Pacific pair out for revenge

LEEDS RHINOS’ Tonga duo Konrad Hurrell and Tui Lolohea are ready to terrorise Super League defences – with one eye on a revenge shot at Great Britain.

The pair are a big part of the explosion of Tongan rugby league over the last two years, playing in the iconic 2017 World Cup semifinal defeat to England.

New team-mate Kallum Watkins was on the opposite side of that 20-18 win in front of almost 30,000 Tongans in Auckland (right) and the trio have been setting out their stalls ahead of the planned autumn Lions clash.

Hurrell said: “Kallum’s been talking about that game and I keep telling him I hope we get a rematch at the end of this year.

“It’s been great for Tonga as a little nation to see what’s happened some big players have sacrificed the money to come and play for us.

“It’s always been England, Australia and New Zealand, then maybe Samoa and Fiji. So for Tonga to come in during the World Cup and prove little countries can play the game as well was great.

“To play Great Britain would be unbelievable – it’s a big deal, massive. First I have to settle in and work hard for Leeds, but hopefully it will come again at the end of the year. Maybe towards the end I’ll try to injure Kallum – no I’m only joking.”

Pundits believe the styles of rampaging centre Hurrell and gifted playmaker Lolohea will be a perfect fit for a Super League welcoming a host of top overseas players in 2019.

Lolohea said: “Some big signings are coming over here pretty early in their careers. There’s Blake Austin at Warrington, Kevin Naiqama and Lachlan Coote at St Helens – guys that have played at the top level of the NRL.”

Lolohea was among the try scorers in the Tonga fightback that fell just short in the World Cup, and like his Rhinos team-mate, would relish a rematch.

He added: “That game was an amazing event and something I’ll never forget. But first there’s Leeds – I want to bring energy to the team and be a player the boys want to play off.”