TNRL withdraws from legal proceedings [1]
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 - 14:56. Updated on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - 11:19.
The Tonga Supreme Court yesterday 28 October dissolved an injunction order issued against the newly established Tonga Ma’a Tonga Rugby League Inc. (TMTRL) and the Tongan Government. This was after the plaintiff, the Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL), agreed to withdraw from legal proceedings on the basis that the Tonga Government reconsider its decision to endorse the TMTRL.
Supreme Court judge Lord Chief Justice Whitten stated in his judgement [2], “…the Government has agreed to revisit the issue of governance of rugby league and its endorsement of any particular body and to afford the plaintiffs an opportunity to be heard on the issue. On that basis, the plaintiffs have agreed to withdraw the proceedings as a whole.”
It was not clear if yesterday's decision empowers the TMTRL to control any aspect of the Tonga National Rugby League team. Meanwhile, the lion-killers Tonga Invitational XIII will continue to play under its banner with a highly anticipated international test match against Australia this weekend.
The injunction order that was issued by Supreme Court on 4 October, prohibited the TMTRL and the Tonga Government from making any decisions in relation to property of the TNRL, namely the Tonga National Rugby league team and its brand name “Mate Ma’a Tonga”. This came about after the TNRL filed an injunction application after it was suspended by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) on 26 September. The suspension came in the wake of a bitter dispute between the TRNL and elite Tongan Rugby League players concerning the sacking of their coach Kristian Woolf.
The Tongan Government advised the RLIF to suspend the TRNL and to support the establishment of a new Rugby League body in Tonga.