Tonga's Sevens team for the Olympic Qualification in Monaco on June 19-20, will be selected from players in Europe, the Tonga Rugby Union CEO, Peter Harding announced tonight.

He said it was with great regret they could not select a squad from the Official Tonga Rugby Union Sevens Programme based in New Zealand.

The Sevens team to pursue qualification will be selected from the many Tongan professional players based in Europe.

“The team from Europe will consist of many 'Ikale Tahi players and will be very strong. The announcement of the team and management will be made as soon as final arrangements are completed,” he said.

Peter said that this decision has been taken for public health reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Zealand quarantine

“The Sevens team has been based in New Zealand for the past three years under Tevita Tui’fua and Richard Weightman who have kept Men’s Sevens alive for Tonga.  

He said that sending a team from New Zealand would require the 16 players having two weeks in Managed Isolation Quarantine on their return from Monaco after the competition. “These spaces are scarce and extremely hard to acquire and taking 16 places at this particular time is not the right path to take.

“A team from Tonga was considered. However, France is a country that currently has a fourth wave [of COVID-19 cases] and in consultation with our board and our CMO, we have decided we will not risk bringing the virus back from France into our communities.”

European based squad

Coach Tevita Tui’fua who is managing the process of choosing the European based squad said today, “This is the right course for our communities and our health. The players who have formed the core of our group will refocus their efforts on the Challenger Series and the Oceania Championship at the end of the year.

“The Oceania is a qualification for the Commonwealth Games and the Sevens RWC, so there is everything to look forward to for 2022.”