Tonga team returns home to inspire before Pacific Cup
Joel Gould |
Jason Taumalolo and the Tongan rugby league team will prepare for the Pacific Championships with an inspirational visit to Tonga for the first time in six years.
As the nation ramps up 150-year celebrations of the constitution, the Kristian Woolf-coached side will be in Tonga from October 14-18 before flying to Brisbane to prepare for the blockbuster clash at Suncorp Stadium against Samoa on October 26.
The last time the Tongan side visited their homeland in 2019 was a momentous occasion after the team had beaten Great Britain and Australia in an historic double in New Zealand.
Young guns such as rising halfback star Isaiya Katoa and new squad members Robert Toia, Leka Halasima and Stefano Utoikamanu have not visited their ancestral homeland with the Tongan squad before.
“We have a lot of young and newer players that have joined the group and it is so important for them,” Woolf told AAP.
“A lot of them haven’t been to Tonga and still have grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts that are there. It is great for them to get back and connect with their family. It is a different lifestyle there and they will get a real idea of what we play for and who we play for.”
Co-captain Taumalolo has led the side with distinction and was feted as a national hero in 2019. Such was his impact the North Queensland powerhouse was gifted land from nobles of his mother’s village.
“Jason is extremely important to us. He has played for Tonga since he was 20 years old,” Woolf said.
“He had a little stint with New Zealand in between but he has been with the Tongan group since 2013 along with Daniel Tupou and Saliva Havili.
“Jason is a big part of what you see now in terms of the commitment of the team we have put together and how we play. He has led from the front and made huge sacrifices.
“I know he is enormously respected within our group and a real leader. Taking him back to Tonga is outstanding because he is revered there. It is unbelievable to see.”
The government of the day declared November 15 a public holiday for the entire country after the team’s 2019 heroics.
Tonga’s constitution was enacted on November 4 in 1875 by King George Tupou I and created the country’s constitutional monarchy and democratic institutions.
A week of celebrations and events will be held in Tonga in the leadup to November 4 this year. While the Tonga side will be in the midst of their Pacific Cup campaign by then, Woolf said the side would get a sense of the moment.
“It is a momentous occasion in Tonga and there are a lot of things going on to celebrate that,” Woolf said.
“Our team is the most popular in Tonga and we wanted to make sure we had them back there to be part of those celebrations.
“Of course it is also really good for our team. We haven’t been back since 2019 and they were outstanding memories and scenes. It gave our players a real indication of the passion and support that is there.
“In 2019 there were thousands of people in the square and 30,000 to 40,000 lining the streets with parades.
“I’m not sure if the reception will be quite like that, but it could be.”
AAP
