Sport Rugby league Number of teams 19 Premiers Lapaha Knights (2006) | Instituted 1988 Country Tonga (19 teams) | |
Formerly known as Tonga National Rugby League | ||
The Tongan National Rugby League (or for sponsorship reasons the TNRL Global Insurance Cup) is the major rugby league cup for semi-professional clubs in Tonga. Currently there are nineteen teams in the cup (12 in the first, 7 in the second) that compete annually in the national competition.
The league was established in 1988 to create a top tier national rugby league competition in Tonga after several scattered leagues existed in areas of the country previously and a combined national competition was deemed better for the national side and Tongan rugby league in general.
With the establishment of the TNRL the Tonga national rugby league team now each year contains several players whom currently play in the domestic competition, the 2006 national team contained both Simione Foliaki and Taufa Fukofuka from the Vaini Doves and the Mu'a Saints.
The 2013 TNRL competition was won by the Kolomua Warriors who defeated Haakame Broncos at Teufaiva Stadium, Nuku'alofa.
First Division
The following twelve clubs will compete in the Tongan rugby league championship during the 2007 season.