Tonga beat Lebanon 36-0 and face Samoa in World Cup showdown
Tonga enters the next round of the Rugby League World Cup facing a showdown against Samoa after securing a 36-0 shutout win over Lebanon in Sydney. Mate Ma’a Tonga maintained their undefeated pool play run, though head coach Kristian Woolf’s side now must clean up a mistake-riddled performance before meeting Samoa on November 1 at CommBank Stadium.
Errors and Adjustments Mar the Sydney Shutout
Despite keeping Lebanon scoreless in front of 25,065 fans at CommBank Stadium, Tonga struggled with execution. The team committed 13 errors, with other figures placing the total number of handling mistakes at 16. The scrappy victory came just six days after Tonga’s 30-12 win over England in Perth, leaving the squad to rely on opportunistic plays from their outside backs to build an early 14-0 halftime lead.
Tonga played without chief playmaker Isaiya Katoa, star centre Robert Toia, and veteran Tyson Frizell. Winger Sione Katoa opened the scoring in the 13th minute off a cut-out pass from fullback Lehi Hopoate. Tolu Koula later intercepted a pass to run 90 metres for a try, while Paul Alamoti, Jojo Fifita, and Leka Halasima also crossed the line to seal the seven-try margin.
Fatigue Costs Lebanon in Second Half Defeat
Lebanon fell to an 0-2 record following the defeat, having previously dropped a 42-18 result to Papua New Guinea. Lebanon coach Michael Cheika pointed to fatigue as a decisive factor during the second half. I don’t want to be a gallant loser but at the end of the day, that’s what we are,
Cheika said, expressing pride in his part-time footballers who managed to hold firm defensively until late in the contest. Lebanon will close out their tournament campaign against France, while Papua New Guinea meets Samoa on Saturday before Samoa travels to Australia for the November showdown.
Tonga captain Jason Taumalolo acknowledged the physical challenge ahead while praising the backing of the Tongan supporters who filled the venue with red flags. It’s a huge game for both countries given the history between Tonga and Samoa,
Taumalolo said. We’re expecting another physical game and we’re looking forward to it.
The two Pacific nations last met in the Pacific Championship last year, where Samoa secured a 28-point victory.
