Tonga Touch Rugby Masters call on diaspora to pull on the red and white again

The Tonga Touch Rugby Masters (TTRM) is calling for eligible players aged 30 and over to represent the country at the Asia Pacific Seniors Touch Cup 2026 in Japan next year.

The tournament will be held from 8 to 10 October 2026 and hosted by the Federation of International Touch in partnership with the Japan Touch Association at Tochigi Sports Park in Utsunomiya, about an hour’s drive north of Tokyo.

Speaking with John Pulu on PMN Tonga, Karl Pahulu Bailey, a TTRM representative, says the campaign is about more than recruitment, it’s “an incredible opportunity for our Tongan players to fly the flag, even in our older age”.

“Firstly, we have to have Tongan heritage. The eligibility policy for these tournaments is you either have to be a Tongan passport holder or your parent or grandparent has to be born in Tonga to be eligible,” Bailey says.

“It's an opportunity for our Tongan players and our diaspora in New Zealand, Australia and across the world, to come together. We're looking to field at least five teams. That can be from the age ranges of the over 30s, over 40s, over 50s and over 60s for male and female players.”

Masters musters have already been held in Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney, with more sessions being promoted online through the Tonga National Touch Association, as organisers build momentum ahead of the Japan tour.

Another Masters muster will be held this Sunday at Seaside Park in Ōtāhuhu, open to Tongan players aged 30 and over. The session runs from 4pm to 5.30pm and welcomes men and women.

The Masters campaign follows a period of renewed international success for Tonga Touch. The men’s open team finished ninth at the 2024 Touch World Cup in Nottingham, England, and recorded a pool-stage win over Japan, who were ranked third in the world at the time.

Bailey says Tonga Touch has also fielded under-18 and under-20 mixed teams in international competition this year, with the Masters grades now seen as the next step in growing the sport across generations.

Watch Karl Pahulu Bailey’s full interview below.

He says the Japan tournament is viewed as an important stepping stone towards the Touch Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2028, giving older athletes renewed purpose and goals later in life.

“So building that momentum, connecting us as Tonga Touch kāinga [family] all over the diaspora. When we raise and represent the flag, we are representing God, King and country.”

More information is available via the Tonga National Touch Association’s Facebook page here, or by contacting info@tongatouch.org