George Tupou V July 2008, a "Taumafa Kava" (Royal Kava Ring ceremony) was held on Malaʻe Pangai, the open space to the east of the Royal Palace. During the ceremony, Tupou V sat on a pile of handwoven "pandanus" mats in an open pavilion facing the sea, while more than 200 Tongan nobles and chiefs dressed in woven skirts and sea shells circled him. He wore the traditional Tongan "ta'ovala" (woven mat skirt) and a garland of flowers. During this ceremony, Tupou V was formally recognised as the "Tuʻi Kanokupolu", and the rightful descendent of King George Tupou I, who united Tonga in
Anthony Tupou Tupou was selected for the Australian team, as a replacement for Reni Maitua. He played four matches, scoring one try. Tupou retained his Test spot in 2007 for the Anzac Test against New Zealand. Tupou made his début for New South Wales in Game 1 of the 2007 State of Origin series. His Test début came before his Origin debut. However, he was dropped for Game 2. On 22 April 2008, Tupou announced that he had accepted a 4-year deal with the Cronulla Sharks worth 1.5 million dollars. In August 2008, Tupou was named in the Australia training squad for