California native Tesimoni ‘Moni’ Tonga’uiha played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2025. He has represented the NOLA Gold (2018-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

A native of Oakland, CA, Tonga’uiha played football while at Fremont High School, and played club rugby with the Oakland Warthogs before joining the Santa Barbara Rugby Academy. he joined Life West in 2017 and played at centre before signing with the NOLA Gold ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. Moni Tonga’uiha has been a stalwart of the NOLA Gold, having played in 88 games (70 starts) for the team between 2018-2024.

Internationally, Moni Tonga’uiha earned his test debut as USA Eagle #545 against Uruguay in October 2021. He has earned 10 test caps for the USA through 2025.

Tonga’uiha was the 5th most capped player in MLR history as of the conclusion of the 2024 season, and by far the most capped Gold player. He has 11 career MLR tries, and started all 17 games for the NOLA Gold in 2024 when they qualified for the post-season for the first time in their history. With over 4,150m gained and close to 800 tackles completed, Tonga’uiha is easily in the MLRs Top Ten in both those categories, and will return to the Gold for an 8th season in 2025 on the final year of a 3yr contract signed in 2022. His return was confirmed by the team on 8th January, 2025. During a forgettable year for the NOLA Gold, Moni Tonga’uiha captained the side and scored a career high 5 tries in 14 games (11 starts) and recording over 120 tackles for the 5th season in a row to pass 900 in his career. Tonga’uiha is currently sat as MLR’s 7th highest tackler and one of only 4 players to pass 100 MLR appearances through 2025, earning all 102 of his appearances with the NOLA Gold.

Following the announcement in August 2025 that the NOLA Gold would be withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Moni Tonga’uiha became a free agent. On 3rd December 2025, Anthem RC announced the addition of the NOLA Gold veteran and capped USA Eagle for the 2026 season, his first away from New Orleans.

achievements

• MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 12