Rugby League World Cup: Tonga beats Lebanon 36–0
Sione Katoa and Jojo Fifita scored twice each as Tonga followed its win over England with a second victory, strengthening its semi-final bid.
Loading… Բեռնվում է…
Sione Katoa and Jojo Fifita scored twice each as Tonga followed its win over England with a second victory, strengthening its semi-final bid.
Tonga beat Lebanon 36–0 at the Rugby League World Cup on Friday, 23 October 2026, strengthening its position in the race for a semi-final place, BBC Sport reported. The victory followed Tonga’s win over England the previous weekend.
Sione Katoa and Jojo Fifita each scored two tries. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opponents’ scoring area. Tolutau Koula, Paul Alamoti and Leka Halasima also scored tries for Tonga.
BBC Sport identified a key moment with Lebanon trailing 10–0 and seeking a try to get back into the match. Alex Conti kicked towards the corner for Jason Saab, but Saab could not collect the ball and only batted it back. Tonga centre Tolutau Koula then ran the length of the field to score at the other end.
Lebanon had chances of its own before fading in the final 20 minutes, BBC Sport reported.
Pools B and C form one combined six-team league, rather than offering separate routes to the semi-finals. BBC Sport described Tonga as best placed to reach the knockout stages after its second victory. The qualifying places go to the top two teams in the final combined standings.
Australia’s 36–22 win leaves Fiji needing to beat New Zealand to keep its semi-final hopes alive.
3 min
Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young each scored three tries, but England still need a heavy win over Papua New Guinea and Tonga to beat Samoa to reach the semi-finals.
2 min
Haumole Olakau'atu scored twice as Tonga resisted England's second-half attacks, leaving England to pursue a semi-final place in games against France and Papua New Guinea.
1 min