MMT or Tonga XIII? Why Tonga’s league team have a new name

The iconic red sea flooded Go Media Stadium on Saturday to watch their team pull off a historic 25-24 upset over the Kiwis, but the win has put the spotlight on the ongoing rift in Tonga’s sports administration.

The team have been rebranded as Tonga XIII under a new governing body, but community leader Pakilau Manase Lua says it will always be Mate Ma'a Tonga to the fans.

“They could call it dog poo for all they care, they're gonna call it MMT, Mate Ma’a Tonga.

“And the reason being is that this name comes from the very top of our society, from His Majesty the King Tupou IV way back in the day.”

After the 2019 World Cup, the Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) was suspended and then expelled from the International Rugby League (IRL) over control and finance disputes, including more than US$300,000 (NZ$573,000) unaccounted for.

But TNRL secretary William Edwards said the group had a longstanding relationship with the sport in Tonga and abroad.

"It is the same governing body since 1986, which is elected by the clubs and members here in Tonga and has a New Zealand affiliate in the Hakula, it has a Sydney, NSW affiliate and the Tokua Tonga affiliate in Queensland."

Edwards said the IRL decision went against Tonga's best interests.

"Now the IRL has removed TNRL and appointed the TRL XIII, where the IRL makes decisions for the national side - it's a disgrace."

He said decisions have been "manipulated by certain individuals to take the power away from Tongans for financial gain".

"Since they suspended TNRL in 2019, no financial benefit has come back to Tonga and the Tongan clubs, as well as Hakula and the affiliates."

Correspondence between Tonga's acting prime minister Semisi Sika and the IRL in late 2019 was the final blow that led to the team's expulsion. This was during the time that Sika was also president of TNRL before he was removed from this role by the Supreme Court of Tonga.

In a letter shown to PMN News, the next prime minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa told the IRL Sika "acted in conflict and without proper authority".

Tu'ionetoa reiterated that TNRL was the legal governing body for rugby league and proposed an audit and review while working to resolve governance issues by mid-2020.

Tonga’s current Prime Minister and Minister of Sports have since tried to encourage cooperation between the groups but refused to endorse the new team name, and Pakilau said these rifts remain.

“There was a power play in the board level for one group to take over the reins of control of the team, and that all ended up in the courts, and that has never really been fully resolved.

“So some community groups have just banded together to support the players and just to allow them to play, so you have had to call them Tonga XIII, Tonga Kauto'a or Tonga Invitational.”

George Mann (left) approached King Tupou IV (right) in 1986 about starting a national league team for Tonga. Photo/supplied

History

Advocates such as George Mann championed the establishment of a national league team in the 1980s, and Pakilau explained how he petitioned the King of Tonga for permission to start a rugby league club.

“Back then, Tonga was dominated by union so the King said ‘Yeah let's go, let's do it’ and then the King gave them the name Mate Ma'a Tonga, to die for Tonga, and that's how powerful the name is.”

Tonga's 1992 Pacific Cup squad, William Edwards is in the second row, fourth from the left. Photo/Supplied with permission

Edwards was asked to play for Tonga in 1992 and said many would never know the sacrifices made by the team's pioneer members.

"We had to pay for our own uniforms while George was running raffles to raise money for the team.

"We had the biggest win of our short history in 1992 when we beat the NZ Māori at Carlaw Park when they had Ruben Wiki, Richie Barnet, Syd Eru, and a number of Kiwis, nine in total, in their side.

"We lost the final in double over time, so Tonga has been punching well above its weight, so why it is that this new group in Tonga claims they have the rights, when they have done nothing for Tonga before?"

The original Mate Ma'a Tonga team visiting King Tupou IV in 1986. From left front, Don Mann Snr, Greg Beer, and George Mann Snr (glasses). Photo/supplied

The team gained momentum after Tonga competed in the Pacific Nations Cup in 1986 and qualified for their first World Cup in 1995, opening further international opportunities.

The sport’s growth went into new gear when three key NRL players decided to don the iconic red jersey and represent Tonga at the Rugby World Cup.

“Sika Manu, Jason Taumalolo, and Andrew Fifita switched, and they were the best of the best," Pakilau said.

“They were the top of the game and they decided to play for little old Tonga instead of the Kiwis or Australia where they would have made a ton of money.

“So to the people, the communities, these boys sacrificed huge paydays to play for little old Tonga.

“That resonates for our communities and that's the spirit of Mate Ma’a Tonga: dying for Tonga, not dying for the money.”

Fans at the Tonga v Kiwis Pacific Championships match, 2024. Photo/PMN News/Eroti Navuku

Can you trademark culture?

In 2022, TNRL trademarked the logo and phrase ‘Mate Ma’a Tonga’ and ‘MMT’, and won a high court case against a clothing company for using the logo.

Edwards said the team name couldn't be disconnected from TNRL.

"You can't steal something that belongs to you and was started by you. It's the same for the All Blacks, it can't be stolen but it belongs to the NZRFU.

"If they expelled the NZRFU, then how can a new group claim the rights to be the All Blacks when they were not the owners?"

He maintained the iconic phrase and the team should keep its Tongan sovereignty.

"No one is supposed to use it but TNRL - that is where there is a growing public outrage, because they tried to change the name of the national side and the Tongan people are not going to have it.

"The name MMT was started by players like us, where we fought for the name, played for the name, and grew the name amongst our kids and families, to [then] have Australians come and take it away from the people to whom it means the most."

Pakilau argued this view overlooks cultural traditions and sporting spirit.

“It is totally reprehensible that people think they can own something. We call it tō-folofola in Tonga, when the king speaks, game over. You can't trademark that, it's a gift from up high.

“The community don't want this drama. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, don't steal what's not yours. The battle is done on the field, not on the court. That’s a palagi thing, let the boys play.”