Toulouse centre Pita Ahki is set for his first senior Tonga appearance against Australia A.
IN THE CAPITAL city of Nukuʻalofa on the north coast of Tongatapu island, Tonga get their World Cup preparations truly up and running in the wee hours of tomorrow morning Irish time.
Clearly, senior Wallabies boss Eddie Jones is keen for tomorrow’s game to give players a chance to impress or build fitness for the World Cup, while emerging prospects like the rapid Corey Toole and Josh Flook are also involved. There’s another former All Black in the pack, with the explosive Vaea Fifita starting at number eight. The rest of the Tongan pack for tomorrow is huge, with tighthead prop Ben Tameifuna offering over 140kg of mass.
Last summer, the Tongans had a poor Pacific Nations Cup despite some of the aforementioned additions. They lost to Australia A and Samoa before being hammered 36-0 by Fiji. In fairness, it was never likely that a new-look team would simply settle into its stride straight away. After facing Australia A tomorrow, they will have a chance for revenge against Fiji on 22 July, a clash with Japan on 29 July, then a game against Samoa on 5 August.
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