The Tonga 13 have delivered a commanding 36-0 victory over Lebanon at the Rugby League World Cup in Sydney, scoring seven tries to keep their campaign moving ahead of a crucial clash with Samoa.

Tonga led 14-0 at half-time at CommBank Stadium before adding five more tries in the second half to complete a dominant performance.

Sione Katoa opened the scoring in the 13th minute, with Paul Alamoti crossing eight minutes later to give Tonga a 10-0 lead after converting his own try.

Toluta’u Koula extended the advantage shortly before half-time, and Jojo Fifita scored early in the second half to make it 18-0.

Tonga then pulled further away in the closing stages, with Leka Halasima scoring in the 70th minute, followed by Fifita’s second try three minutes later.

Katoa completed his double in the final minute, while Tuimoala Lolohea converted three of Tonga’s late tries. Tonga finished with four successful conversions from seven attempts.

Samoa next for Tonga

Tonga’s next match is against Samoa on Sunday, 1 November, at CommBank Stadium in Sydney, with kick-off scheduled for 10.05pm Tonga time. The match is the final round of the group stage.

The clash renews a close World Cup rivalry: Tonga beat Samoa 32-18 at the 2017 tournament, but Samoa edged Tonga 20-18 in the 2022 quarter-final to reach the semi-finals. Samoa also won their most recent meeting, 34-6 in the 2025 Pacific Championships.

The Pacific rivals’ meeting is expected to be a significant test for Tonga as teams compete for places in the tournament’s semi-finals. The Rugby League World Cup format determines progression through the combined standings for Pools B and C.

Tonga will take confidence from the win over Lebanon, but the Samoa encounter presents a different challenge as the group stage wraps up.