The restructuring of the Tonga Rugby Football Union will be completed by the end of May when a new board of directors will be elected to administer the new Tonga Rugby Union Inc., according 'Aminiasi Kefu, Tonga's Solicitor General and the interim Deputy Chairman of the Tonga Rugby Union authority.

'Aminiasi was optimistic that officials from the Tonga Rugby Football Union and the interim members of the Tonga Rugby Union Authority will be able to pass a new draft constitution for the establishment of the new Tonga Rugby Union inc. on March 28.

Once the new constitution is passed the interim Tonga Rugby Union Authority will then proceed to prepare for the election of a new Board of Directors at the end of May to take over the administration of Tonga's rugby.

The Tonga Rugby Football Union has been in dire need of restructuring following a rolling feuds and court cases between board members leading up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup and after the World Cup. The situation got worst as the 2011 Rugby World Cup was fast approaching that the International Rugby Board IRB wrote to the former Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele and warned him that if the Tonga Rugby Football Union would continue to be in disarray, Tonga's could be suspended from the International Rugby Board IRB, and the national team, the 'Ikale Tahi would not be able to participate in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Tonga's membership in the IRB is very important for the development of rugby in Tonga. There is an annual financial allocation that IRB give to the Tonga Rugby Union, it also enable Tonga to participate in international competitions, and it brings in rugby experts to assist with the training of local players.

The Tongan government responded to the warning of a possible suspension from the IRB by adopting an Ordinance that was tabled by the Privy Council on December 2010, suspending the constitution and the board of directors of  the Tonga Rugby Football Union. A new body, the Tonga Rugby Union Authority TRUA was established to administer Tonga's rugby until the end of February 2012. The Ordinance also spelled out for the Board of Directors of TRUA to remain as interim directors for three months after February 2012 to oversee the introduction of a new administrator of Tongan rugby.

Meanwhile, the draft constitution has been circulated for public discussions and analyses.

'Aminiasi Kefu said that the new draft constitution was needed because it was discovered that the main problem with the administration of Tongan rugby was because under the existing constitution the Tonga Rugby Football Union was dominated by Tongatapu "with around 50 to 60 representatives versus only nine representatives from the outer islands sub-unions of Vava'u, Ha'apai and 'Eua; the outer islands' reps could not influenced any decision that was made by the Union, they were always overridden by Tongatapu."

'Aminiasi said that under the new draft constitution, there would be two representatives from each sub-unions, so there would be 10 from Tongatapu, four from Vava'u, and two each from Ha'apai and 'Eua.