Tonga's ‘Ikale Tahi will play Romania, France and Wales this November, during a European tour organised by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for second-tier rugby nations.

The “November internationals” are part of the IRB’s development strategy to prepare teams for the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. The IRB announced that it was supporting and financing November fixtures for 14 second-tier nations including Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and Japan.

The IRB chairman, Bernard Lapasset stated, “This is an exciting time for Rugby worldwide and thanks to the on-going commercial success of Rugby World Cup the IRB has been able to invest record sums in the game.”

 “The November 2012 and June 2013 programmes have really showcased the tremendous competitive strides that Tier 2 Unions are making with Samoa defeating Wales, Tonga defeating Scotland and Japan recording a first-ever victory over Wales. I am anticipating a truly captivating November series of matches.”

The IRB Head of Competitions and Performance stated, “The November fixtures are playing a massive role in the development of Unions who have been identified by the IRB as part of a major Strategic Investment Programme”.

There will also be rugby history in the making as Tonga and Romania play each other for the first time in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

November fixtures for Tier Two teams

2 Nov: Japan vs New Zealand, Tokyo

9 Nov: Scotland vs Japan, Edinburgh
9 Nov: Ireland vs Samoa, Dubin
9 Nov: Romania vs Tonga, Bucharest
9 Nov: Portugal vs Fiji, Lisbon
9 Nov: USA vs Maori All Blacks, Philadelphia
9 Nov: Georgia vs Canada, Tblisi
9 Nov: Chile vs Spain, Santiago

15 Nov: Brazil vs Portugal, Sao Paulo

16 Nov: France vs Tonga, Le Harve
16 Nov: Italy vs Fiji, Cremona
16 Nov: Georgia vs USA, Tbilisi
16 Nov: Romania vs Canada, Bucharest
16 Nov: Russia vs Japan, TBC
16 Nov: Uruguay vs Spain, Montevideo

17 Nov: French Barbarians vs Samoa, Clermont

23 Nov: Wales vs Tonga, Cardiff
23 Nov: Georgia vs Samoa, Tbilisi
23 Nov: Romania vs Fiji, Bucharest
23 Nov: Russia vs USA, TBC
23 Nov: Portugal vs Canada, Lisbon
23 Nov: Spain vs Japan, Madrid.