Tonga U18s stay unbeaten on Australia rugby tour Featured
Tonga vs New South Wales Combined High Schools
14 September, 2016. The Tonga Under 18 rugby team made it back to back wins on their tour of Australia, beating New South Wales Combined High Schools 33-12.
It followed a 45-8 thumping of New South Wales Catholic Combined Colleges in Newcastle last week.
Spokesperson Kavamone Fisiihoi said yesterday's match was another step up and their players showed good improvement.
"The New South Wales team was much stronger than the Catholic Schools. To be winning the Combined High Schools was a really good step for us to see our last match with the Barbarians," he said.
Kavamone Fisiihoi said the Tongan squad are all representing the national schools team for the first time, although some have been involved in Tonga Under 14s and Under 16s tours to New Zealand.
Their final tour match is on Saturday against the Australian Schools Barbarians in Sydney.
Kavamone Fisiihoi said Tonga Schools have yet to beat Australia but this will be their first time playing against the Barbarians.
"We really look to securing the ball, especially our lineouts and kickoff as well. The boys were told to stick to what the gameplan was we were starting with. Basically they start (and are) used to run individually and once they've ran out of gas they start to get back to the basics that we want to," he said.
"That's what we want to try to sort with the boys - get the support and not losing our balls in our attacking time, plus (cutting out) some basic mistakes with mauls and rucks."
Kavamone Fisiihoi said the trip has also been a big learning curve off the field, with players being billeted with local families during their time in Newcastle and Sydney.
"Most of them it's the first time to go overseas and billeting them with different families is a very good experience for them - especially speaking their second language and talking normal conversations with Australian families, it's really good," he said.
"They learn a lot. They have to adapt to lifestyles and this is what they're looking for if they want to continue in this career, in the future they will go overseas, get a club or contract somewhere. The whole purpose is to introduce them to this kind of thing."
-RNZI
