IRL Men's Rugby League World Cup : Pool B & C

Fri 23rd October 2026   - KO  20:05 - CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Tonga

36

FT

0

Half Time
14 - 0

Lebanon

Tries

Sione KATOA (12,79)
Paul ALAMOTI (20)
Tolu KOULA (36)
JoJo FIFITA (44,73)
Leka HALASIMA (69)

Goals

Paul ALAMOTI (1/4)
Tuimoala LOLOHEA (3/3)

Match Preview | Lebanon face Tonga in second group game in IRL Men's Rugby League World Cup

Tonga take on Lebanon in Pool B and C of the 2026 IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup on Friday 23rd October in Sydney, with kick-off at 8:05pm local time.

Tonga made a statement in their opening match, securing a historic 30-12 victory over England in Perth last weekend. Haumole Olakau’atu starred with a double as Tonga claimed an impressive win.

For Friday’s clash with Lebanon, Tonga have made changes to their backline, with Sione Katoa and Paul Alamoti coming into the side in place of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Robert Toia. Tui Lolohea also comes into the starting line-up in the halves.

Lebanon, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after a 42-18 defeat to Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby last weekend. Moustafa Dirani comes in at hooker, with Yehya Ayache dropping to the bench, as Lebanon look to secure their first victory of the tournament.

Tonga (squad): Lehi HOPOATE, Sione KATOA, Tolu KOULA, Paul ALAMOTI, JoJo FIFITA, Tuimoala LOLOHEA, Saia KATOA, Addin FONUA BLAKE, Salesi FOKETI, Stefano UTOIKAMANU, Haumole OLAKAU'ATU, Kulikefu FINEFEULAKI, Jason TAUMALOLO, Soni LUKE, Tamiela PASEKA, Vaimauga SIFAKULA, Leka HALASIMA, Latu FAINU, Dallin WATENE-ZELEZNIAK, Junior AMONE, Robert TOIA, Siua WONG

Lebanon (squad): Jacob KIRAZ, Tony Jr FRANCIS, Michael GABRAEL, Jordan SAMRANI, Jason SAAB, Khaled RAJAB, Alex CONTI, Jaxson RAHME, Moustafa DIRANI, James ROUMANOS, Tony SUKKAR, Mikael IBRAHIM, Alex TWAL, Yehya AYACHE, Tupou FRANCIS, Jalal BAZZAZ, Khalil RAHME, Joseph NOHRA, Abbas MISKI, Ibrahim El LABBAN, Mohamed ALAMEDDINE, Cameron KANAAN

20 October 2026
1 Lehi HOPOATE
Full Back
Jacob KIRAZ 1
2 Sione KATOA
Right Wing
Tony Jr FRANCIS 2
3 Tolu KOULA
Right Centre
Michael GABRAEL 3
4 Paul ALAMOTI
Left Centre
Jordan SAMRANI 4
5 JoJo FIFITA
Left Wing
Jason SAAB 5
6 Tuimoala LOLOHEA
Stand Off
Khaled RAJAB 6
7 Latu FAINU
Scrum Half
Alex CONTI 7
8 Addin FONUA BLAKE
Prop
James ROUMANOS 8
14 Salesi FOKETI
Hooker
Jaxson RAHME 9
10 Stefano UTOIKAMANU
Prop
Jalal BAZZAZ 10
11 Haumole OLAKAU'ATU
Second Row
Tony SUKKAR 11
12 Kulikefu FINEFEULAKI
Second Row
Abbas MISKI 12
13 Jason TAUMALOLO
Loose Forward
Alex TWAL 13
14 Soni LUKE
Int 1
Moustafa DIRANI 14
15 Tamiela PASEKA
Int 2
Mikael IBRAHIM 15
16 Leka HALASIMA
Int 3
Tupou FRANCIS 16
17 Dallin WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
Int 4
Khalil RAHME 17
18 Junior AMONE
Int 5
Joseph NOHRA 18
19 Siua WONG
Int 6
Ibrahim El LABBAN 19

Tonga made it two wins from two in the 2026 IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup group stages with a convincing 36-0 victory over Lebanon in Sydney.

Fresh from making a statement with their historic 30-12 win over England in Perth last weekend, Tonga continued their impressive start to the tournament with another dominant group-stage performance.

Having made changes to their backline for the clash, two of Tonga’s new additions made an immediate impact, with Sione Katoa and Paul Alamoti both crossing for tries inside the opening 20 minutes to give their side an early advantage.

Tonga continued to create opportunities and put Lebanon under pressure, but their momentum was briefly halted when a try out wide was ruled out by the video referee. They were denied again from close range on the half-hour mark, as Lebanon’s determined defence stood firm to keep the Tongan attack at bay.

However, Tonga’s persistence paid off before the break. Having scored in their historic victory over England last time out, Tolutau Koula produced another memorable moment, racing the full length of the field to score after Tonga intercepted Lebanon’s kick to the corner.

Tonga picked up where they left off after the restart, needing just four minutes to extend their lead further, as Jojo Fifita crossed in the left corner for their fourth try of the game.

As the clock ticked towards the final 10 minutes, Tonga continued to find gaps in the Lebanon defence. Leka Halasima crossed for their fifth try before Fifita and Katoa both grabbed their second tries of the match late on, completing a commanding 36-0 victory.

It was another impressive display from Tonga, who followed up their statement win over England with a dominant performance in Sydney. With two victories from their opening two group games, Tonga have firmly established themselves as a force in the tournament and strengthened their bid for a semi-final place ahead of their final group-stage fixture.

23 October 2026