Tonga Women’s XV dream of playing at women’s 2021 Rugby World Cup were dashed after they were held scoreless by Samoa’s Manusina on Saturday 14 November at Waitakere, Auckland. 

The game was the final Oceania qualifier for the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year in Auckland. Throughout the game, team Tonga struggled to tackle their noticeably larger opponents. 

Talented players were fielded on both sides with Team Tonga possessing the likes of Olympic sprinter Taina Halasima and captain Vainga Moimoi who played for Auckland in the New Zealand’s Mitre 10 cup. 

Despite the failure, Tonga’s Women’s Rugby has seen a dramatic improvement in recent years with an optimistic future ahead. The result is a massive improvement from the 2018 Oceania Championships where Tonga suffered a 68 - 7 loss to Samoa and a 53 - 8 defeat to Fiji.

- By Finau Fonua