IN THE LEAFY western suburbs of Paris, close to the banks of the River Seine, Tonga have been quietly going about their business, plotting to make life very difficult for Andy Farrell’s Ireland.
The commune of Rueil-Malmaison is regarded as one of the wealthiest areas in France. This is jarring because Tonga’s resources are relatively minuscule compared to the top World Cup contenders. They’d love more funding, but they make the best of what they have.
On a visit to their tranquil team hotel just under an hour’s trek from the heart of Paris, we heard how they see themselves as one big family. They are flying well under the World Cup radar. There were only two journalists there yesterday.
And yet, they’re out to take a few scalps in Pool B, which assistant coach Dan Cron admitted “might be the toughest pool there’s ever been.” They face Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Romania – in that order.
The Tongans had a watching brief as the World Cup got underway last weekend. The ‘Ikale Tahi, or the Sea Eagles, were one of four nations who had to sit in their team hotel and watch everyone else duking it out.
The advantage was that Toutai Kefu’s side got another heavy block of training done last week. They had more time to focus on the challenge of causing a big shock in Nantes this Saturday night when they open their campaign against Ireland.
Farrell’s men are 36-point favourites but Tonga, who are ranked 15th in the world, fancy their chances of making life uncomfortable for the number-one-ranked team.
The change in World Rugby’s eligibility laws has seen them add some real star power to their squad, with ex-All Blacks back row Vaea Fifita, scrum-half Augustine Pulu, centre Malakai Fekitoa, fullback Charles Piutau, and former Wallaby lock Adam Coleman, who could make his debut against Ireland, all part of the World Cup group. Toulouse centre Pita Ahki, who previously played 7s for New Zealand, is also with them now.
While Tonga have had some injury issues recently, Cron said there were no injury concerns for the Ireland match. They plan to have former Ulster man Piutau available and Cron hopes the fullback “is going to light up the World Cup.”
As for the pride these players who have switched allegiance have in representing Tonga, Cron speaks passionately.
“You’d have to ask them but my personal opinion is that ‘proud’ is probably not even close a word to it,” says Cron.
“There was a documentary back home last week following Malakai and Charles for a bit and the opportunity for them to come back and represent their nation, the Kingdom, is beyond what words can describe.
“Obviously, for us, a lot of young players are put under pressure or, I’m not sure what the word is, obligations to provide when they’re young. Charles is an example of that. They play for the country that’s not of birth, and there’s no right or wrong about that, but the opportunity to come back is massive for them.
“It’s also massive for Tonga for them to come back in and represent us. Hopefully, it won’t be a thing in the future because they’ll be playing for Tonga immediately, but that’s just my personal opinion.
“It’s been huge and very welcome for us. You get a high calibre of player coming back to play for the Kingdom.”
While many of this squad were born in Tonga, others were born to Tongan parents in New Zealand or Australia, growing up with Tongan culture as part of their day-to-day lives.
That’s something that Kefu and his coaching staff have done with the national team squad – they want it to be truly Tongan.
Vastly-experienced New Zealander Cron says he’s never come across anything like it. It’s a fun and caring environment.
“What I love about the Tongan culture, and I said this the other day to the boys, is that they’re family first. Not sometimes. Every time, no matter what situation.
“The two most important things in life is their faith and their mother. That’s something I relate heavily to.
“When someone’s not happy, everybody’s not happy. It’s a real village sort of vibe. You can’t help it being infectious.”
Cron says the Tongan players love hanging out with each other. They sit in a circle for hours on end, just chatting away, whereas other teams in the pro game “can’t wait to get away from each other and just decompress and get away from footy.”
He has been with Tonga since 2010 and was part of the coaching staff that oversaw a stunning 19-14 win over France in New Zealand. Cron says he’d pay anything to experience that feeling of joy again.
What has changed over the nearly 14 years since he first started working with Tonga is that it’s harder to get into the squad now, he explains.
Cron’s main area of expertise is the scrum. His father, Mike, was the All Blacks’ scrum guru for 16 years, taking in their 2011 and 2015 World Cup successes, and now works with World Rugby, helping top-level referees to understand the scrum. Father and son have coached against each other in the past, but Mike has all the bragging rights.
Dan’s uncle, Simon Cron, is the current head coach of the Western Force in Australia.
“You grow up talking scrums, watching scrums, watching rugby,” says Dan. “Being born in New Zealand, that’s just part of you. You get a passport and you’re allowed by a rugby critic, those are the two human rights in New Zealand really. It’s part of the veins really.”
Cron also works with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and that’s where he started to convince former Munster out-half Tyler Bleyendaal to take on a role with the Tongans that revolves around their attack.
“I knew that how he coaches and what he can offer, his tactical awareness and style of delivery, would just be perfect for this team,” says Cron.
“Tyler has an Irish connection there and he has been just great for us. His mannerisms and what he offers the team is just a bit different to what myself and the other coaches offer. He is definitely a coach for the future.”
So this is a happy Tongan camp. While they’re realistic about how tough Pool B will be, they’re aiming for the knock-out stages, meaning they will have to pull off some big results.
First up, it’s Ireland. Cron is honest enough to admit they haven’t seen any obvious weaknesses in this Irish team, even if Farrell rotates his side, but Tonga are going in with the belief that they can do something special.
“Whether they name what’s perceived as their strongest team or they give other guys a go, that can work in your advantage,” says Cron. “I’ve been involved before where you name a perceived B player and they come on to have the game of their life.
“Obviously, for us, I don’t think it matters. Whoever they name, they’re going to be very, very, very strong.
“So we’re going to go out and focus on us, try to put our style of footy on them, and hopefully put them under some sort of pressure, then see how it goes.”
