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Two Rugby World Cup 2023 competitors will battle it out at a neutral venue on Saturday. Bucharest, Romania will be the setting for Tonga vs Chile. The match is rare; the teams only prior meeting was back in 2010. In what was nearly a major upset, Tonga won 32-30.
A lot has changed to both Tonga and Chile since their 2010 test match. Chile now has professional rugby; with it came the means for Los Cóndores to qualify for a first-ever Rugby World Cup. Chile did so with a pathway for the country’s homegrown players to be trained in a high performance system.
Tonga does not have high performance. It indirectly has professionalism in the form of Moana Pacifica, a team based in Auckland, New Zealand consisting predominantly of diapora or heritage Samoan and Tongan players. Changes to player eligibility are another factor. Tonga now has access to and is fielding former Wallabies and All Blacks.
Tonga go in to the match with former All Black Vaea Fifita starting at flanker. He started for New Zealand against Argentina in Buenos Aires in July, 2019. Former All Black Augustine Pulu starts at scrum-half and former All Black George Moala will play center. Former New Zealand 7’s player Tima Fainga’anuku starts on the right wing.
Additional New Zealand players in the starting line-up include the front-row of Tau Koloamatangi, Sam Moli, and Ben Tameifuna, lock Sam Lousi, fly half William Havili, and fullback Otumaka Mausia. Australian Afusipa Taumoepeau joins former All Black George Moala in the centers. Left winger Solomone Kata previously played rugby league for both New Zealand and Tonga.
Pablo Lemoine has made changes. Javier Carrasco replaces Salvador Lues at loose head and Augusto Bohme starts in place of Tomás Dussaillant at hooker. Clemente Saavedra moves from lock to flanker; a move to see Chile upsized to take-on the Tongan giants.
With Saavedra moving positions, Santiago Pedrero will start at lock. Martín Sigren is joined by Saavedra and Raimundo Martínez in the back-row. Neither started against Romania. Changes in the backs see Lukas Carvallo replacing scrum-half Marcelo Torrealba, José Larenas starting at inside center and Iñaki Ayarza moving to the wing with Nicolás Garaculic dropping to the replacements.
The replacements bench is arguably the strongest Chile have ever fielded. Diego Escobar is a highly promising hooker, Salvador Lues, and Iñaki Gurruchaga are accoplished props, and the trio of Marcelo Torrealba, Nicolás Garafulic, and Ignacio Silva are all assured of places on the roster for the World Cup. Then there is the comeback kid; Pablo Huete is back for his first cap since the previous RWC cycle.
The match is the second of November for both teams. Tonga are coming off a 40-6 win over Spain while Chile were beaten 30-23 by Romania last weekend. Tonga had a strong start against Los Leones; they quickly built a big lead. Spain was more competitive than the scoreline suggests. Chile were 17-0 down vs Romania before playing the better rugby for the duration.
If Chile can start better and again play with resilency then they have a shot at a historic result. It would be another noteworthy scalp to add to those which Los Cóndores have claimed in 2021-2022: Russia, Canada and the USA.
TEAMS
TONGA
1 Tau Koloamatangi, 2 Sam Moli, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 4 Halaleva Fifita, 5 Sam Lousi, 6 Vaea Fifita, 7 Solomone Funaki, 8 Sione Havili Talitui, 9 Augustine Pulu, 10 William Havili, 11 Solomone Kata, 12 George Moala, 13 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 14 Tima Fainga’anuku, 15 Otumaka Mausia
Replacements: 16 Jay Fonokalafi, 17 David Lolohea, 18 Siate Tokolahi, 19 Tanginoa Halafonua, 20 Zane Kapeli, 21 Manu Paea, 22 Fetuli Paea, 23 Anzelo Tuitavuki
CHILE
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Augusto Bohme, 3 Matías Dittus, 4 Santiago Pedrero, 5 Javier Eissmann, 6 Martín Sigren (capt.), 7 Clemente Saavedra, 8 Raimundo Martínez, 9 Lukas Carvallo, 10 Rodrigo Fernández, 11 Pablo Casas, 12 José Larenas, 13 Matías Garafulic, 14 Iñaki Ayarza, 15 Santiago Videla
Replacements: 16 Diego Escobar, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 19 Pablo Huete, 20 Joaquín Milesi, 21 Marcelo Torrealba, 22 Nicolás Garafulic, 23 Ignacio Silva
Date: Saturday, November 12
Kick-Off: 2:00pm (RO); 9:00pm (CL)
Venue: Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf (Bucharest, RO)
Referee: Luke Pearce (UK)
Assistant Referees: Ben Blain (UK); Luc Ramos (FR)
TMO: Brett Cronan (AU)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2010-09-29: Chile 30-32 Tonga (Santiago, CL)
