Tongan players greet the public at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille after their victory over Romania on Sunday October 8. GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
The Tongans are coming out of the World Cup with their heads held high. In the last match of Group B, the “Ikale Tahi” (the Sea Eagles) clearly beat the Romanians (45-24) at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, Sunday October 8. With both teams already eliminated, the only issue in this match was who would inherit the wooden spoon. Fallen in a particularly tough Group B, with Ireland, South Africa and Scotland, none of the two opponents of the day had managed to score the slightest point since the start of the World Cup before this match.
The show and the suspense were there in Villeneuve-d’Ascq. In the bays of the northern enclosure, faces were smiling after the meeting. The 45,000 spectators present, including many English fans who had witnessed their team’s sluggish victory (18-17) against Samoa the day before, witnessed an offensive festival with ten tries scored, including seven for the Pacific players. .
The Romanians were courageous, but the gap in level between the two teams was too great to allow them to compete until the end. At least the Oaks (the Stejarii, in Romanian) showed a better face than in their previous outings. A sign of deep dismay, coach Eugen Apjok made nine changes after the defeat (0-84) against Scotland.
In this meeting between the bottom of the class, the Tongans started favorites, having conceded significantly fewer points than their opponents of the day since the start of the tournament (143 against 242). Close in the world rankings (Tonga is 15th, Romania 19th), the two teams have many points in common. They have never progressed beyond the group stage of a World Cup, having participated in eight of the previous nine editions.
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Simple and effective rugby
The first half hour was entirely dominated by the Tongans who, true to the culture of Pacific players, showed their skill in the hand game. Very mobile, their forwards managed on several occasions to open gaps in a clumsy Romanian defense, and quickly spread the balls on the wings. A simple and effective rugby, which allowed Ikale Tahi to score three school tries on breakthroughs from Solomone Kata (11th), George Moala (15th) and Afusipa Taumoepeau (22nd), all transformed by their opener William Havili.
The game seemed very bad for the Romanians, but they were able to revolt so as not to end their World Cup on a new low. In the 30th minute, their third line Cristi Boboc managed to score a strong try after a quickly played touch in the Tongan 22 meters. An incident of play also contributed to reviving the men of the Carpathians: in the 33rd minute, the referee sanctioned the Tongan second row Leva Fifita with a yellow card, synonymous with exclusion for ten minutes, for having kicked shoulder in the jaw of a Romanian.
Eugen Apjok’s men then felt themselves growing wings and three minutes later, their scrum-half Florin Surugiu flattened a second try after a maul had completely disorganized the Tongan defense. If the Polynesians returned to the locker room with a four-point lead (21-17), the game was restarted.
Back at fifteen, the Tongans attacked the second half with all their feet, scoring a try in the 50th minute after a carried ball. Five minutes later, the Romanians responded with their full-back Marius Simionescu, who flattened after a nice little low kick from winger Nicolas Onutu.
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Once again, the game seemed to be restarted (28-24), but the Oaks collapsed physically in the last half hour, conceding three new tries (66th, 71st and 77th minutes). Although they were completely overwhelmed at the end, Eugen Apjok’s men nevertheless showed a better face than during their previous outings. They scored three tries, although they had only managed to score one in three matches (against Ireland, it is true).
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Catastrophic outcome for Romania
Once again, the Romanians showed their weakness on the defensive level (more than 40 missed tackles today). For a country which had its hour of glory in the 1970s and 1980s, winning victories against France, Scotland and Wales thanks to the strength of its scrum, the results of the competition are catastrophic. The Romanians simply did not exist in this tournament. Along with Namibia, Romania is probably the weakest team in the World Cup.
The Tongans ended their World Cup on a positive note and their flamboyant game delighted the public. Although they lost their first three matches, the Tongans still managed to score three tries against South Africa, and they gained strength throughout the matches.
Thanks to their numerous reinforcements from New Zealand (Ben Tameifuna, Siale Piutau, Pita Ahki, George Moala), they have a good level hard core. For his first selection, center George Moala (32), who has been playing at ASM Clermont since 2018, had a great match, as did Pita Ahki, the center of Stade Toulousain. Two players who are over thirty, but who we should see again in the Red and White jersey of Ikale Tahi.
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