First ever unbeaten northern tour: a big boost for 'Ikale Tahi Featured
The Tonga rugby team celebrates their win over Italy Photo: Photosport
30 November, 2016. An unbeaten Northern Tour has emboldened the Tonga rugby team as they look ahead to a crucial 2017 season.
The 'Ikale Tahi recorded just their fifth victory over a top tier nation as they upset Italy 19-17 in Padua.
The result built on earlier victories against Spain and the United States and marked the first time Tonga had gone undefeated on an end of year tour.
Head coach Toutai Kefu said the final performance had been building all tour.
"We had our best training week that week leading into the Italian test and we weren't too happy as a group with the way that we played in the games against Spain and USA," he said.
"Things were heading the right direction and I stressed to the boys that there's a slice of history - a Tongan team has never been undefeated in a November test window so if we won that game we would be the first.
"Fortunately we played well, our set piece was great, things went our way and we won."
Toutai Kefu said heading into next year the main focus now is the Pacific Nations Cup test matches against Fiji and Samoa, which double as 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifiers.
He said with the test window moving to July it should also ensure they have a full-strength squad of players to pick from.
"It gives us that belief and that confidence moving forward and I stressed that to the group afterwards," he said.
"I said this is nothing, this is the tip of the iceberg - we've only just begun to discover ourselves and what we can do.
"We've still got some very good players to come into this squad and our issue is time together. When we are together we can't waste that and that's going to just keep building, we're going to get better and better every year.
We had a really good group and the boys really had that belief and you can see it in the way they played."
Tonga are also scheduled to host Wales in Nuku'alofa next year but Kefu said issues surrounding the readiness of Teufaiva National Stadium have yet to be resolved.
-RNZI
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FAIVA 'AKAPULU? KE 'AKO, FAIAKO MO FOKOTU'UTU'U 'AE 'ILO MOE POTO 'OE 'AKAPULU KOE FAIVA HE KOE 'AKAPULU KOE FAIVA!
'Oku 'ikai ma'u ha me'a'ofa pe makakoloa ma'a kimoutolu kau faiva 'akapulu [playing and performing team], kau faiako faiva 'akapulu [teaching and coaching team], moe kau taki faiva 'akapulu [administration and management team] ke fakatataua 'ae lavame'a kaafakafa kuo feia ka koe mata'ikoloa ma'uhinga pe 'a Tonga koe "fakamalo." 'Oku tu'unga 'ae "fakamalo" he lavame'a kaafakafa kuo matua 'o hiki 'ae faiva 'akapulu 'a Tonga mei he tu'unga 'e taha kihe tu'unga 'e taha moe tukunga 'oe fu'ia kihe tukunga 'oe ikuna.
'Oku mo'oni fau e lea 'ae ouau 'oe fakaPangai, "'Kuo lelei, 'u'ufi e ngaue!" Malo e ngaue lelei pea kuo lau lava kae 'ikai ha lau lavea, 'o kau fakatouloua 'ae takatu'u moe takanofo. 'Oku toe mo'oni atu 'ae lea 'oe ta'anga hiva talafatongia malie 'a Masila, "Neu lele mei Tokelau koe'uhi ke fai e fekau, Pea kuo lava kau foki au." Na'e pehe tofu 'ae hehenga moe hevaha na'e fai mei he Fo'i Piliote / 'Otu Felenite koe fai e fekau pea kuo lava kakato hono fakaa'u 'o hoko koe polepole'anga moe laukau'anga 'ae Tonga kotoa.
'Oku toe mo'oni lahi moe lea kuo fakatokotokonaki, "Koe pale 'oe ngaue lelei koe toe ngaue lelei ke lahi ange." 'Oku 'uhinga 'eni 'oku matu'aki ma'uhinga ke pukenimaa 'ae tu'unga lotolotonga 'oku 'iai 'ae faiva 'akapulu mo toutou hikihikito mei he tu'unga kihe tu'unga 'o taumu'a ma'u pe kihe "lelei taha" koe me'afua, 'o hange koe lea 'Ingilisi malie kuo fakatukutuku'au mai he ta-va koe, "Aim at the stars though you hit the top of the trees" [Taumu'a kihe ngaahi fetu'u neongo ai teke a'u pe kihe tumutumu 'oe 'ulufonua / 'ulu'akau].
'Oku ou ui 'ae felalavai 'oe [1] kau faiva 'akapulu [playing and performing team], [2] kau faiako faiva 'akapulu [teaching and coaching team], moe [3] kau taki faiva 'akapulu [administration and management team] koe "tapatolu 'oe faiva 'akapulu" (tripartite relations of the performance art of rugby). 'Oku tefito 'ae [1] he ako kihe 'ilo moe poto 'oe faiva 'akapulu, tefito 'ae [2] hono faiako 'ae 'ilo moe poto 'oe faiva 'akapulu kihe [1], mo tefito 'a e [3] hono fokotu'utu'u mo fakahoko 'ae [1] moe [2] 'o taumu'a ke ma'u 'ae "lelei taha" 'ae 'ilo moe poto 'oe faiva 'akapulu. Neongo 'oku ma'uhinga tatau kotoa 'ae [1], [2] moe [3]
'Oku ou toe ui 'ae ([1] moe [2] koe "intellectual / educational process of rugby" [koe polosesi fakaako mo fakafaiako 'ae 'ilo moe poto 'oe faiva 'akapulu (faka'atamai mo fakafakakaukau)], pea moe [3] koe "human / social organisation of rugby" (koe fokotu'utu'u fakasosiale 'oe faiva 'akapulu 'o kau ai 'ae faka'ikonomika, fakapolitikale, fakamatelie moe fakamolale moe ha fua. Neongo 'oku ma'uhinga tatau kotoa 'ae [1], [2] moe [3] ka 'oku tumutumu kotoa he [1] 'o poupou kiai 'ae [2] mo poupou 'ae [3] kihe [1] moe [2] fakatouloua.
'Oku matu'aki ma'uinga leva ke potupotutatau 'ae fefusiaki-fetekeaki 'oe felalavai he vaha'a 'ae [1], [2] moe [3] 'oe "va tapatolu 'ae faiva 'akapulu" 'o fakaola koe faka'ofo'ofa kae 'ikai ke potupotukehekehe 'ae fefusiaki-fetekeaki 'oe felalavai 'ae [1], [2] moe [3] 'o fakaola koe palaku. 'Oku tupu 'ae "taha" 'ae "tolu," [1], [2] moe [3], koe takitaha fai honau ngaahi fatongia takitaha, 'aia koe ako kihe 'ilo moe poto 'ae [1] mei he [2], faiako 'ae 'ilo moe poto 'ehe [2] kihe [1], moe fokotu'utu'u 'ehe [3] 'ae [1] moe [2] hona takitaha ngafa / fatongia [Vakai kihe lea "ingilisi malie koe, "Unity in diversity," pe "Diversity in unity," 'o 'uhinga koe tupu 'etau "taha" he'etau "kehekehe" PE 'oku ma'u 'etau "faaitaha" mei he takitaha fai hotau fatongia takitaha kehekehe].
Na'e hake mai 'ae "sipoti 'akapulu" mei muli ki Tonga 'o 'iloa koe "faiva 'akapulu" (Ne'ine'i ui 'ae Sitetiume Fakafonua 'o Tonga ko "Teufaiva," 'aia 'oku takitaha "teuteu" 'ene kau faiva 'akapulu, 'o nau toki takitaha "faiva" 'i Teufaiva). 'O kapau 'oku taku koe 'akapulu koe "faiva" pea 'oku ma'uhinga ke ako, faiako mo fokotu'utu'u 'ae 'ilo moe poto 'oe 'akapulu koe "faiva" 'o tatau pe mo hono ako, faiako moe fokotu'utu'u ha fa'ahinga "faiva" 'o taumu'a hono liliu mei he tu'unga 'oe felekeu / fepaki [crisis / chaos] kihe tukunga 'oe maau / fenapasi [stasis / order] he funga 'oe tatau [symmetry] moe potupotutatau [harmony] ke ma'u 'ae malie pe faka'ofo'ofa [beauty].
'O kapau 'oku vale ha taha ha faiva pea 'oku ako leva kene 'ilo 'ae faiva koia pea he'ene 'ilo kiai 'oku ne toe ako leva kene poto hono ngaue'aki 'ae 'ilo koia -- 'o hange koe 'ako ha taha 'oku vale he faiva haka (performance art of dance) kene 'ilo mo poto he faiva haka, 'aia 'oku kau ai 'ae haka "hola," "kaiha'asi" pe "haka-funga-haka," pea ka 'ilo mo poto ai taha hono fai pea 'oku lau ia koe taha faiva haka "malie."
'Oku tefito 'ae faiva kotoa pe he sino [all performance arts are body-centred], 'o hange pe koe faiva haka (performance art of dance] moe faiva 'akapulu [performance art of rugby-playing]. 'O hange koe lau 'oku "malie" 'ae tokotaha faiva haka 'oku haka "hola," "kaiha'asi" pe "haka-funga-haka" -- 'oku pehe tofu pe 'ae taku 'oku "malie" 'ae tokotaha faiva 'akapulu 'oku ne "huufi" / "fakahu" 'ae pulu 'o tatau pe 'oku to'o mo lele hono sino moe pulu [ulaki, molo, sitisitepu, tata'o], 'akahi hono va'e 'ae pulu ['aka fakahu, 'aka fakato, 'aka 'auti moe ha fua] , li pe paasi hono nima 'ae pulu [sikalamu, laini'auti, mei he foueti kihe foueti, tautua'a kihe tautua'a, moe foueti kihe tautua'a moe ha fua].