Tonga confident of overcoming quadruple injury blow for World Cup

Kristian Woolf is hopeful of having injured hooker Siliva Havili available for the Rugby League World Cup but admits the loss of Jorge Taufua, Patrick Kaufusi and Tony Williams will test his side’s depth.

TON

With prop Andrew Fifita now almost a certain selection for Australia after turning in a man-of-the-match performance for NSW in last week’s opening State of Origin, the injuries to Taufua, Williams and Kaufusi are a further blow for the Mate Ma’a.

Taufua ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in Manly’s 21-20 defeat of Canberra last Sunday and joins Kaufusi (foot), Williams (knee) and Havili (pectoral) on the sidelines with injuries that have been diagnosed as season ending.

Backrowers Kaufisi, who plays for North Queensland, and Cronulla’s Williams were both injured in Tonga’s 26-24 Pacific Test win over Fiji on May 6, while Havili has also undergone surgery after rupturing his pectoral playing for Illawarra’s NSW Cup team.

Taufua, Williams and Kaufusi would have been almost certain selections for Tonga at the World Cup and Woolf is resigned to being without them but Havili may be available for the tournament as his estimated recovery time is four months.

“Guys like Jorge Taufua, Tony Williams and Patty Kaufusi are really big losses for us and also really big losses for their clubs, who are obviously the ones that pay their wages so that is really unfortunate.”

“But my understanding with Havili is that he is a chance of being back at the end of season and playing some footy so hopefully that is the case because I thought he was really good for us against Fiji.”

Taufua and Fifita, who was called into the Kangaroos team for the ANZAC Test after initially being named by Tonga, did not play against Fiji and were replaced by Manu Vatuvei and Addin Fonua-Blake, while there are other players who will be available for the Mate Ma’ in the World Cup.

Among them are Parramatta trio Michael Jennings, Peni Terepo and Manu Ma’u, Warriors centre Solomone Kata, Gold Coast’s Konrad Hurrell, Wests Tigers-bound winger Mahe Fonua, Hull secondrower Sika Manu and Salford forward Ben Murdoch-Masila.

“I think we are a little bit better off this year in the sense that we have a bigger pool of players to pick from due to the change in the international eligibility rules but at the same time we don’t know what effect Australia and New Zealand picking 24-man squads will have on our squad,” Woolf said.

“We certainly need all of our best players available and unfortunately those four players fall into that category and I would say we have definitely lost Andrew Fifita but that is something that all the smaller nations have to deal with.

“I think everyone is just proud that the two best forwards in the game at the moment, Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo, are both Tongan.”

Australian second rower Tyson Frizell and New Zealand winger David Fusitua are other players eligible for Tonga who are likely to be chosen by tier one nations but Woolf said there would be opportunities for others.

“Even though we’ve got a few injuries I would like to think that we are still going to come up with a strong side,” he said.

“It certainly hurts and might mean that we will end up a little bit less experienced in some areas but it is good in terms that you get young guys in there and I remember taking Sio Siua Taukeiaho away at the end of 2014 and he was very unknown to me at that stage.

“He was playing for Newtown but he was one of our best players against PNG and kicked on to become a regular first grader for Sydney Roosters after that so sometimes young guys can come along and surprise you.”

By Brad Walter | @BradWalterSport
Chief Correspondent, RLWC2017