9 September 2025
His Majesty's Armed Forces team is returning home to Tonga on a high after a win in its final match at the 2025 Women’s International Defence Rugby Competition in the United Kingdom.
The team played the UK’s Vodafone LooseHeadz in the Challenge Cup playoffs.
They scored three tries in the first half. The LooseHeadz came back in the second half, but only managed two tries.
Team coach Major Caroline Fairs said she was in awe of what the team achieved.
“The girls were absolutely incredible. The challenge for us going into this tournament was very real, given 70 per cent of the team had never played rugby before and we also needed to build our basic fitness levels. On top of that, we only had five weeks to prepare,” Major Fairs said.
The first few weeks of training were focused on fitness development, followed by basic rugby skills including passing and tackling.
“We’ve essentially had to start from the ground up, and so to get even to the first game – against a well-drilled UK side – was a huge achievement.”
'The girls were absolutely incredible.'
Tonga’s captain, Second Lieutenant Luseane Vivili, said the team has improved each and every game.
“I’m so proud of the girls. We started slow with a big loss to the United Kingdom team but we learnt from the experience and got better throughout the tournament,” Second Lieutenant Vivili said.
“One of the highlights of the entire events was our third-round game against Ireland. It was the first time we’d scored and we went very close to winning with a final score of 31-39.”
It was a match that was described as having everything – flair, physicality and end-to-end action.
“In the end, it was a hugely successful tournament for us. I want to particularly thank the Australian Defence Force for helping make it possible for us to be here,” Major Fairs said.
The ADF funded both the Tongan and Fijian teams to travel to London and supplied the Tongans with their uniforms.
“We are deeply appreciative of the ADF’s support. Being an island country and representing His Majesty’s Armed Forces on the world stage on the other side of the world has been a huge honour for all of us,” Second Lieutenant Vivili said.
Tournament results
Round 1 – Tonga vs United Kingdom, 0-105
Round 2 – Tonga vs Zambia, 0-90
Round 3 – Tonga vs Ireland, 31-39
Challenge Cup semi – Tonga vs Australia, 12-98
Challenge Cup final match – Tonga vs Vodafone LooseHeadz (UK), 19-10
