The national women’s netball team has completed its Commonwealth Games preparations with a 65-52 defeat to Wales in an uncapped international in Cardiff, providing a final high-level test before the opening matches in Glasgow.
The result followed an earlier warm-up fixture between the two sides as Tonga fine-tuned its combinations against one of the world’s leading teams.
The Tala will make history as the first Tongan netball team to compete at the Commonwealth Games, having qualified through their top-12 world ranking.
The squad has steadily risen through the international ranks since its World Cup debut in 2023 and enters the Games ranked eighth globally. )
Speaking before the tournament, captain Hulita Veve told RNZ Pacific that the warm-up matches against Wales had given the team valuable experience against elite opposition and confidence heading into the competition.
She said the players were eager to test themselves against the world’s best while proudly representing Tonga on the international stage.
According to BBC Sport Wales, Wales led 32-29 at half-time before pulling away after the break to secure a 13-goal victory in front of home supporters. The match marked Wales’ final outing before both teams departed for Glasgow.
Tonga faces a formidable challenge at the Games after being drawn alongside Australia, England, South Africa, Malawi and Northern Ireland in pool play. Australia are the defending Commonwealth champions, while England remain among the sport’s strongest nations.
Despite the warm-up defeat, the Tala’s preparations have reinforced the team’s ambition to compete strongly on netball’s biggest Commonwealth stage, with supporters in Tonga and across the diaspora expected to closely follow their historic campaign.
