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Tonga player ratings vs Canada | Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup
By Ned Lester
The consolation final kicked off round four of the Pacific Nations Cup in Tokyo and it was Tonga who pulled away from Canada to claim fifth place in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
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Both sides were eager to end their respective Pacific Nations Cup campaigns on a high, but had to battle not just their opponents but also the Tokyo heat on an action-packed day of rugby.
Here’s how the ‘Ikale Tahi rated in the contest:
1. Jethro Felemi – 3
Tonga’s set piece had been a mixed bag thus far in the Pacific Nations Cup, and while Felemi provided plenty of power at scrum time, he struggled to keep the scrum up and was penalised early.
The prop struggled to stay out of trouble moving forward and was yellow-carded just shy of the 20-minute mark for collapsing a Canadian driving maul just short of the try line. Once Felemi returned to the field, his opposite was replaced and the Tongans started to find parity in the scrum.
2. Sosefo Sakalia – 8
Led his team in tackles in the opening 40 without a miss to his name. Was quick off the line and caught Canadian players unaware when he saw the chance.
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The defensive prowess made up for some the set-piece woes and ultimately was enough to get the result on the day.
3. Ben Tameifuna – 7
The captain was ambitious when he sniffed momentum and points were on the line, opting to go to the corner even when in the Canadian 22.
The Tongan scrum struggled for the majority of the 80 minutes, and Tameifuna was guilty of the most penalties of any player in the contest. The Tongan bruiser received strong applause when departing the field just shy of the hour mark.
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4. Harison Mataele – 7
Safe hands off the opening kick but bizarrely left the second restart that came his way to fall into the waiting arms of Canada. Caught out of position on the third restart but was safe thereafter.
Mataele made a nuisance of himself in Canada’s driving maul attempts. Tonga’s lineout calls were patchy at times leading to Canada steals. Was aggressive, albeit a little loose when attacking the breakdown.
5. Tevita Ahokovi – 8
Provided deft touches in the attacking structure, facilitating for his backline while posing a threat in the carry. Even showed up as a chaser when called upon in kicking battles. A bright future ahead for the 24-year-old.
6. Siosiua Moala – 9
Claimed the opening points of the game on a powerful lineout drive that practically ran over the try line. Be it by the boot laces or bear hug, Moala made his tackles count.
The loose forward was chasing backs and winning races, putting plenty of line speed pressure on Canada and still refused to miss a tackle.
7. Tupou Afungia – 8
Did the dirty work for his side, making tough tackles and wrestling Canada’s best carriers all afternoon. Classic workhorse openside flanker performance.
8. Lotu Inisi – 9
Inisi is a coach’s dream No. 8 and proved it again in Tokyo. A powerful ball-carrier with excellent habits around the park, getting back to his feet quickly and actively getting out of the way of the breakdown. Provided strong defence off the back of the scrum and was in the right place at the right time when the ball came loose around the ruck.
9. Aisea Halo – 7.5
The halfback proved his quality feel for the game on many occasions in the contest, switching play at opportune moments and contributing handsomely to his side’s scoring opportunities.
Halo was a vocal leader and the first to congratulate his teammates for good play like any good halfback. The 31-year-old’s few box kicks were a mixed bag and some crucial missed tackles were registered, including a 67th-minute effort which led to Canada scoring under the posts and reducing the Tongan lead to five.
10. Patrick Pellegrini – 8.5
A Man of the Match performance for the flyhalf. Pelligrini made good metres on his clearances and kept the scoreboard ticking over with his opportunities off the tee, making some crucial kicks under pressure.
Made one or two questionable kicks in play but managed the territory game well on the whole, including a world-class 50-22 in broken play. A couple of charged-down kicks did little to douce what was an otherwise superb performance.
11. John Tapueluelu – 8.5
Provided the pace to burn Canada on the outside en route to scoring his side’s second try. Made some quality defensive reads and had some excellent touches in backline play. Finished the game on a high with another deserved try in the corner.
12. Fetuli Paea – 9
Paea offered himself as an extra loose forward early and was dominant in the carry. A rare clearance kick from the midfielder made his side 50 metres. His next kick was out on the full and ended the first half abruptly on a Tongan counter-attacking opportunity. provided great scramble defence when needed.
13. Fine Inisi – 6
Inisi, much like his brother at No. 8, offered remarkable leg drive on his few carries. The centre wasn’t employed much and had a wayward touch or two when distributing on the run.
14. Nikolai Foliaki – 5
Put under pressure early with a cross-field kick looking directly into the sun. Was a threat under the highball thereafter, and chased restarts well.
15. Josiah Unga – 4
A quiet game from the fullback, as Pelligrini handled much of the kicking. One of Unga’s few contributions off the boot went out on the full and he got in the way of what would have otherwise likely been a try to Tapueluelu the final minutes.
Substitutes
16. Penisoni Fineanganofo – 7
17. Salesi Tuifua – 8
The scrum was more convincing from Tonga after the reserves entered the fixture, and while not without its faults, the team ended the game strong thanks to the reserve front row.
18. Tau Koloamatangi – 7.5
19. Kelemete Finau – 7.5
20. Vutulongo Puloka – 7
21. Manusiu Paea – 7
22. Latu Akauola – 7
23. K. Vaea – 7
