South Pacific island rugby powerhouse Tonga are renowned as one of the most physically dominant teams in the professional game.
Whilst their Fijian rivals are revered for their flair, with highlights videos that would match any in the world. The Tongan’s highlight reel shows the beautiful brutality of their game.
This is not to say they lack the skills of the Fijians, far from it; however, if the Fijians like to work around their opponents, the Tongans prefer the more direct route.
Defensively, the men in red, like fellow South Pacific islanders Samoa, have some of the best big tackle highlights in the game.
Squaring off with fellow Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifiers Canada, the Tongans once again showed off their physical prowess.
With several former All Blacks and Wallabies now in their line-up, the Tongans thumped the North Americans 28 – 3.
Making the victory even more impressive was the fact that they managed to keep the Canadians try-less despite being a man down when former All Black George Moala was shown a red card.
The 32-year-old Clermont star, who earned the last of his four caps for the Kiwis in 2016, put in a tackle not often seen in the game these days.
Picking up Canada’s Ben LeSage before unceremoniously dumping him, Moala was shown a straight red by referee Jordan Way.
For the Tongan management and Moala, they will now have an anxious wait to see if Moala will be suspended.
If found guilty, Moala would likely miss a minimum of six weeks; working in his favour is a clean disciplinary record with just one suspension in 2011.
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