	−132	1	1

2003-10-15

Italy	36 – 12	Tonga
Tries: M. Dallan, D. Dallan (2) Con: Wakarua (3) Pen: Wakarua (5)		Tries: Payne, Tuʻifua Con: Tuipulotu

Canberra Stadium Attendance: 18,967 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)

2003-10-19

Wales	27 – 20	Tonga
Tries: Cooper, M. Williams Con: S. Jones Pen: S. Jones (4) Drop: M. Williams		Tries: Hola, Kivalu, Lavaka Con: Hola Pen: Hola

Canberra Stadium Attendance: 19,806 Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)

2003-10-24

New Zealand	91 – 7	Tonga
Tries: Braid, Carter, Flynn, Ralph (2), Spencer, Meeuws, Penalty try, Muliaina (2), MacDonald, Howlett (2) Con: MacDonald (12), Spencer		Tries: Hola Con: Tuipulotu

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 47,588 Referee: Pablo De Luca (Argentina)

2003-10-29

Canada	24 – 7	Tonga
Tries: Fauth, Abrams Con: Pritchard Pen: Ross (4)		Tries: Kivalu Con: Hola

WIN Stadium, Wollongong Attendance: 15,630 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

2007 Rugby World Cup

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	B	Pts	Qualification
1	South Africa	4	4	0	0	189	47	+142	3	19	Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2	England	4	3	0	1	108	88	+20	2	14
3	Tonga	4	2	0	2	89	96	−7	1	9	Eliminated, automatic qualification for 2011 Rugby World Cup
4	Samoa	4	1	0	3	69	143	−74	1	5
5	United States	4	0	0	4	61	142	−81	1	1

12 September 2007 14:00

United States	15–25	Tonga
Tries: MacDonald 47' m Stanfill 67' c Con: Hercus (1/2) Pen: Hercus (1/2) 33'	Report	Tries: Maka 2' c Vaka 59' m Vaki 70' c Con: Hola (2/3) Pen: Hola (2/2) 7', 26'

Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)

16 September 2007 16:00

Samoa	15–19	Tonga
Pen: Williams (5/6) 6', 21', 23', 29', 69'	Report	Try: Taione 60' c Con: Hola (1/1) Pen: Hola (4/5) 3', 38', 47', 67'

Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier Attendance: 24,128 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

22 September 2007 14:00

South Africa	30–25	Tonga
Tries: Pienaar (2) 18' c, 65' m Smith 59' c Skinstad 62' m Con: Pretorius (1/1) Montgomery (1/3) Pen: Steyn (1/1) 54' Montgomery (1/1) 76'	Report	Tries: Pulu 44' c Hufanga 70' m Vaki 72' c Con: Hola (2/3) Pen: Hola (2/3) 9', 78'

Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens Attendance: 40,069 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

28 September 2007 21:00

England	36–20	Tonga
Tries: Sackey (2) 20' m, 38' m Tait 57' c Farrell 66' c Con: Wilkinson (2/4) Pen: Wilkinson (2/3) 14', 36' Drop: Wilkinson (2/2) 32', 72'	Report	Tries: Hufanga 17' c T-Pole 80' c Con: Hola (2/2) Pen: Hola (2/2) 11', 55'

Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 45,085 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

2011 Rugby World Cup

Tonga played in Pool A. After losing to New Zealand and Canada, they beat Japan and then had an upset victory over eventual finalists France, their greatest World Cup match result to date.

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	B	Pts	Qualification
1	New Zealand	4	4	0	0	240	49	+191	36	4	20	Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup
2	France	4	2	0	2	124	96	+28	13	3	11
3	Tonga	4	2	0	2	80	98	−18	7	1	9	Eliminated but qualified for 2015 Rugby World Cup
4	Canada	4	1	1	2	82	168	−86	9	0	6
5	Japan	4	0	1	3	69	184	−115	8	0	2

9 September 2011	New Zealand	41–10	Tonga	Eden Park, Auckland
14 September 2011	Tonga	20–25	Canada	Northland Events Centre, Whangarei
21 September 2011	Tonga	31–18	Japan	Northland Events Centre, Whangarei
1 October 2011	France	14–19	Tonga	Regional Stadium, Wellington

2015 Rugby World Cup

Pool C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	B	Pts	Qualification
1	New Zealand	4	4	0	0	174	49	+125	25	3	19	Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2	Argentina	4	3	0	1	179	70	+109	22	3	15
3	Georgia	4	2	0	2	53	123	−70	5	0	8	Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup
4	Tonga	4	1	0	3	70	130	−60	8	2	6
5	Namibia	4	0	0	4	70	174	−104	8	1	1

19 September 2015	Tonga	10–17	Georgia	Kingsholm, Gloucester
29 September 2015	Tonga	35–21	Namibia	Sandy Park, Exeter
4 October 2015	Argentina	45–16	Tonga	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
9 October 2015	New Zealand	47–9	Tonga	St. James' Park, Newcastle

2019 Rugby World Cup

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	B	Pts	Qualification
1	England	4	3	1	0	119	20	+99	17	3	17	Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup
2	France	4	3	1	0	79	51	+28	9	1	15
3	Argentina	4	2	0	2	106	91	+15	14	3	11	Eliminated but qualified for 2023 Rugby World Cup
4	Tonga	4	1	0	3	67	105	−38	9	2	6
5	United States	4	0	0	4	52	156	−104	7	0	0

22 September 2019 19:15 JST (UTC+09)

(1 BP) England	35–3	Tonga
Try: Tuilagi (2) 24' m, 31' c George 57' c Cowan-Dickie 77' c Con: Farrell (3/4) 33', 58', 78' Pen: Farrell (3/3) 11', 37', 43'	Report	Pen: Takulua (1/1) 15'

Sapporo Dome, Sapporo Attendance: 35,923 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

28 September 2019 13:45 JST (UTC+09)

(1 BP) Argentina	28–12	Tonga
Try: Montoya (3) 7' c, 17' c, 26' c Carreras 20' c Con: Urdapilleta (4/4) 9', 19', 21', 28'	Report	Try: Veainu (2) 30' c, 66' m Con: Takulua (1/2) 32'

Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka Attendance: 21,971 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

6 October 2019 16:45 JST (UTC+09)

France	23–21	Tonga (1 BP)
Try: Vakatawa 6' c Raka 32' c Con: Ntamack (2/2) 7', 34' Pen: Ntamack (3/4) 4', 52', 60'	Report	Try: Takulua 40' c Hingano 47' c Kapeli 79' c Con: Takulua (2/2) 40'+1, 49' Fosita (1/1) 80'

Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto Attendance: 28,477 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

13 October 2019 14:45 JST (UTC+09)

United States	19–31	Tonga (1 BP)
Try: Te'o (2) 21' c, 26' m Lamborn 77' c Con: MacGinty (2/3) 22', 78'	Report	Try: Fisiihoi 17' c Hingano 58' c Piutau 62' c Veainu 80'+1 c Con: Takulua (2/2) 19', 60' Faiva (1/1) 64' Piutau (1/1) 80+2' Pen: Takulua (1/1) 51'

Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka Attendance: 22,012 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

2023 Rugby World Cup

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	B	Pts	Qualification
1	Ireland	4	4	0	0	190	46	+144	27	5	3	19	Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup
2	South Africa	4	3	0	1	151	34	+117	22	4	3	15
3	Scotland	4	2	0	2	146	71	+75	21	10	2	10	Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup
4	Tonga	4	1	0	3	96	177	−81	13	25	1	5
5	Romania	4	0	0	4	32	287	−255	4	43	0	0

16 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Ireland	59–16	Tonga
Try: Beirne 21' c Doris 27' c Hansen 33' c Sexton 38' c Lowe 59' c Aki (2) 63' c, 69' c Herring 80' c Con: Sexton (4/4) 22', 28', 34', 39' Byrne (4/4) 60', 64', 70', 80+2' Pen: Sexton (1/1) 7'	Report	Try: V. Fifita 40+8' c Con: Havili (1/1) 40+9' Pen: Havili (3/3) 16', 25', 43'

Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes Attendance: 31,673 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)[7]

24 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Scotland	45–17	Tonga
Try: Turner 5' c Van der Merwe 27' m Steyn 30' m Darge 40+2' c Horne 54' c Kinghorn 68' c Graham 80+2' c Con: Russell (5/7) 6', 40+3', 55', 70', 80+3'	Report	Try: Kata 20' c Tameifuna 44' c Con: Havili (2/2) 21', 45' Pen: Havili (1/1) 10'

Stade de Nice, Nice Attendance: 33,189 Referee: Karl Dickson (England)[7]

1 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) South Africa	49–18	Tonga
Try: Reinach 5' c Moodie 20' c Fourie 32' c Kriel 49' c Le Roux 58' c Van Staden 63' c Smith 80+1' c Con: Pollard (4/4) 6', 21', 33', 51' Libbok (3/3) 59', 65', 80+2'	Report	Try: Tameifuna 38' m Inisi 54' m Pellegrini 73' m Pen: Havili (1/1) 3'

Stade de Marseille, Marseille Attendance: 60,387 Referee: Luke Pearce (England)[7]

8 October 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Tonga	45–24	Romania
Try: Kata (2) 11' c, 66' m Moala 15' c Taumoepeau 22' c Vailanu 49' c Ahki 62' c Taumoefolau 71' m Con: Havili (5/7) 13', 17', 23', 51', 63'	Report	Try: Boboc 30' c Surugiu 36' c Simionescu 55' c Con: Conache (3/3) 32', 37', 57' Pen: Conache (1/2) 19'

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 45,042 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)[7]