Ireland Vs Tonga: The fresh Rugby World Cup 2023 gun in Ireland's armoury

Posted by World Wide Tickets And Hospitality on February 14th, 2023

Tom O'Toole's entrance in Saturday's victory showed that Ireland has depth in their team and trusts it entirely. The 19-minute cameo by Tom O’Toole, the Ulster prop, may not have made any headings following Ireland’s great 32-19 victory over France. But its importance shines a light on why Andy Farrell’s team are now, for the first time, an honest candidate to win the Rugby World Cup this year.

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The same could be said for the absorbing 24-minute effect by the 23-year-old Munster scrum-half Craig Casey. The strong point of the impression of Ireland’s bench in the final quarter at the Aviva Stadium closed the game with Bundee Aki, Iain Henderson and Jack Conan providing the hard-nosed carrying to run France raggedy by the end. Yet it was the positive charities by O’Toole and Casey.

That verified just how far Ireland’s depth of talent now runs, the lack of which proved fatal to their RWC hopes during their 2015 and 2019 movements. When you consider that O’Toole is not always first excellent at Ulster, and is behind both Tadhg Furlong and Finlay Bealham in Ireland's pecking order at tighthead prop, his bullocking exhibition was something to behold. Casey, likewise, is the third choice behind Jamison Gibson-Park and Conor Murray for the Ireland No 9 jersey.

Ireland had gone into the game without fine RWC players

Yet played with a speed that guaranteed Ireland’s presentation finished with a fizz to negate any hopes of a late France comeback. Ireland had gone into the game without four of their familiar players Dan Sheehan, Furlong, Gibson-Park and Robbie Henshaw, all of whom would be faiths to start when fit if a Lions side was playing tomorrow, and also lost their talismanic front-runner Johnny Sexton to groin damage after 45 minutes.  

And yet the defaulters did not appear to have any negative influence on their level of performance. The second half may not have quite coordinated the clinical brilliance of the first, the greatest 40 minutes of Six Nations rugby there has been. It was predictable there would be a reaction from France but even in the testing excesses Ireland found another level to their game. The dream scenario for Farrell is when his carefully-managed group is closer to full ability.

It will for the first time have the depth and sturdiness to cope with the unique anxieties of a Rugby World Cup campaign. In 2019, the triumph over Scotland was followed by a defeat by Japan after Sexton was ruled out and Joe Schmidt did not feel self-assured enough to rotate his team despite the draining circumstances. Four years earlier the triviality of Ireland’s group was exposed even further.

Dramatic triumph over France in the Rugby World Cup

After a dramatic but attractional victory over France in the RWC pool phases, Schmidt’s makeshift side was blown away by Argentina in the quarter-final. These problems have not been solved by chance, but are the significance of the Irish Rugby Football Union’s strategic planning by their routine director David Nucifora and man supervision and coaching development by Farrell.

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The France Rugby World Cup 2023 draw has not been kind to Ireland. They will face world champs South Africa and a rising Scotland in the pool phase, without only two sides succeeding, and then the prospect of France or New Zealand in the quarter-finals. Farrell knows the size of the test that awaits his team. But with the likes of O’Toole and Casey swelling his options, he will head to France with the most inspiring armoury to have left these coasts.

Tonga rugby player Sione Kalamafoni to leaving Scarlets after RWC

The 34-year-old back row will join ProD2 team Vannes on a two-year contract that will see him through to 2025. The 6’5, 121kg forward who can play together in the second and back row played three versions of the Rugby World Cup with his selection, in 2011, 2015 and 2019. Kalamafoni joins the likes of Paul Surano from Rouen, Alex Arrate from Stade Francais and Jules Le Bail from La Rochelle in linking up with RC Vannes next edition.

Sione was a big choice during his three-year spell at Leicester Tigers and before that spent five seasons with Premiership rivals Gloucester. His first involvement in English rugby had been with Nottingham in the RFU Championship. Capped 37 times by Tonga, he made his global debut 15 years ago and has presented for the islanders in three RWCs, delivering an outstanding man-of-the-match display in the stunning upset over France in 2011.

The 34-year-old has won performer of the season awards at Gloucester and Tigers, where he made more transfers (721) than any player in the Premiership. He also made the fifth most attacks. Only one other player has made more than 500 carries and 500 challenges during that time. Rugby fans can book Tonga Rugby World Cup Tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.

Money and Tonga Rugby World Cup team

It's racism, physical racism the home unions know the risk, and I think of our smaller unions getting too strong. Pakilau Aotearoa Manase Lua, a Tongan elder and associate of NZ Rugby’s Pacific Action Group, talks about the hard choices faced by players and the vast gap in incomes between the powerful and the Pacific islands and draws a troubling assumption. Former Tonga and Highlander's backrower and current Pacific Rugby Players head.

Hale T Pole tells us about how that gap led to some unusual fundraising tactics. We’re all trying undies, dyeing our hair, everything. And the trials he faces every day. Don't ever link us, the Pacific Islands, to what other developing nations have gone through. There's no judgment. Wallaby great and present Tonga RWC coach Toutai Kefu talk about the impact of all these concerns on the players’ mindset. 

John’s former Lions colleague and ex-Tonga captain Inoke Afeaki likens the departure of Tongan players to foreign clubs to a slave trade but the Tongan Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, claims that the problems with World Rugby are being resolved.

Ireland Vs Tonga Rugby World Cup 2023

Ireland's second pool game at RWC 2023 will be against Tonga at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Saturday 16th September. Ireland and Tonga have only met once formerly at the World Cup; during the pool phases of the initial edition of the competition in 1987. Ireland won that game 32-9 in Brisbane. In their only other meeting, Ireland has beaten Tonga 40-19 on a summer tour in 2003.

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