London Broncos forward Siliva Havili can’t wait to see Tonga and their regional rivals bring intensity – and world-class talent – to the World Cup.
TONGAN international Siliva Havili has plans beyond the upcoming World Cup and next season, when he will continue to play with London Broncos.
The Auckland-born forward, who has played 23 internationals for his heritage nation and one for New Zealand, wants to give back to the Pacific islands.
“Long-term, I want to pursue coaching,” says Havili. “I want to help out our Pacific people, especially with a lot of Pacific Islanders jumping into the game now across the whole of Sydney and the NRL.
“The way we learn is having that familiar face, it just brings comfort. There’s a lot of (Pacific island) kids coming through the grades now, and I feel like I have a knowledge of the game that could help these young kids.”
Havili was given the privilege of leading the ‘Sipi Tau’ (Tongan war dance or ceremony performed prior to international matches) at the 2013 World Cup. If you haven’t seen this ceremony in front of a packed stadium with thousands of screaming Tongan fans, do yourself a favour. Goosebumps are guaranteed.
He says: “It’s a big honour to lead the Sipi Tau. In 2013 one of the older boys just got me to start doing it while he was resting his voice for the main stuff, and then after that World Cup he retired so I carried on with it. We’ll probably be doing the same thing this time around and giving one of the young boys a crack.
“It’s a good feeling. It brings the boys together, and it just hypes the game up a bit more, especially in rivalry games with Samoa and New Zealand. They have hakas themselves, so it’s definitely something that we pride ourselves in pre-game.”
It was Tonga’s fierce rivals Samoa who gained the upper hand in the last World Cup four years ago, after they narrowly defeated Havili’s side 20-18 in the quarter-finals at Warrington before shocking England in the semi-finals and losing out to Australia in the final.
Many good judges believe this may be the best Tonga side yet, with players such as Robert Toia, Isaiya Katoa, Keaon Koloamatangi and Haumole Olakau’atu enjoying standout seasons in the NRL.
The team will be tested from the outset with matches against England, Lebanon and Samoa in their group stage.
“There are a lot of kids that are coming through the NRL systems, and it’s a great thing for Tongan rugby league moving forward,” says Havili.
“It’s not only us, but Samoa and Fiji – there’s a big Pacific Island group coming through the NRL and it’s shaking it up a bit with Australia, New Zealand, and England. It’s going to bring a lot of people from the islands watching the game, and rugby league in the Pacific Islands is getting more popular now. It brings our people together, as the sport that we all love.
“With these juniors coming through, we could definitely compete with the best. You know you’re going out there to compete to win a World Cup and the kids coming through have a lot of X-factor in their game, and are all all playing so well this year, so there’s no reason they can’t take that form into the World Cup. It’ll be exciting.
“It’s going to be a big game against England in Perth. They are a world-class side with world-class players.
“Lebanon will be a strong side too. They’ve just got a lot of players that compete hard, and especially in West Sydney with the Lebanese community getting behind them, it’s going to be a really competitive game. We played against them in the 2017 World Cup quarter-finals when they played well against us in that game too.
“So I know their community is getting stronger, their teams getting stronger by the years in Sydney, and we already know what we’re going to get with Samoa. Samoa fields a really, really strong side. They can field two strong sides themselves, so there’s crazy depth in what they can come up with. But we know that it’s one of the biggest games that we circle in the World Cup calendars.
“The rivalry between Tonga and Samoa is huge. Within those two teams we play with our passion, we play with heart and we compete hard.”
The 33-year-old knows they will be buoyed by their large contingent of loud and proud fans, adding: “One thing I do know about the Tongans is that wherever we play, they’ll travel.
“We had a game in Cairns in 2017 and we didn’t know if there’d be any Tongans there, then all of a sudden there was a massive crowd of Tongans that turned up. You would have seen the 2017 World Cup when we were winning multiple matches, and people were travelling from afar. We were getting people traveling from America and other parts of the world to come and watch us.”
Havili has two more wishes for 2026. Promotion to Super League for his London Broncos, and selection for a fourth World Cup, albeit only as long as he is not taking the place of a more deserving youngster.
“To be a part of a team that could bring London up to Super League is definitely a short-term goal,” said Havili.
“Four World Cups would be massive. I think it just shows the longevity that I’ve had playing in the game, representing my country, and it’s not an achievement that’s done a lot.
“I’ll never say no to representing my nation, but if there’s a young kid coming through I’ll never stand in their way. If it’s for the betterment of our team and our nation moving forward, I don’t mind if I don’t play this year or don’t get chosen. But if given the opportunity again, I won’t say no.”
Tonga are in Pool C of the 2026 World Cup with France and Papua New Guinea. They will play Pool B teams England in Perth on Saturday, 17th October, Lebanon at Parramatta on Saturday, 23th October and Samoa, also at Parramatta, on Sunday, 1st November.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 525 (October 2026)
