Tonga are set to take on the world number one ranked side in their World Cup opener. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
While most of the other teams at the Rugby World Cup have already tasted action, the strongest Tonga squad ever assembled have been biding their time in the calm of their Paris hotel.
World Rugby's 2021 eligibility rule change means the squad features World Cup winner Malakai Fekitoa and other former All Blacks Charles Piutau, Vaea Fifita, George Moala and Augustine Pulu, as well as former Wallabies lock Adam Coleman.
They finally get their chance to test themselves against the best in the world when they take on top ranked Ireland in a Pool B clash in Nantes this weekend, when they hope to show some genuine class of their own.
"It's an incredibly exciting group of players to be working with, we've got a great opportunity with a great group of people to do something special," assistant coach Zane Hilton told reporters at the team hotel last week.
"We can't shy away from the fact that (Ireland) are a great side but we feel there's a couple of key areas in our game that we want to be world class."
Hilton was understandably reluctant to expand on what those areas might be but one could be the scrum, where hulking prop Ben Tameifuna plies his trade.
New Zealand-born Tameifuna was called into the All Blacks squad in 2012 but never played a test, switching his allegiance to Tonga after moving to France to play his club rugby.
Tameifuna said when he first started playing for Ikale Tahi, there was a gulf between the level of coaching, support and player quality he experienced at club level and with Tonga.
"I've been in the squad eight, nine years now," he said.
"The standards have risen a lot, you've got some top players who have come in and the law change has really boosted the morale of the team and the future of it.
"They know what it takes to be on the international level and obviously with the younger group that we have, we want them to experience and take the learnings from them."
Tameifuna said the entire Tonga pack now plays in Europe, Australasia or Japan and he believes they will be able to compete with the best at scrum time.
"I think the scrum will probably be one of our weapons for the tournament," he said.
"Yeah, 100% of the pack is playing at top level so they should understand what it takes to compete against a strong Irish scrum."
In addition to the injection of international class, Tameifuna said the Tongans retained a special team bond that is reinforced by morning prayer meetings and cultural education for players raised in Australia and New Zealand.
"It's good for them to know where they come from," the 32-year-old added.
Getting out of the opening stage for the first time in nine World Cups will nonetheless be a tough assignment given Tonga are in a pool also including Scotland, world champions South Africa and Romania.
"You want to be playing the best teams in the world," Hilton added.
"We feel like there's absolutely no pressure on us whatsoever, we just need to go out and perform."
-Reuters
