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Tonga coach Toutai Kefu has a plan to topple world number ones Ireland

Toutai Kefu (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Tongan coach Toutai Kefu has what he believes is the country’s best assembly of World Cup talent, and a few tricks up his sleeve.

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And the former Wallabies World Cup winner is confident that combination will help Tonga do more than just scare their rivals in a stacked group at the tournament in France later this year.

Kefu has spent three months of this year abroad, assessing his stocks plying their trade in Japan and Europe.

“We’re going to have a really good team, probably the best ever,” he said.

The Pacific nation is one of the biggest winners of World Rugby’s 2021 ruling that allowed international players who had not played for their country in three years to switch to the country of their birth, or the country of their parents’ or grandparents’ birth.

Former New Zealand World Cup winner Malakai Fekitoa, All Blacks fullback Charles Piutau and forward Vaea Fifita are all expected to be named in Kefu’s squad.

Kefu this week confirmed form er Wallabies winger or fullback Israel Folau, who debuted for Tonga last year, will be there too.

“It’s been crazy, crazy,” Kefu said of his preparations.

Tonga, ranked 15th in the world, have played in all but one World Cup since 1987 but never progressed out of the pool stages.

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The 2019 Japan tournament was arguably their best campaign, with a win over the USA and two-point loss to France.

World No.1 Ireland, defending champions South Africa, the improved Scotland (No.5) and Romania (No.19) stand in their way this September-October.

“We’re in a tough pool, but we’ll throw all our eggs in one basket and aim up against Ireland,” Kefu said.

“We can’t play footy with them; they’ll beat us every day of the week.

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“So we need to come up with a bit of a plan and I think we’ve got one … it’s going to be good.”

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Comments

2 Comments
T
The Chassis Chisler 644 days ago

Love a man with a plan.

M
MitchO 644 days ago

He’s probably right. The Boks are going to play like the Boks and that’s hard to shake but on saying that the Boks were done in Brighton and pressured by Japan in Japan. Dunno what tongas got in the front row but their loosies will be powerful and their back three very dangerous. Maybe Adam coleman at lock and sekope kepu up front?

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RedWarriors 57 minutes ago
How Dupont-less France tossed a grenade into Ireland's Grand Slam celebrations

In both instances, Ireland can cross halfway in comfort and there are 20 or 30 metres of space in which to work, but a clear sense of purpose is conspicuously absent. Whether it stumbled into a handling error or a breakdown pilfer or delivered a negative kick back to their opponents, Ireland’s transition attack was toothless.”


I disagree with this in the first instance there is a three on one if Osborne receives the pass. He will get past Moefana with only Ramos appearing to confront Osborne, Aki and Sheehan with no-one behind. Probable try, not toothless. As Osborne is on the opposite wing to what he has been training for there is a handling error (understandable). You did acknowledge that Lowe was a blow, but thsi was not a toothless attack, the French defense was beaten there.

The second instance is a kick to Nash, again he will not have trained as much on kick receipts and takes the ball into trouble. Ireland’s systemic preparation is massively important to them but vulnerable to a pre match injury.


As I said previously, in all parallell universes France win, but it might have been a better and more interesting contest without that Injury.


My hopeful view before that match was of a Leinster-LaRochelle type scenario with Ireland building a score and then withstanding an onslaught. Turned out first half was a low scoring Leinster-LaRochelle encounter. Second half was tired Leinster versus Fresh Toulouse.

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