The Queensland Reds were today beaten 38-19 in Nuku’alofa by a Tongan national side bristling with Test stars recently returned from Europe, Japan and New Zealand.
Skipper Jock Campbell rued the number of errors made by the Reds which limited their attacking flow and the pressure they could apply.
Standout halfback Kalani Thomas kept his team in the contest but the Reds found themselves down 31-14 before they scored the try of the match.
Reds Head Coach Les Kiss ran on eight players for their Queensland debuts and was rewarded with some highly promising signs against the Ikale Tahi.
Starting flanker Tom Robinson put in a huge shift in defence to christen his Reds career with an error-free hour at just 19.
Making debuts off the bench were prop Trevor King, hooker Theo Fourie, halfback James Martens, centre Xavier Rubens, prop Ollie Harris, utility forward Charlie Brosnan and fullback Will McCulloch.
Gladstone product King found himself playing more than an hour on debut as a replacement prop after Nick Bloomfield limped off injured in the fifth minute.
The Reds jumped to a 7-0 lead in the eighth minute when Thomas spotted at opening from a lineout win. He scooted 35m.
With the Reds hard on attack, King made an instant impact. He arced over the mass of bodies at a ruck to dot down just minutes after running on.
At the 75-minute mark, replacement halfback Martens showed himself to be the sharp-thinking opportunist he has been for the Australian Under-20s and the GPS club earlier this year.
Just minutes after taking the field, he took a quick tap in his own quarter and scooted into rare open space on an afternoon of stop-start rugby in a blustery wind.
Fellow Reds debutants Fourie and McCulloch featured with replacement forward Hamish Muller in an attacking raid that swept more than 80m upfield. Lock Josh Canham finished the fine play by planting the ball for a try.
There was too little of such enterprising play because the Reds failed to capitalise on three excellent lineout steals by Canham and had issues with the consistency of their own lineout and scrum.
“The Ikale Tahi were a lot more accurate than we were,” Campbell said post-match.
“To have as many guys on debut as we did in a hostile environment is a good experience for them.
“We’re all very proud of them. They’ve gained experience against good quality players who have played a lot in France and at World Cups.
“It was a step up and they all fought really well. It will give them confidence they can do so in Super Rugby when they get a call-up.”
On three occasions, spirited defence held up the Tongans over the tryline.
The Tongans finally breached the defence in the first half when veteran prop Ben Tameifuna rumbled over in the 27th-minute. Tameifuna is back from French club Bordeaux for Tonga’s key World Cup qualifiers which begin in a week.
The tour is part of the ongoing support of Tongan rugby by the Australian Government, Rugby Australia, and the Reds through the PacificAus Sports-funded Australia-Pacific Rugby Union Partnership (APRUP).
TONGA 38
Tries: John Tapueluelu 2 (31min, 46), Ben Tameifuna (27), Fetuli Paea (40), Augustine Pulu (79), Lotu Inisi (64)
Conversions: Patrick Pellegrini 4
Defeated
QUEENSLAND REDS 19
Tries: Trevor King (8) Josh Canham (75), penalty try
Conversion: Harry McLaughlin-Phillips
Half-time: Tonga 19-Reds 7
Venue: Teufaiva Sport Stadium, Nuku'alofa
About PacificAus Sports
PacificAus Sports is an Australian Government sports diplomacy initiative creating opportunities for Pacific athletes, conuaches, officials and administrators to access high performance training and elite competition.
The program partners with Australian national sports organisations to support a range of sports, including rugby league, rugby union, netball, football, AFL, cricket, tennis, basketball, and Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth sports.
PacificAus Sports also partners with the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) to promote Pacific sport through ABC Television’s ‘That Pacific Sports Show’ and ABC Radio’s ‘Fresh Off the Field’. The high performance outcomes of PacificAus Sports are complemented by the Australian Government’s Team Up program, which focuses on sport for development in the Pacific.
For more information about PacificAus Sports and its activities, visit www.pacificaussports.gov.au and follow PacificAus Sports on Facebook.
