Tonga’s World Rugby Nations Cup campaign ended with a second successive defeat after the ʻIkale Tahi were defeated 32-28 by Portugal at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Canada on Saturday.

Despite leading at several stages of the match, Tonga were unable to hold off a spirited Portuguese comeback as the Europeans claimed their second consecutive tournament victory.

Patrick Pellegrini gave Tonga an ideal start with penalties in the sixth and 13th minutes before Otu Pauta crossed for the opening try. Portugal responded through Rodrigo Storti, but Taniela Filimone restored Tonga’s momentum to establish an 18-7 lead.

The Europeans rallied before halftime with tries from Martim Cardoso Pinto and Nicolas Mascarenhas to trail by just one point at the break.

The second half remained evenly contested. Storti scored his second try shortly after the restart before Telusa Veainu replied almost immediately for Tonga. Samuel Marques then kicked Portugal ahead with a penalty before Andre Cunha crossed for the visitors’ fifth try. Solomone Kata kept Tonga in contention with a late try, but Portugal held on to secure a 32-28 victory.

The defeat capped a mixed opening campaign for Tonga in the inaugural Nations Cup. The ʻIkale Tahi opened with a hard-fought victory over Zimbabwe before falling 32-19 to Spain in round two and finishing with the narrow loss to Portugal.

The results leave Tonga with one win and two defeats from their first three matches, highlighting both their attacking quality and the need to convert strong performances into victories against increasingly competitive opposition.

This year’s Nations Cup is designed to provide more meaningful Test rugby for emerging nations as they build towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

While Tonga leave the opening series disappointed with consecutive losses, the tournament has provided valuable experience against European opposition and a platform to continue developing combinations ahead of future international fixtures.