The Kingdom of Tonga is a Rugby breeding ground - the island has produced a wealth of talent over the years that have gone on to make big waves in both codes - despite the tiny island nation having a population of just over 100,000. Most Tongans that choose Rugby League tend to ply their trade in the NRL or Australia's second-tier, though a few have made the move to the UK.
Since Super League was created in 1996, there have been several Tongans who have made their mark in impressive fashion in the competition. Though most of the five listed here were either born in New Zealand and Australia or have represented the Kiwis at international level, they earn their place on this list through birth, ancestry or representative allegiance to Tonga.
Tevita Vaikona
Born in Tonga, Tevita Vaikona actually burst onto the scene in England before Super League was created.
While at Hull FC - from 1994 to 1997 - Vaikona scored 79 tries in 95 appearances and earned huge raps for his powerful, physical presence on the wing. Ahead of the 1998 season, the 6 ft 2, 101kg Vaikona moved to Bradford Bulls where he played the best rugby of his career. Scoring 90 tries in 147 appearances for the Bulls over the course of seven seasons, Vaikona became a household name at Odsal, playing a great role for the Bulls as they secured two Super League titles - in 2001 and 2003 - and two World Club Challenge victories in 2002 and 2004.
Between 1995 and 2000 the winger earned six caps for Tonga, scoring four tries. After leaving Bradford at the end of the 2004 season, Vaikona switched codes and swapped West Yorkshire for North London, moving to Saracens FC.
Lesley Vainikolo
Born in the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa, Lesley Vainikolo is one of Super League's greatest ever wingers. An absolute monster with a deceptive turn of pace, he, like Vaikona, occupied a wing spot for Bradford Bulls. In his six seasons in West Yorkshire, Vainikolo scored a remarkable 149 tries in 152 games and earned a reputation as one of the greatest ever imports to play the British game.
His try-scoring record was so impressive that he actually set the record for the most tries in a Super League season in 2004 with 36 in only 26 appearances, including five hat-tricks - a record that was only broken 12 years later by Castleford Tigers' Denny Solomona.
Vainikolo played a major part in what was described as Bradford's 'golden era' in the top flight, winning two Super League titles and three World Club Challenges.
After being with the Bulls since 2002, Vainikolo too switched codes in 2007 to join Gloucester Rugby Union.
Though born in Tonga, Vainikolo represented only New Zealand at international level. 12 appearances for the Kiwis yielded 14 tries, including nine in the 2000 World Cup. And, after changing codes, 'The Volcano' actually represented England five times on the international stage.
Willie Manu
Though born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia, Willie Manu was capped 11 times by Tonga from 2000 to 2013. After starting out in the NRL with Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and St George Illawarra Dragons, Manu - aged 25 - eventually moved to Castleford Tigers ahead of the 2006 season. Although the Tigers were relegated after a very disappointing season, Manu stood out, scoring nine times in 24 appearances.
His performances earned him a move to Hull FC where he established himself as one of the Airlie Birds' most formidable back-rowers.
After appearing 165 times for the Black-and-Whites, scoring 36 tries over a period of six seasons and greatly impressing throughout that time, Manu sealed a deal to join title-hunting St Helens ahead of the 2013 season. Manu scored eight tries in 43 appearances for the Lancashire club, ending his time with the Saints with a League Leaders' Shield and a Super League title in 2014. Totally unplayable on his day, Manu was an "x-factor" type player whom always seemed to conjure up something out of nothing close to the opponents' try line.
Mahe Fonua
Mahe Fonua was born in Melbourne, Australia, but has represented Tonga five times - most recently in the 2017 World Cup - scoring three times for his nation.
Some may think his inclusion in this list is perhaps unwarranted given that he has spent just two seasons in the Super League competition with Hull FC. However, in both the 2016 and 2017 season, Fonua made a name for himself as one of the best wingers in the league, scoring 31 tries in 58 appearances and playing a key role in FC's back-to-back Challenge Cup successes.
At 5 ft 10 and 17 stone, Fonua became renowned for being a hard-hitting, physical defender as well as a blockbusting menace going forward. And, Fonua was rated so highly by his teammates and peers that he accumulated enough votes to finish fourth in the running for the Man of Steel Award in 2017. Signing for Wests Tigers ahead of the 2018 season, Fonua has left a huge gap on Hull FC's wing and one which will be extremely difficult to fill.
Fetuli Talanoa
Fetuli Talanoa is the only one on this list to have been born in New Zealand - Auckland to be precise. But, Talanoa is of Tongan descent and has represented them on the international stage, earning three caps - all of which came in the 2008 World Cup. Since moving to Hull FC ahead of the 2014 season from South Sidney Rabbitohs, Talanoa has been an ever-present in the Airlie Birds' side, operating on the wing, centre and even full-back. But, it is on the wing where Talanoa has had the most success.
With 37 tries in 80 appearances over the course of three seasons, Talanoa has proved himself to be one of the most consistent wingers in Super League. And he, like Fonua, contributed greatly to FC's Challenge Cup victories in 2016 and 2017, scoring a try in the 2017 victory over Wigan.
Still only 30 years of age, Talanoa has many years ahead of him in the game; Hull FC fans will be hoping that these years will be spent on Humberside.
Of course, there are only five spaces up for grabs and some such as Ben Murdoch-Masila, Ukuma Ta'ai and Sika Manu have been very unlucky to miss out.
