'Exciting new chapter': Woolf, Strange to coach Tonga teams

NRLW premiership winning coach John Strange will take charge of Tonga women in the upcoming Pacific Championships and 2026 Rugby League World Cup qualifying matches.

Strange, who coaches Sydney Roosters, guided the club to their inaugural NRLW premiership in the deferred 2021 season and the 2022 minor premiership later that year.

A member of the Māori All Stars coaching staff for the past two seasons, Strange has a passion for international rugby league and was a keen observer a the last World Cup in England in 2022.

He will now be aiming to steer the Tonga women to RLWC2026 being staged in Australia and Papua Guinea.

Under the guidance of long-term coach Kristian Woolf, Tonga men will face both Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific Championships that will feature games in Brisbane, Auckland and Sydney in late October and early November.

The developments come just days after the International Rugby League welcomed Tonga Rugby League XIII as the official governing body for the game in the country.

Tonga Rugby League XIII will be led by an independent chair, Lord Fakafanua.

The decision of the IRL to formally recognise TRLXIII ensures stability for the game in the Pacific nation.

TRLXIII has recruited a well-balanced Board of Directors that will guide Tongan Rugby League into a new era that prioritises the development of local clubs in Tonga.

Following consultations with the Tongan Government, the Board will also plot a path towards the men’s Rugby League World Cup in 2026 and also oversee the Tonga Womens’ Team’s efforts in the upcoming Pacific Championship qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Lord Fakafanua said these developments solidified a new dawn for the game in Tonga.

“We’re experiencing an exciting new chapter for rugby league in Tonga, and I look forward to taking this step forward in unison with our local and international players as well as our loyal supporters,” said Lord Fakafanua.

“The new Board acknowledges the support of the IRL, APRL and Government of Tonga in the re-establishment of our National Federation for Rugby League in Tonga.

“We intend to fully capitalise on this opportunity to focus on the fundamentals, that is developing the sport for the success of current and future players.”

Tonga Rugby League XIII will face Australia at Suncorp Stadium on Friday October 18.

Tonga will then thrill their vibrant New Zealand-based crowd when they play the Kiwis at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Saturday November 2.

Tonga will feature in a match at Sydney’s Commbank Stadium in Parramatta on Sunday November 10, with the opponent to be dependent on previous results in the Pacific Cup.

Tonga women face Samoa in Fiji on October 19, with the winner to meet the victor of the Cook Islands-Fiji clash, held a week later, in a play-off for the seventh World Cup spot at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium on November 3.

The match doubles as the final of the Pacific Bowl and the winner will take on the third-placed team in the Pacific Cup, featuring Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

The runner-up in Auckland will play in the 2025 World Series, which will determine the eighth and final World Cup berth.