AFTER a horror Pacific Cup last autumn saw them slip out of the top four in the world rankings, Tonga have drawn the short straw by being placed in Pool C, meaning they’ll face both England and Samoa.
The former enjoyed a 3-0 whitewash over Tonga in a 2023 Test series, while the latter beat them 34-6 last October.
Indeed, a one-point win over New Zealand two years ago is the only victory they have tasted since being edged out in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, also by Samoa.
But they still have Kristian Woolf at the helm, not to mention Addin Fonua-Blake and Jason Taumalolo leading the side on the field, and Isaiya Katoa pulling the strings.
With relative home advantage for a squad packed with NRL talent, if they can catch visiting England cold in the opener in Perth, it’ll blow the whole tournament wide open.
KEY PLAYERS
ISAIYA KATOA was just 18 when he played three games at the last World Cup. He’s grown immeasurably since, under the guidance of Kristian Woolf for club and country, into one of the game’s top creators.
Only two players made more post-contact metres in the NRL regular season than Manly and New South Wales giant Haumole Olakau’atu, who will form a fearsome second row with Jason Taumalolo.
North Queensland great Taumalolo kickstarted the Tongan revolution by switching allegiance from New Zealand in 2017, and he is still going strong, having passed 300 NRL games in June.
COACH
FORMER St Helens boss Kristian Woolf has been leading Tonga since 2014, and while the national team has had more downs than ups in recent years, Woolf’s stock has never been higher after leading the Dolphins to a third-place finish in the NRL regular season.
Whilst at Saints, he led them to three consecutive Super League titles.
SQUAD
Paul Alamoti (Penrith Panthers), Talatau Amone (Wynnum Manly Seagulls), Latu Fainu (Wests Tigers), Jojo Fifita (Gold Coast Titans), Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (Dolphins), Addin Fonua-Blake (Cronulla Sharks), Salesi Foketi (Sydney Roosters), Moeaki Fotuaika (Gold Coast Titans), Tyson Frizell (Newcastle Knights), Lehi Hopoate (Manly Sea Eagles), Isaiya Katoa (Dolphins), Sione Katoa (North Queensland Cowboys), Tolutau Koula (Manly Sea Eagles), Tui Lolohea (Huddersfield Giants), Soni Luke (North Queensland Cowboys), Haumole Olakau’atu (Manly Sea Eagles), Taniela Paseka (Manly Sea Eagles), Jason Taumalolo (North Queensland Cowboys), Robert Toia (Sydney Roosters), Stefano Utoikamanu (Melbourne Storm), Demitric Vaimauga (New Zealand Warriors), Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (New Zealand Warriors), Siua Wong (Sydney Roosters).
