The Springboks will have to be wary of Tonga, who will be stocked up with former All Blacks and Wallabies at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
Cape Town — It’s not just Scotland and Ireland that the Springboks have to worry about in pool B of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France later this year, but one of the Pacific Island teams can also cause some headaches for the reigning World Champions.
Tonga, who forms part of the group of death, and its coach, former Wallaby international Toutai Kefu, are assembling a stellar line-up for their campaign loaded with internationals from different Tier 1 countries.
Just like the Springboks made use of World Rugby’s Regulation 8 to get the services of South African Irish lock Jean Kleyn as they prepare for the World Cup, Tonga has several former All Blacks and Australian players in their current squad.
The regulation allows players to switch from one country to another on birth or ancestral grounds and updated residency rules.
Kleyn is in line to make an international return for the Springboks after representing Ireland at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Tonga enlisted the services of former All Blacks, the centres Malakai Fekitoa and Charles Piatua and George Moala, loose forward Vaea Fafita, and scrumhalf Augustine Pulu.
Australian Internationals Israel Folau (fullback) and locks Adam Coleman and Lopeti Timani are also amongst the 35-man squad currently preparing for the World Cup.
That is a host of Tier One internationals in the Tonga squad that can cause problems for other teams in pool B the day they click and play well. At 2019’s World Cup, Tonga came dangerously close to beating France, losing 23-21, and they will be ready to cause an upset or two come the tournament.
“If you see what happens with the Tonga team, it seems fair,” Rassie Erasmus said of Regulation 8 and the change in eligibility for a country.
“It’s fair for them to get guys who were born there, and maybe played for another country and came back to Tonga.
“We voted against it.
“Looking back at it, and not because we got Jean Kleyn back, but those teams sometimes were seen as the minnows or lesser favourites in a group.
“And now all of a sudden you’ve got these guys that are world-class and they don’t just get together at a World Cup. They were playing in really tough competitions earlier for other countries.”
Erasmus feels Tonga’s acquisition of former Tier One nation players will elevate the competition in the pool stages for the Springboks, and the champions will have to perform at their peak straight through to reach a quarter-final and beyond.
Where a team could possibly field an understrength side against the likes of Romania and Tonga in pool B, Erasmus and Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber will now have to think twice about that.
“I do think having weak teams in your pool sometimes doesn’t help you a lot when you get to the quarter-final or semi-finals. I am actually glad, and I know it’s going to be tough, but if you start naming those names in the Tonga team, it’s going to be one helluva match.”
