England and Wales’ 2027 Rugby World Cup complicated by rising Pacific challenge

This interview was conducted in conjunction with What’s All The Ruckus? — a weekly podcast featuring Tier 2 and 3 international rugby guests.

But as the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup was completed today, the ‘Ikale Tahi were handed a pool that gives them both a daunting task and a realistic pathway to the knockout stages.

Placed in Pool F alongside England, Wales and Zimbabwe, Tonga know the challenge in front of them. Finishing above Zimbabwe is essential; finishing as one of the four best third-placed teams would send them into a round of 16 that many in Tongan rugby believe is possible.

Among them is Nili Latu, the country’s second-most capped player and now an assistant coach, whose perspective bridges generations, continents and cultures.

Latu’s rugby story is itself a reflection of Tonga’s modern reality. Born in Tonga but raised in New Zealand after his family moved to Aotearoa in 1991, he grew up dreaming of wearing black. Yet it was decisions made far from home – a move to Japan in 2007, later to Newcastle Falcons in England – that ultimately opened the door to representing the country of his birth.

He has no regrets.

“You have to come in open hearted, open minded, and understanding that you will never be rich playing for Tonga,” Latu said. “But it's something you feel when you put that jersey on… it wiped away everything else that I wanted out of rugby, and it's something that I will hold dearly in my heart.”

Latu retired from international duty in 2017 after 48 caps, the second-most in Tongan history, and continued playing in Japan after helping Newcastle clinch their highest Premiership finish in two decades. Now, his role is to guide a new generation through a World Cup cycle where Tonga’s potential feels vast—if they can unlock it.

Tonga reached the 2027 World Cup by finishing second in their Pacific Nations Cup qualifying group, a relatively straightforward path that reinforced their regional strength. But global rugby is another landscape entirely.

Their 2023 pool stage exit still lingers in the collective memory: a squad stacked with experience and world-class names but unable to translate promise into performance.

“When you look back at the 2023 World Cup, on paper it was our best team,” Latu reflected, “but for some reason it didn’t click.”

The challenge now is to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.

If Tonga are to punch above their weight, the eligibility rules remain crucial. The nation continues to rely heavily on players born and developed overseas, a reality Latu understands intimately but one he believes poses unique challenges.

“The hardest thing for us is that a lot of our players are born overseas instead of being born on the island,” he said. “The difference is, if you are born on the island then you know the struggle, you know what it takes to feed your family.”

Yet the 2027 cycle could again see high-profile additions—names like Charles Piutau, Malakai Fekitoa and Israel Folau remain among the most influential Tonga-eligible players of the past decade. More could follow.

“Players that we go after all add value into our young team,” Latu says, “and by the time they leave us, they will store pride into those players that will carry on into the next two, three years.”

His words hint at Tonga’s long-term vision: not just recruiting star power, but building continuity, identity and hunger within the next generation.

England and Wales will enter Pool F as favourites, backed by significantly larger player bases and financial resources. But Tonga do not measure themselves solely against Tier 1 budgets. Their hope is built on something more intangible: the power of belonging, the pride of the jersey, and the sense of community that radiates through the team.