The first thread is provided by current Tongan coach Toutai Kefu , who famously played for Australia in their World Cup final win over France here in 1999, and his father, Fatai Kefu, who played at lock for the Tongan side 44 years ago.
There are plenty of family links between Wales and Tonga. Just take Taulupe Faletau, for instance. His father, Kuli, played for Ebbw Vale and actually played against Wales in Swansea in 1997.
Taulupe was born in Tonga, but very much raised in Wales and learned his rugby at New Panteg RFC along with Billy Vunipola. The Vunipolas, of Saracens, England and British & Irish Lions fame these days, spent a lot of their early days in Wales because their father Fe’ao, played at Pontypool, Pontypridd and Caerphilly.
And so it goes on. Carwyn Tuipulotu played for Wales Under 18 last season and is now on the books at the Scarlets. His father, Kati, played for Dunvant and Bridgend, while Xander Molitika, son of the former Bridgend, Celtic Warriors and Cardiff Blues flanker Ma’ama, is in the Ospreys Under 16 team.
There are many more Tongan internationals who have plied their trade in Welsh rugby, with the Ospreys prop Ma’afu Fia being the latest example.
That 1997 Tongan tour of Wales certainly started something. Their coach at the time was Phil Kingsley Jones, the father of Ebbw Vale skipper and Welsh international flanker Kingsley Jones. Son nagged father for a couple of players to help boost the Ebbw Vale side and full back Josh Taumalolo and lock Kuli Faletau suddenly became available.
“We knew Josh was a great prospect but he was just a kid at the time and we thought bringing Kuli over as a guardian type figure would lessen the chance of him suffering from homesickness,” explained Jones junior.
“Kuli was a very good player himself and Tonga’s most-capped forward. They were both great recruits for us.”
They were put up at a house in the grounds of Eugene Cross Park that became known locally as ‘The Tongan Embassy’. It soon became the general gathering point for an ever-expanding Tongan community in Welsh rugby.
Kuli brought over his wife and family and so Taulupe Faletau swapped the sun-kissed beaches of the south seas for the Gwent valleys. A culture shock maybe, but he soon took to it and developed into one of the greatest Welsh players of all-time.
The commitment shown by Tongan players to Welsh rugby is probably best illustrated by the 12 seasons and 255 games played by Tau Filise at Cardiff Blues. He remains their most capped player and has achieved cult status in the region.
A Tongan Welsh XV – a look at Tongans who have played in Wales
15 Josh Taumalolo (Ebbw Vale / Bridgend / Neath)
14 Mateaki Mafi (Dunvant / Bridgend / Taibach)
13 Salesi Finau (Scarlets)
12 Dave Tieuti (Neath / Ospreys / Tonmawr)
11 Aisea Havili (Celtic Warriors / Scarlets)
10 Elisie Vunipola (Caerphilly)
9 Sililo Martens (Swansea / Bridgend / Celtic Warriors / Scarlets / Carmarthen Quins)
1 Tau Filise (Cardiff Blues)
2 Fe’ao Vunipola (Pontypool / Pontypridd / Caerphilly)
3 Ma’afu Fia (Ospreys)
4 Kuli Faletau (Ebbw Vale)
5 Inoke Afeaki (Scarlets)
6 Ma’ama Molitika (Bridgend / Celtic Warriors / Cardiff Blues)
7 Hale T-Pole (Ospreys)
8 Kati Tuipulotu (Dunvant / Ebbw Vale)
Replacements: Uiniati Moa (Pontypool / Bridgend), Ngalu Tau (Pontypridd), Sione Timani (Scarlets), Chris Hala’ufia (Scarlets), Sione Tu’ipulotu (Pontypool / Newport / Caerphilly / Dragons), Viliame Iongi (Scarlets)
