ANALYSIS: Friday's Reds-Tonga double header highlights the growth both within Queensland's club culture and Australia's broader support for Pacific rugby and regional development.
Fresh from the success of last year's Australia A tour to Nuku'alofa and Queensland's hosting of Penina Pasifika in 2024, the Reds are going a step further by delivering both men's and women's touring sides to the Kingdom of Tonga.
Learn more about Rugby Australia's partnership with PacificAus Sports.
"One of the real strengths of Queensland rugby overall is the community feel, so have the women's space being integrated with us on this Tongan tour is fantastic for everyone," Kiss told rugby.com.au.
"I think it's their first big trip overseas so it's a wonderful occasion to go over to Tonga and experience international rugby."
The government's PacificAus Sports program is also key driver of the Tongan tour and helps develop pathways for Pacific teams and athletes to compete in elite competitions.
The PacificAus Sports program also enables access high-performance coaching in Australia and internationally while partnering with Australians national sports organisations to support regional development.
An advance party of Queensland Rugby staff - assisted by Wallabies legend George Smith - have already been out in force this week delivering clinics across the Kingdom of Tonga - while the inclusion of a women's fixture against the Tongan Lofa aligns with PacificAus ethos of providing equal opportunity to and advancing women's sport.
"PacificAus Sports, their support has been fantastic. They do a lot of work for the pathways for not only players but also elite coaches in the Pacific. They've been a great support to get this underway," Kiss said
"To have the opportunity to go to Tonga is another experience for our team, there's a lot of young guys in this squad, and also for our management to go over to Tonga and have another international experience."
From a high performance perspective, both Queensland's men and women have named strong matchday 23s with Les Kiss unveiling three-Test Wallaby hooker Feleti Kaitu'u an al all-star bench.
Meanwhile, the Reds women have rolled out seven Wallaroos to support a potential eight debutants against the Lofa.
The Tongan clash ends a 28-year drought against international opposition for Queensland with Test veteran Lori Cramer and flanker Carola Kreis charged with co-captaining the side.
