After this initial exposure to the Tongan people several clubs began to form or switch from rugby union to rugby league and by 1988 the nation had enough depth in their player pool to begin playing national fixtures and entered the 1988 Pacific Cup competition held in Apia, Samoa.

[2] This run of victories earned them a place in the final of the 1992 Pacific Cup against the Western Samoan side but they eventually lost a close fought match by four points 18–14.

After the heavy defeat to New Zealand their next international fixture was during their second World Cup where the Tongans were again placed in a group with France, Papua New Guinea again, and South Africa.

The Pacific Cup saw the Tongans again qualify for the tournament final with victories over both the Cook Islands and Fiji but the side suffered defeat at the hands of neighbouring Samoa 51–18.

2006 continued to be a busy year of international fixtures for the Tongans which saw them gain qualification into the 2008 World Cup after they finished top of their Pacific group ahead of the Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa and then defeat the Samoans 18–10 in the qualifying final.

Scotland finished the group stage unbeaten, sealing their place in the quarter-final and ending Tonga's World Cup campaign in the process.

Tonga fielded its strongest ever team at the 2017 World Cup after Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita chose to represent their Tongan heritage rather than their respective birthplaces, New Zealand and Australia.

[3][4] Both players cited a desire to honour family and strengthen the Tongan team as motivating factors for their defections, while Taumalolo's relationship with Tonga head coach Kristian Woolf was also acknowledged.

[4] Entering into the tournament as the 11th ranked team in the world, Tonga comfortably won their opening two group matches, outclassing Scotland 50–4[11] and Samoa 32–18.

Every player was honoured as Knight Commander of the Most Illustrious Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III[20][21] for their contribution to sports.

[26][27] After the tournament, several players[b] publicly reaffirmed their allegiance to the Tongan team as the media speculated whether they would return to their tier-one nations, assuming they were to be welcomed back.

[35] Addin Fonua-Blake also announced his intention to represent Tonga after playing for New Zealand at the World Cup,[36] commenting "I really enjoyed my time with the Kiwis but it just didn't feel like home.

"[37] As a consequence, New Zealand's squad for their match against England on 24 June 2018 contained just one Tongan-eligible player, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who reportedly pledged his loyalty to the Kiwis to honour his great-grandfather Puti Tipene Watene, the first Māori to captain the side.

After the NRL season ended, Tonga played against the touring Great Britain on 26 October, winning 14–6 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.

[41] This match was labelled one of the greatest upsets in rugby league history, marking the first time Australia had lost to a tier 2 nation since 1978.

The team won all three group games,[44] before falling 18-20 against Samoa in a 'classic' quarter-final that was lauded for its 'athleticism, power and superb ball-handling skills'.

[48] Statistics in this table are compiled from the website, Rugby League Project, and are up to 11 November 2024, including the week 4 cup final against Australia.