Rugby union in Tokelau

[1] Like many other Pacific nations, Tokelauan rugby is a popular, but often not formally organised sport.

Tokelauans due to their small numbers, and scattered island population, have often preferred rugby sevens to the XV game,[2] although Tokelau did play rugby 15s at the 1983 South Pacific Games, including a creditable 15–28 loss to PNG, a much larger Pacific nation.

All of this makes a rugby infrastructure difficult to construct, and the islands are beset by rising sea levels.

This means Tokelau is particularly vulnerable to any possible sea level rises caused by global warming.

[4] As is the case with most Pacific Islands, rugby league has had a presence in Tokelau since the late 1980s.