A public holiday has been declared in Tonga to celebrate last Saturday’s historic test triumph over Australia, with members of the successful team invited to the island Kingdom for an official reception.
Prime Minister Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa publicly congratulated Mate Ma’a Tonga coach Kristian Woolf, captain Jason Taumalolo, the players and staff for their emotion-charged 16-12 win at Eden Park and 14-6 win against Great Britain a week earlier.
A public holiday has been approved next Friday, with players expected to begin arriving in Tonga next week.
With the team forced to play as Tonga Invitational 13 due to political infighting, Prime Minister Tuʻiʻonetoa described Woolf’s side as the ‘Winning Warriors’.
Woolf is unable to attend the festivities as he left on Tuesday to take up his new role as head coach of Saint Helens in the Super League.
