Tongan Sport: Australia is in the Kingdom’s Corner
Mālō e lelei
This month is every rugby fan’s dream. It has been wonderful to witness Spain and Italy play the ‘Ikale Tahi over the last two weeks. And for me, to see the powerful sipi tau for the first time and passionate Tongan fans of all ages. And what about the entertaining Police band! Sport is powerful – it transcends cultural boundaries and brings our people together.
The great news is there are two more games. Tonga Rugby Union, Rugby Australia, the Queensland Reds and PacificAus Sports – the Australian Government’s flagship sports diplomacy initiative in the Pacific – have come together to bring a historic rugby tour to the beautiful shores of Tonga.
The Queensland Reds men’s and women’s teams are in town to play the ‘Ikale Tahi and the Lofa teams this Friday. There is also a week of high-performance activities and community engagements including coaching clinics, women in rugby leadership sessions, and community school visits.
This will be the first time the Queensland Reds men have played Tonga in almost 30 years and will be the first ever matchup between the women’s sides. It will also be the first time the Reds women have played offshore since their inception 28 years ago.
The tour is part of the Australian Government's ongoing support of Tongan rugby in partnership with Rugby Australia. It will provide vital match experience for the Tongan sides ahead of the Pacific Nations Cup and Tonga’s qualification attempts for World Rugby’s WXV women’s rugby tournament – good luck ladies! It will also bring other benefits, such as to local coaching, improved grounds-keeping, and inspire young local players – both boys and girls – to be their best.
This visit builds on the growing partnership between Tonga Rugby Union and Rugby Australia. In February, the PacificAus Sports program funded the establishment of the Penina Pasifika women’s rugby team – featuring Tonga and Samoa's best players and coached by Tonga’s own Eddie Aholelei. The team travelled to Australia to play a series of matches against Australian Super Rugby Women's teams – we can’t wait for more games.
With the Olympics starting this week, I would also like to give a big shout-out to the four Tongans who will be competing. Go for it! Australia wants to see Pacific athletes shine on the global stage. That’s why we have supported more than 250 athletes from 13 Pacific nations across 15 sports in their preparation and qualification attempts for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. This included 24 athletes from Tonga – assisting with training, equipment and nutrition. For the athletes that missed out on Paris, we know you will be even more determined next time around. Keep up the training.
This Olympics support, through a valuable partnership between PacificAus Sports and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), also focuses on greater inclusion of women and girls in sport. Pleasingly, there was almost equal representation of both male and female athletes among the group of 250.
Finally, as an ACT Brumbies supporter, I must say I am a little conflicted ahead of Friday’s games. Let me simply say I wish all the teams the best. I hope it helps generate a new generation of rugby talent in Tonga and brings our countries even closer together.
Yours sincerely, ‘Ofa atu,
His Excellency Mr Brek Batley, High Commissioner of Australia to the Kingdom of Tonga.
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#8051 Matangi Tonga Online, sponsored media release, posted by the Australian High Commission in Tonga. 24-31 July 2024.
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