Tonga to test Flying Fijians XV Featured
'Ikale Tahi Captain Nili Latu and His Team Mates
17 July, 2015. Sometimes we have to lose a battle in order to win the war. It makes us work much harder than before.
That saying definitely applies for Fiji as we begin the Pacific Nations Cup competition against the Ikale Tahi tomorrow. While we can whine about the big fish that got away we can be confident that the negatives from last week will be turned into positive from now on.
After a close loss to the New Zealand Maori last weekend Fijian rugby fans are looking forward to a good win against Tonga as coach John McKee and his team rectify the mistakes from last week. But that could be easier said than done.
The Tongans, led by Nili Latu, had a better Rugby World Cup outing than Fiji in 2011 and we were relegated in the international standings with Tonga faring better.
They were in the pool of death then where they gave hosts New Zealand a tough display in the opening match. Now we are in their shoes and face 2015 RWC hosts England in our first match.
In terms of strength the two teams will be even as Fiji will be without key players Akapusi Qera and try-scoring machine Nemani Nadolo.
On the other hand the Tongans will be without some of their top players but the side is filtered with Super Rugby players and those playing in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Flying Fijians coach is rotating his players and everybody is going to get a chance to prove themselves good enough to play for Fiji in the Rugby World Cup.
The Flying Fijians played a near perferct first half against the Maori losing only one line-out in the first half and had the visitors pinned in their half with good long range kicking from Josh Matavesi.
The table was turned in the second half and the Maori gave Fiji the same treatment through the boots of flyhalf Marty McKenzie and won 27-26.
Every mistake the Flying Fijians make from now on will be a crevice in the rock face to hammer their climbing pegs on and help them step higher into the mountain.
With Maori backline coach Tabai Matson on our side we have a coaching team that will have their magnifying glasses over our performances. Their task is on building the team up until that vital match against England on September 18 at Twickenham, Australia five days later and then Wales all within one week.
When that day comes they can all sit back and tell themselves that they have done everything they could to help Fiji get into the quarter-finals.
It is a great ask, but if you survive the pool of death you can win the Web Ellis trophy. New Zealand and France came from the same pool to play in the 2011 RWC final.
After Fiji's 2007 RWC performance a visiting Tongan church minister said one day Fiji will win the World Cup because we have the physical presence in weight and height in the forwards and the backline to do it.
The Tongans have a powerful forward pack and they are always hard to stop in the forward battles in tight play.
After a good scrummaging performance against the Maori last week more game time for our forwards should make them battle hardened.
We should expect the fitness of our boys to get better as the competition continues and we expect them to peak in September.
For the Tongans, underestimating them will be a fatal error.
In Tonga they say that there is no mountain. The only mountain to conquer is within themselves.
Source: Fiji Times
It means that if they believe they can win they will.
