The Tongan government has decided to take over the preparation of a national team for the 2011 World Cup. Tonga's Minister of Finance, Hon. Afu'alo Matoto has been allocated as the Minister responsible for the restructuring of the Tonga Rugby Union.

Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele announced yesterday, January 5, that Afu'alo would proceed and form a new rugby administrative body and he expected that a public statement would be made in two weeks time.

World Cup

The restructuring is an effort to keep Tonga in the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand. It follows a meeting late last year between the Prime Minister and the New Zealand Minister responsible for the RWC. On his return to Tonga, the Prime Minister made a public statement that he had been informed that if the Tongan Rugby Union does not settle its internal disputes, which divided the union and the players, then Tonga would be banned from the 2011 World Cup.

The Tongan national team, the 'Ikale Tahi has been scheduled to meet the New Zealand All Blacks in the opening match of the World Cup. Although Tonga has players it must set a program in motion to select and train a team for this encounter with the No. 1 ranking team in the world.

By the end of 2009 with the Tongan Rugby Union was still in disarray and the IRB was running out patience.