Former St Helens coach Kristian Woolf issues update on his future with Tonga

Former St Helens boss Kristian Woolf is yet to decide if he will continue to coach Tonga next season. Woolf has been in charge of the Pacific Island nation since 2014 and has overseen the country’s rise to the very top of the international game.

Tonga are now ranked fifth in the world by the IRL (International Rugby League) and under Woolf’s stewardship they finished as runners up in this year’s Pacific Championships, having lost 20-14 on Sunday morning against Australia.

However, Woolf is preparing to take charge of the Dolphins next season, having worked under Wayne Bennett as an assistant since opting to leave St Helens at the end of the 2022 Super League season.

The head coach will have plenty on his plate in 2025 then, and it remains to be seen if he will remain in charge of Tonga.

“The first people I talk to will be the bloke beside me (Jason Taumalolo) – he’s been here with me since my first involvement in 2013. Him and Addin (Fonua-Blake) will be the first two I’ll speak to,” Woolf said after the Pacific Championships final in Western Sydney. “We’ll figure that out.”

On the current Tonga crop, he added: “They’re all only going to get better and they’re going to get better together.”

Woolf found initial success in the role of Tonga coach, as he led the nation out of Rugby League World Cup group stages for the first time and into the semi-finals of the tournament. They were eventually beaten by England, but they have since gone on to record wins over Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, beating the latter on the way to this morning’s final earlier this month. Tonga will be considered one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup, which will be held Down Under.

Woolf spent three seasons in charge of St Helens and won the Super League Grand Final on three occasions.