Tonga qualified for the 2009 World Cup in the Oceania region. The United Arab Emirates were the hosts for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. They were in Pool A and played against , and . Tonga were second in their pool with two wins and a loss. They made it to the Plate quarter-finals and beat Tunisia 24 - 7. However, they lost to Australia in the semis 22 - 19. They finished in eleventh place overall.