Tonga seek harder edge
"We got a little bit better again tonight, and the plan is that we're a little bit better next week."
Tongan coach Kristian Woolf
They may have come out on the right side of a spine-tingling Pacific derby, but Tonga know they need to find a more ruthless mentality if they are to be a chance of toppling the Kiwis.
As the countdown to the mouthwatering Rugby League World Cup clash begins - with the teams to do battle in the Pool B decider in Hamilton next weekend - Tonga were balancing jubilation with trepidation after their 32-18 victory over Samoa in the city on Saturday night.
Amid a stunning atmosphere resembling more Nuku»alofa than FMG Stadium Waikato, Tonga squared the head to head leger with their local rivals at 3-3, their big-name additions for the tournament helping them to bask in a result which of late has gone the other way, and which belied the world rankings of 11 versus five.
But while coach Kristian Woolf noted a win over Samoa was cause for ‘‘letting our hair down a little bit’’ on the night, he was also well aware his troops had to be back to a state of real discipline as the challenge of New Zealand looms.
It’s the match which will pit the Tongan quartet of Jason Taumalolo, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma’u and David Fusitu’a up against the Kiwi team they defected from late in the piece, not to mention that the loser of the contest will face the prospect of a semifinal against the Kangaroos.
And just as if to give the Tongans a wee reminder that they can still play a bit of footy too, the Kiwis slapped down a 74-6 defeat of Scotland under their nose.
While Woolf paid no attention to that result as his team were going through their warmups against Samoa, he was already fully aware his side would need to step things up a gear, noting no tier-two nation had of course ever toppled a tier-one side.
‘‘Look, we’re going to have to be better,’’ he said.
‘‘And that’s what footy’s about, it’s about trying to find improvement each game you play. I think we’re on the right path there, if you look at our trial [16-6 over Italy] we did OK, and we got a little bit better for the first game against Scotland [a 50-4 win], and we got a little bit better again tonight, and the plan is that we’re a little bit better next week, and for whatever is following after that.’’
Tonga were indeed impressive in a first hour against Samoa which saw them cruise to a 26-6 advantage, but while they enjoyed the majority of the ball and a big advantage in running metres - with Taukeiaho leading the way with a gigantic 272 from 24 runs - they actually ended up behind on line breaks (5-3), offloads (19-13) and missed tackles (40-37), as they let Samoa score a couple of late tries. And it’s that wee drop off which they won’t be able to afford against the Kiwis.
‘‘I thought, just in the second half there we had some lapses mentally, where we need to be a bit tougher,’’ he said of his players offloading, going sideways and throwing the ball over the sideline.
‘‘That’s the biggest key, we’re always going to have an error, every team’s going to have an error, you need to have that tough mindset around your errors, in terms of wanting to defend it out. That’s our biggest improvement area.’’
Tonga will also be hoping injury concerns ease around fullback Will Hopoate - who left the field after half an hour - and centre Solomone Kata and halfback Ata Hingano, who both toughed their way through ankle injuries.
It’s going to be a week where even more focus zones in on the team, particularly superstar Taumalolo, and while the destructive loose forward was shielded from any media duty besides a brief post-game TV interview, Woolf believed he will take things in his stride.
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