Tonga crash to 56-0 after discipline unravels in heavy defeat to Scots

Tonga’s ‘Ikale Tahi were blown off the park at Murrayfield, smashed 56-0 by Scotland in their only Autumn Internationals Test on Monday after a run of cards left them battling with 14, and sometimes 13, players for much of the match.

Tongan head coach Tevita Tuifu’a did not hide his frustration, saying, “Disappointing that we lost that way. We have to work on our discipline and make sure we do not give away opportunities like that again.”

Scotland came in under pressure after losses to the All Blacks and Argentina, but they quickly found their rhythm.

The home side scored eight tries, three of them in the first 22 minutes, as Tonga struggled to keep numbers on the field.

Tonga’s problems started early. Blindside flanker Semisi Paea was yellow-carded in the fifth minute for a dangerous clearout. After review, his sanction was upgraded to a red card, leaving Tonga a man down for the next 30 minutes.

Scotland struck quickly with converted tries to Jamie Ritchie, George Turner and Max Williamson, racing out to a 21–0 lead.

Watch Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu, who has Tongan heritage, following the test match in Murrayfield on Monday.

Tuifu’a says Paea’s early dismissal changed the match completely. “Once we went down to 14 men, it made everything harder. Scotland used their chances well.”.

Tonga tried to steady themselves after returning to 15 players, but more cards kept coming. Harison Mataele was sent to the bin right on halftime for offside, and wingers Taniela Filimone and Fine Inisi both received yellow cards in the second half for deliberate knock-ons.

By the time Inisi was carded, Tonga were again reduced to 13 men, and Scotland finally broke the game open.

The Tongans perform their traditional Sipi Tau ahead of the game at Scottish Gas Murrayfield in 2021. Scotland won 60-14. Photo/scottishrugby.org

After a long scoreless period early in the second half, the floodgates opened. Power winger Duhan van der Merwe sliced through the defence to score Scotland’s fourth try, pushing the lead to 28-0.

From there, the hosts ran away with it as Tonga tired from long defensive shifts. Hooker Ewan Ashman grabbed two tries off rolling mauls, while replacement halfback George Horne also scored twice to take the scoreline to 56-0.

Scotland finished with eight tries, backed by accurate goal-kicking from Fergus Burke and Horne.

Despite the heavy defeat, Tuifu’a says the match must be viewed as part of a bigger plan.

“Important year for us ahead as we prepare for the World Cup. We will take the lessons from this. We know we must be smarter. We can’t afford cards like that at this level.”

This was Tonga’s only Test match in their November tour, and their first international since August.

Rugby commentators believe the lack of recent game time showed, especially against a Scotland side determined to end their series on a high.

Tuifu’a says the focus now shifts fully to building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. “We will learn and we will get better. This is part of the journey.”

For now, the scoreline tells the story: Tonga’s discipline fell apart, Scotland took full advantage, and the ‘Ikale Tahi will leave Edinburgh knowing exactly what needs fixing.

In other results on Monday, England held on to beat Argentina 27-23 at Twickenham in the final round of the Autumn Nations Series. Wales will host South Africa in Cardiff next Sunday, NZ time, which will be the only test international this weekend.

Tonga and Fiji rise as Sāmoa slip in latest World Rugby rankings

Another dramatic weekend of Test rugby has triggered a fresh rankings shake-up heading into the final stretch of 2025.

In the men's division, the Pacific Islands movement was led by Tonga and Fiji, each climbing a place after Sāmoa’s 13-13 draw with Belgium last week.

The result confirmed Sāmoa’s World Cup qualification but dropped them to 19th, allowing the Fijians and Tongans to edge upward ahead of the 2026 Test window.

Fiji, who defeated Spain on the weekend, have moved one place to eighth spot with a point ahead of Scotland despite the Scots' win over Tonga on Monday.

New Zealand’s 52-26 dismantling of Wales on Sunday delivered no ranking points due to the large pre-match rating gap, leaving the All Blacks firmly in second place behind South Africa.

Watch Flying Fijians captain Tevita Ikanivere's post-match interview below.

The Springboks’ 24–13 win over Ireland cements their spot atop the world rankings to finish 2025.

Despite losing to the All Blacks, Wales have leapt to 11th place after Georgia’s loss to Japan, while France (5th) and Australia (7th) remain unchanged.

Ireland have dropped to fourth behind England after England's win over Argentina on Monday.

In the women, the English Roses lead, followed by Canada, New Zealand, France, and Ireland in the top five. The best Pacific women's rugby teams are Fiji, who sit at 13th place, Sāmoa at 15th, Tonga at 26th, and PNG at 44th.

For the full World Rugby rankings, click here.